POPULAR wheel spinner DJ Smiley — real name Ngoni Machingura — has sensationally claimed that he is one of the godfathers of the Zimdancehall movement given the role he played in taking the music genre to the people when it had a few takers, while working as a DJ with a local radio station.
BY LORRAINE MUROMO
DJ Smiley told NewsDay that it was through his radio programme, Dancehall Ignition Party, that local music fans first came into contact with Zimdancehall.
“I was the first DJ to really devote my radio show to Zimdancehall on Power FM and it was called the Dancehall Ignition Party,” he said.
“On this show I played music that I heard from the streets, but was not receiving airplay. I was the first DJ to play Zimdancehall riddims featuring many artistes and through that many of them received recognition and exposure, that’s why I have been given the title Mukuru WeZimdancehall. I started the Zimdancehall movement.”
The DJ recently released a track titled Mukuru Ndini where he lyrically explains his position as the saviour of Zimdancehall.
“What I am basically saying in the song is that I have done so much for Zimdancehall for it to be where it is and I am against the idea of some DJs and MCs putting me on the same level with them,” he said.
