Music

Well-known gospel artist Joe Mbiza of Itsani recently released his fourth album, In the beginning, comprising 14 tracks.

His latest offering comes almost three years after his third album. The album is receiving rave reviews from music fundis. Even though the album is not yet receiving a lot of airplay from local radio stations, Mbiza is taking it to the people, where it is proving to be very popular.

"I grew up listening to the likes of Derick Nzimande and Bejamin Dube, who have been role models to me and have inspired me a lot. They played music that could soothe the soul and this grew in me, so that I told myself that I would play the same type of music. I am really determined to take it to another level, no matter what the odds are," said Mbiza.

The new offering boasts powerful tracks such as Calvary, Cover me, Vhona Murena Yesuand Riautenda.

Mbiza said as much as he was prepared to dish out good music, he was worried about the rampant fake music industry mushrooming in Limpopo. He said that music pirates, the Ama Ten Ten, were destroying the music industry and they should be stopped in their tracks. “There are no more music shops in town because they cannot compete with these ruthless thieves who sell our music at next to nothing. Many in this industry have lost their jobs and artists are now at the receiving end as their music is found on pavements and sold for as little as R10, with the money going to the pirates,” he said.

He said that if a person stole in town, they would chase him until they caught up with him, but the same people were leaving thieves to continue selling their music illegally in broad daylight. “Some are contributing to this rampant piracy by buying the illegal music. If we do not buy, they will stop the illegal trade,” he said.