I had an awesome interview with Dj Loyd at Waterfront studios, where they shoot Hectic99 a Youth Entertainment TV show that airs on SABC2 every weekday at 16:00pm. Dj Loyd is not only a TV presenter but a Club DJ, radio DJ and voice over artist too. He is based in Cape Town. Some of you might know him from Euphonik’s show on 5 fm, My House. He does his mixes there. So yeah let’s get to know Dj Loyd…
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Cheesa: So tell us about yourself?
Dj Loyd: Everyone knows my name is Loyiso Mdebuka. I'm originally from Cape Town. I grew up in Cape Town. I've schooled in Cape Town. My family moved to the Eastern Cape in PE. My dad moved to the Eastern Cape in 1995. He moved to East London but we didn't move with him. We stayed here with my mom in Cape Town.
I went to Primary school at Kenwyn primary and matriculated at Windsor High school in 2003. I then started my studies at the University of the Western Cape. I studied Bcom Management. I graduated in 2008. I started working in 2008 as well.
Cheesa: Some of us got to see you on TV when you were doing the "When I Pick A Coke" ad? Was that your first TV gig?
Dj Loyd: No, my first gig was for Big Korn Bites which, funny enough, was a month apart. I basically stumbled onto TV. A good friend of my brother's had met a talent scout at a talent management company and they asked me to come in for a meeting. And they took a picture of me and sent me to my first casting which was with Big Korn Bites.
Funny enough they asked me to dance and that's all I did and I got the part then a week later I was sent to uhmm.... It was actually things that were in extension of my personality because at Big Korn Bites I had to like act silly, which is what I do. And for Big Korn Bites I had to recite a poem and I write poetry, which is what I also do.
Cheesa: So when did you realize that you want to be on TV?
Dj Loyd: *coughes* Actually I didn't realize it. Like I said I stumbled in. I always knew that I wanted to do something within Media and entertainment. Uhmm... TV just came as something that...like presenting itself I actually realized that I’m talented in it coz I've never trained to do TV or anything like that. It was just something I kind of stumbled in and fell in love with it.
Cheesa: Have you always wanted to be a DJ?
Dj Loyd: Yes. Uhm.... I started DJing in 2006 while I was at varsity. The reason why I wanted to start DJing is because at varsity there was this like local spot that students could hang out at and at the time....
Cheesa: I was actually also there by the way *laughs*
Dj Loyd: At Udubz?
Cheesa: Yeah...
Dj Loyd: Yah now I know your face, now I know your face. I was wondering.... I always wanted to get into the pub but couldn't coz like they would have these nights that you had to pay to get in and I wasn't financially well-off at the time.
And I realized at this one gig that there was this guy who walked into the pub carrying a DJ bag and I saw oh... Then I was like okay if I pose as DJ I can get in as well...... I started like that and met resident DJs there and I started pitching up as a DJ so yah the rest is history.
Cheesa: I've heard you also did hip hop, is that true or false?
Dj Loyd: Yeah uhmm..... I did. You know more than I thought *laughs* uhmm.... I've done a lot. I actually started doing hip hop with a very good friend of mine my best friend at the time and we were just messing around. Like there was a huge underground hip hop scene eKhayelitsha more specifically.
And I was just part of that and like all the artists that are out right now like abo Rattax, uhmm... There are a lot of guys like Ill Skills and Driemaanskap. Like all those guys we kind of grew up together and moved around the same circle that's when I moved on to DJing.
I saw that "Okay cool this is not gonna grow into anything," - that's when I opted for DJing coz even now I just recently did two tracks on Matthew Momand's album. Like I'm still recording hip hop...
Cheesa: Like rapping...
Dj Loyd: Yeah I'm rapping but it’s not like my Number 1 thing. It’s just something that I happen to be talented at.
Cheesa: Oh okay, so cricket, what happened to cricket?
Dj Loyd: Uhmm... *laughes* these are things that happened when I was growing up actually. I played under 19 for Western Pronvince when I was 18 that was when I was still at school.
