By: Natasha Archary
Piano Hub Artist Young Stunna had no choice but to serve the people his first album after a video of his song went viral. Throwing down the track during one of her sets, Uncle Waffles had the crowd lapping up Stunna’s bomb track Adiwele.
While he’s hot property right now, he shares with DJ Keyes on The Ultimate Kaya 959 Top 30 that he used to beg to be put on at events and venues.
Taking on free gigs just to get him some exposure until he blew up in 2014 in Daveyton.
It was always music
Growing up, Sandile Msimango, which is Stunna’s real name, was always surrounded by music. His mom was a vocalist and his ‘timer’ (dad) owned a tavern which had a jukebox.
Spending time at the tavern on weekends exposed him to all types of genres, including RnB and Kwaito. Stunna fell in love with how Kwaito artists told their stories.
“There was just something so raw and real behind their struggle.” he shared with DJ Keyez
Apart from his parents, his uncle who was a writer, listened to Hip Hop, Kwaito/Boom Bap and a lot of Tupac.
Not one for sports, Young Stunna spent most of his breaks at school sitting in class writing lyrics. He admitted to even writing lyrics during lessons, not that this affected his grades.
“Nah sports just wasn’t my thing. I wasn’t interested in any sports.”
He attended Benoni West Primary and Lee Rand High School in Benoni. Finishing his matric at Unity Secondary School in Daveyton. His love for music only grew when he moved to Daveyton because of its big music culture.
Whilst still at school Stunna and his friends started a group, Mighty Kings and they used to record songs at a local studio for R50.
The township borders Etwatwa to the north-east, Springs to the south and Benoni to the south-west.
‘There were parties and gigs every week from Wednesday in Daveyton and it was always a vibe.’
“My mom was very strict and I had to beg her to go perform at night. You know how moms are. She was worried I was still too young to be out on the streets at night. I’d go perform for free and come home around 01h00. It was just for exposure.” Stunna tells Keyez
His determination eventually landed him a gig at Auden’s Exclusive Pub which became his “home”.
The Daveyton “celebrity”
In 2014 he released his first big hit eKasi and the rest as they say was his continuous rise to the top.
Stunna met some of the big names in Daveyton like AB Fab and Physical the Animal who took him to their gigs. This was how he learnt more about music and the gig game. By now, he was making a lot of music and securing paid gigs.
It was after eKasi blew up that Stunna became a big name in Daveyton, like a local celebrity. Tagging along to gigs with Physical the Animal who would put him on his sets helped him meet Riky Rick.
His goal is to build something solid so he can secure a bigger seat at the big boys’ table. He keeps his circle small and is careful about who he lets in.
“Some of the guys I started with didn’t believe in my vision and so I lost a few brothers along the way. I’m still building though, this thing takes time.” Stunna shares with Keyez
His first album Notumato dropped just last week after being signed to Kabza De Small’s label PianoHub.
The album features Kabza De Small, DJ Maphorisa, Reason and Blxckie.
The title of the album is inspired by the Xhosa phrase Notumato which refers to a child born with red cheeks. Red like a tomato. In short, Notumato signifies beautiful beginnings to Young Stunna.
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