Artist Bio:
Brickz is the latest discovery for DJ Cleo, one of South Africa's top producers. This kwaito artist promises to be huge.
Already, Brickz is ahead of any other new artist as he has worked with a who's who of the current SA music industry. He began by singing in gospel choirs before performing in his first group, which also featured Speedy. In fact Brickz received the nickname Half Brick because he was the youngest person in the band. That was back in the '90s when he was just a teenager.
"I loved singing gospel, but my childhood friends in my Zola neighborhood were people like Mapaputsi and Speedy, so I got into the whole kwaito thing," recalls Brickz. "It was fun."
Mapaputsi advised him to simplify his name to Brickz because it had more of a kwaito feel to it. "It's a much stronger name. It's kinda like the last man standing," explains Brickz.
Brickz then went on to work with Mapaputsi on Izinja and his second album, Kleva. He wrote the track "Ukafa" on Kleva which features M'du, Zola and Bravo. Immediately after Kleva, he worked with M'du and Brown Dash.
It was round about then that DJ Cleo spotted his enormous talent and offered him a deal with his record production house, Will of Steel. "I felt that I needed to establish myself more before I signed a record deal," said the down-to-earth Brickz.
Brickz contributed a track to the Yizo Yizo 3 soundtrack called "Emasimini." It was actually a demo, but the producers were so impressed with the quality that they took it as it is.
Soon after that, Brickz began recording with DJ Cleo. The first release was Andapende (Zulu word for underpants) which did very well on YFM.
Now Brickz and his producer, DJ Cleo, have unleashed his debut album on music fans. It is called Face Brick, and is a powerful kwaito album with glimpses of ragga. Of the album Brickz says: "It will relate to the youth even though it's a very personal album. It is about my love life, township occurrences and I also wrote about my late mother. It is a ballad where I actually sing on the song. It's a very emotional track with harmonies."
Brickz says overall the album is honest with deep ideas. "Although I have simplified the message," he adds.
"I want people to understand my music and what I'm saying. I want people to have love with their partners, to share love and give love. The ghetto kids must have hope that it will happen for them because I believe that we will achieve something as a nation. We just need to work really hard as a nation." —Courtesy Calabash Music