Then I had a back injury - that's when I stopped playing cricket coz like I was a bowler, like an opening bowler and opening batsman. But then, because of the fact that I couldn't bowl and then there was the hip hop bit and then there was the DJing bit and the TV bit so it was a matter of not having time you know.
And the other thing is that I don't like doing things were I feel like there's a feeling that I didn't believe that I could play for South Africa one day. So I was like okay cool why am I wasting time doing it if I am not gonna do it at a highest level.
Cheesa: So about radio, you're also doing radio mos?
Dj Loyd: Yeah uhmm.....I did campus radio. I was a station manager at UWC in 2005....
Cheesa: But that radio station was not operating...
Dj Loyd: It was operating as a parasitical. What was great about UWC radio was that it operated as ehmm...parasitical and like as an activation base for the campus so we would put on the events that were going on in campus. We would put on like the companies the likes of Student Village when they come to campus we would make things happen for them.
But there was so much politics around UWC radio. It never really got off the ground as a radio station. And I moved over to UCT radio in 2007. I did that until 2010. Right now I'm training with one of the biggest radio stations in Cape Town but I can't say anything yet.
(Well we know from a source that the station is Goodhope FM which is an SABC radio station based in Cape Town)
HECTIC 99
Dj Loyd and co-presenter Lauriane
Cheesa: How did you get to be a presenter on Hectic99?
Dj Loyd: Uhmm… when Hectic 99 first came out in 2007, they had auditions and I was very much into… I just started DJing and my talent scout at the time sent me to auditions when Hectic99 was initially starting and I was like: "No it’s a kiddies’ show, like no ways, it does not fit with what I’m trying to do."
And then 2 years later… fast forward to years 2 years later it kind of started changing and I started seeing that the show was evolving into something bigger than I thought it would be. Then I was sent to auditions again, then I went for it. Long story short I started in May-June 2007.
And like the show has grown now like from a kiddies show to a youth show, which is directly speaking to people who are younger and both my age and older coz like it is so informative.
The show is really a change agent. There are also teachers who take our shows and use them in their Life Orientation classes. So yeah it’s really grown and can grow into something even bigger.
Cheesa: What's it been like since you started there?
Dj Loyd: Amazing… I think I have grown both as a person and like I came in as a young boy who knew what he wanted already but now the show has taught me about the world of television and broadcast, the world of media. I mean just to be in this creative space it’s like daily inspiration. So it taught me so much. It taught me how to present, how to create…It’s been amazing…yeah.
Cheesa: Can you explain what type of a show Hectic99 is for those who don’t really know? Some people, like you said, think it’s a kiddies show.
Dj Loyd: Oh well its not a kiddies show... its not a kiddies show…The show is a youth entertainment show. It’s in the magazine format. So basically in that magazine format it allows us to speak about a lot of topics at one go and be still informative uyabo…uhmm…The show can go to anything to talking about serious issues like HIV/AIDS to abuse uhmm… to homosexuality and to your lighter topics like gossip, music.
So it’s like literally like something that happens in a daily life of an 18-year-old. Like everything and anything that they talk about ukubone. We talk about a number of things and this is like the one show that actually takes the whole of it and makes it make sense coz like the content of the show is made by the people who watch it.
That is why it is so strong on social networks like twitter and facebook. We get a lot of feedback from people telling us what they want to hear from the show.
Cheesa: What's it like working with your co-presenters Ayanda, Lauriane, Danine?
Dj Loyd: Amazing… It’s like they are my brothers and sisters like we are literally like… I know a lot of people say this when they work together but we are such a tight made group. We’re not only just co-workers we’re friends. We go out together we do stuff together we all always in contact with one another.
Like you can see it on screen as well coz I think if umntu was watching the show and we’re just people who are disconnected and had no relation I don’t think it would be so… you’d see the connection uk’bone between all of us.
Cheesa: Which one of them are you most close to?
Dj Loyd: I’m actually close to all them. Uhmm… coz the one thing that I think I’m good at as a person is growing personal relationships with people. So there’s never one person who’s lesser than the other.
I make unique relationships with all of them. Lauriane is like my lil sister like I’ve known her for about 3 years now. Danine is very close. Ayanda is very close as well coz like when you spend time with people relationships grow like I can’t single out one person and say they are the most favourite person.
Dj Loyd getting his make-up with the make-up artist and Ayanda Makuzeni
Cheesa: Okay, which one is the craziest between you guys?
Dj Loyd: I think…Ayanda is out to be the craziest. Everyone knows him to be the craziest person and the one with the bubbliest personality. I’ve also been told that I’m crazy coz I jump around. So yeah I think it’s a tight competition between me and Ayanda right now.
But as well, Lauriane is like possibly the funniest out of all 3 of us coz like she’s the “dare devil” in everything. She would eat anything and she would do anything. So yah all of us we are funny but Ayanda I would probably say if you ask me my favourite uAyanda would be. He makes me laugh all the time.
Cheesa: What is the most embarrassing thing that you’ve done or has happened to you on air?
Dj Loyd: *laughs* uhmm… on one of my very first shows in 2007 when I was starting on Hectic we had a huge technical shutdown with one of our old presenters. The show was going on we couldn’t get the computer to work so that we can get the visuals out on screen coz everything was on screen. It was a huge mess up like the biggest embarrassing moment. But we just laughed it off, forgot about it and moved on.
Cheesa: Hectic99 recently celebrated its 1000 episode - what's your most memorable one?
Dj Loyd: I’ve got so many good memories about the show. The 1000 episode on itself was amazing. I really felt so emotional after that show because it was such a big occasion for not only us the presenters but the whole production as well….
Cheesa: Even with the channel I saw that there were ads about it, even on radio…
Dj Loyd: Yeah coz I mean for a Cape Town production and the first live show broadcasting for an hour which has never been done on television in Cape Town before. So it was a big thing for us. I think when we moved studios as well it was a big show.
Cheesa: What has changed since that 1000th episode?
Dj Loyd: Nothing we are still that crazy. I think now after that show we just realized how big Hectic99 actually is and how much we want it to grow and make it bigger because it can only touch more lives. It can only be more influential.
BEING A DJ
Dj Loyd with PH. Dj Loyd has an album with Dj G-Funk called Phuture DJs
Cheesa: I know we've touched on above but when did you start being a DJ?
Dj Loyd: 2006, I was messing around with music. Uhmm… literally messing around with music like I said it was a matter of wanting to get into parties for free and I actually realized that it's something that could be a career possible because like we’ve got people like the Dj Fresh’s of this world, the Dj Euphonik’s of this world who are making a living out of it. So I think it’s really something I wanna make a living out off.
Cheesa: So have you always wanted to be a House DJ?
Dj Loyd: Yeah, I love music my favourite type of music actually funny enough is hip hop. I just love house because in terms of how creative you can get with it, with mixing House music is my favourite.
Plus it’s an international genre. You can travel the world with it as hip hop is but with House you can really be distinct coz like there’s only so many Hip Hop songs and then house is like worlds and worlds of music. You can choose your type of sound that you want. It’s all about being an individual when you play House music.
Cheesa: When did you hook up with Euphonik and Dj Fresh?
Dj Loyd: I met Euphonik in 2007 by chance while I was still at UWC and I only really began to grow a relationship with him in 2008. Uhm... because at the time I was very involved and in touch with what was going on in campus and in terms of the lifestyle.
He needed help in terms of getting his footprint here in Cape Town especially in campuses. He asked me to help him and in return I asked him to mentor me.
Basically he spotted my talent and he saw me like as a DJ that stood out in Cape Town. Then our friendship grew out of that and he offered to basically help me with my very first album which came out last year, July.
But he is just basically been a bigger brother and mentor and helping me when he can and as a result I still continue to play mixes on 5 FM every Sundays on his show between 19:00-22:00 pm.
And then in 2009 I met DJ Fresh when I was doing my DJ ambassadorship from there our relationships have grown. They are the people I look up to. I got to travel with them to the United States last year because I won an international DJing competition. We spent 20 days or so. So yeah that's it.
Dj Loyd with Euphonik
Cheesa: What have they taught you about the industry as whole?
Dj Loyd: They taught me that it’s never gonna happen over night. You never gonna get famous over night. I mean those guys work. They gig like 7 times a week. They are constantly working on their craft.
They know exactly what they want. They plan for it. That’s what I’ve learnt from them. The most thing that they taught me is that you will never gonna get it easily you need to put in the work and you need to just continue pushing.
Cheesa: What are the challenges that upcoming DJs face in this industry?
Dj Loyd: Yoh there’s so many. I think the first challenge is when you realize that you want to be a DJ. You get all the music that you want and everything that you need and then the next step is to actually get gigs, which is the biggest challenge for upcoming DJs to get gigs.... how to get gigs… How to form the right relationships and you get promoters who cheat you out of your money, who will exploit you.
So you need to learn about the business of music and DJing. What you can do and what music you can play and music you can’t play coz another thing is that you can’t just play people’s music. Uhmm… those are the two biggest obstacles that upcoming DJs face.
Actually the third one is actually facing the whole DJing and whole entertainment industry as a business. You need to realize that ok cool what do I want to do with it coz it is gonna determine your next step. You need to figure out what you want.
Cheesa: What’s your take on the fact that it seems like everyone wants to be a DJ these days?
Dj Loyd: It’s a glamorous thing right now. It’s like an “it” thing coz I mean like uhmm…. People… upcoming DJs believe that it’s a quick fix. They see Dj Euphonik, Dj Fresh, Dj Loyd, they see Dj Fistaz and all these big DJs making money. They think they are making a lot of money and then this whole glamorous thing. They are like I also want to be a DJ coz all these guys they make it look good.
They don’t wanna concentrate on other talents like staying in school concentrating on their books. They want a fast track on whatever it is. The funniest thing is like if you look at the example I always make coz he’s possible the biggest DJ in the country, Dj Fresh.
He started DJing over 20 years ago and I mean you need to look at what has happened in that 20 years. How much work he had to put in to be where he is right now. And the most mistakes that young DJs tend to make is that they tend to think that they can get from where they are now to where DJ Fresh is right
Dj Loyd with Dj Fresh
Cheesa: I think another thing is money because like we hear that DJs can get up to R50 000 on one night is that true?
Dj Loyd: It depends if you’ve got a good booking agent you can make any amount of money. I mean the biggest DJs in the world and I’m not even gonna talk about South African DJs can make at least easy 10 million for one gig.
Cheesa: WOW!
Dj Loyd: And I mean right here in SA we don’t get to get that much but it can be a very lucrative if you plan it properly.
Cheesa: You’re talking about booking agents, you guys have booking agents?
Dj Loyd: Some of us have agents yes. Like some DJs would have people who handle all the booking for them. It becomes a business and you get a lot of people demanding your service. Like any other service business you gotta be able to manage it properly.
As the DJ your main focus should be to go out there play music and make people happy. And let people who are skilled at handling bookings, flights, accommodation and all of that stuff do that.
Cheesa: So you do have one?
Dj Loyd: Me? No I’d rather… I’m very organized person so I’d rather do it on my own.
Cheesa: So if people want to book you they can just contact you?
Dj Loyd: They can contact me. They can also contact my sister who basically does almost all my booking agent stuff. She would handle all of that.
Cheesa: And what do you think is the reason why ladies love DJs? And DJs call them jezebels *laughs*
Dj Loyd: *laughs* No I don’t call anyone jezebel. I think it’s with anyone who is in the spotlight. I don’t think it’s particularly a Dj thing. I don't think it’s anyone specifically and I think its anyone who is in the spotlight like DJs. You need to look at it as like people go out to party and they see who is the center of attention….its a DJ and girls tend to love people who are the center of attention who are glamorous. I don’t think it happens only to DJs coz like in anything when you start to make a name for yourself and start being a center of attention females will tend to be attracted to you. And I think works both ways even with guys.
Cheesa: Do you get jezebels?
Dj Loyd: No, no
Cheesa: *laughes* no you can tell us we know all DJs get jezables *laughs*
Dj Loyd: No, I believe in KARMA and I think you need to be careful about how you conduct yourself and how you treat others. I mean I wouldn’t want my sister or mother to be called a jezebel. So I would never call another female a jezebel or treat her in that way.
Cheesa: There is also this bad reputation that DJs have. What’s your take on that? Is it like really, really true that DJs are the people they are made out to be?
Dj Loyd: No, I think that people need to understand that DJs are individuals uk’bone and I think every individual should be accountable for their own actions. I shouldn’t be called a player or have a bad rep because another Dj did something.
That’s like saying because of one female who did something then every female is like that you know. I think that DJs are paid way too much attention actually you know. We just normal people like everybody else. We play music and that’s it.
Cheesa: Will you ever move to Joburg because of your career in entertainment?
Dj Loyd: Uhmm… I’ve asked myself that question a lot of times. I think given the right opportunity that would start progression like uba okay now I’m moving from this step that I’m at and its taking me higher. I would definitely move to Joburg you know.
But there’s no point of me going to Joburg right now when I’ve got the right opportunities at the right time. Everything is perfect for me right here in Cape Town.
Cheesa: What can you advise someone who wants to be a DJ?
Dj Loyd: Just ask yourself if, when you start DJing and you don’t get bookings at all, would you still want to be a DJ?. If no-one helps you, would you still want to be a DJ? If you never get any music would you still want to be a DJ?
I think that you need to ask yourself, when some situations get worse, would you still want to be a DJ? I think that there’s along arm of DJing instead of just playing music. It’s a business, it needs to be planned.
ABOUT HIS FAM…
Cheesa: Do you live with your family?
Dj Loyd: I live by myself. My parents stay in PE. My sister stays with her husband and their son at their place. I moved out of home when I was 18.
Cheesa: How many siblings do you have?
Dj Loyd: I’ve got 3 siblings, my older brother, my older sister and my 2-year-old sister. I was a last born for a very long time. Now I’m the 3rd child.
Cheesa: What's your relationship with your siblings like?
Dj loyd: I love them too bits. They’re all my best friends. My two year old sister is the wisest person in the world because she knows everything she’s got these things that she says that do not make any sense but make so much sense at the same time. My older sister and brother are my best friends like I couldn’t say anything bad about them.
Cheesa: Has your dad always been supportive of your career path?
Dj Loyd: My dad always asked me when am I gonna get a proper job. But I think at this point now he has seen that I can actually make a living out of this. He has the most love and respect for me.
I think he started realizing that the path that I chose is not the one he wanted but he can see that its working out and I’m proving him wrong. He is the first to say he is proud of me so yeah he is all good for me.
Cheesa: Ohkay thanks for your time Dj Loyd.
Dj Loyd: Thank you!
Dj Loyd and moiself our camera lady Lauriane is not very good at taking pics shem..lol
Well that is my awesome interview with DJ Loyd. I enjoyed doing this interview. I didn’t know what to expect but it all ended very well. Dj Loyd is a cool dude. We wish him all the best in everything that he is up to right now and with his future endeavors.
You can catch him every wwekday on Hectic99 on SABC2 and every Sunday’s on My House with Euphonik doing his mixes there. He is on twitter @DJLOYD his website www.djloyd.co.za .Keep representing Dj Loyd!
And oh thanks to Danine who is the publicist and presenter of Hectic99 for hooking us up!
pics: Hectic99, Dj Loyd & cheesa