Oskido

Oskido
Oskido
Background information
Birth name	Oscar Bonginkosi Mdlongwa
Also known as	Oscar Warona, Godzilla, The Big "O”
Born	November 23, 1967 (age 56); South Africa
Genres	Kwaito, Afropop, House
Occupation(s)	DJ, Record producer, Entrepreneur
Years active	1989–present
Labels	Kalawa Jazmee Records
Associated acts	ATX; Brothers of Peace; Davido; Dr. Malinga; Mafikizolo; May D; Uhuru;
Website	oskidoibelieve.com

Oskido (real name Oscar Bonginkosi Mdlongwa) is a Zimbabwean musician based in South African mostly known for being a DJ. He is also a recording artist, DJ, record producer and entrepreneur. Oskido is credited with popularising Kwaito along with other artists such as Arthur Mafokate and Mandoza. Oskido run a company Wally Poly in Zimbabwe but his primary business is Kalawa Jazmee Records (formerly Kalawa Records), which is a record label with artists such as Mafikizolo in its stable.

Background

Oskido was born on 23 November 1967 in Brits, North West in South Africa to a Zimbabwean father and a South African mother. He, however, spent his childhood Luveve, Bulawayo where his father was from. He went Gifford High School in Bulawayo for his early education. At 21, he returned to South Africa where he worked at a family tuckshop but later pursued music full time. His father is Esaph Mdlongwa, is a former Luveve Member of Parliament and a member of the Welshman Ncube-led MDC.

Career

He started off selling boerewors and sausage rolls outside the Razzmatazz nightclub in Hillbrow, Johannesburg, in South Africa in the 1990s. It has been reported he would sneak into the club to spin the closing sessions. One night, after a scheduled DJ failed to show up he took the opportunity to DJ formerly.^[1]

Oscar was soon performing at Arena in Highjoint, Hillbrow, with artists such as Ian Segola. His first production work was bassy cassettes aimed at taxis and passengers, like ‘Mixmaster’ and ‘Big Jam’. As his reputation as a DJ grew he started performing at campus parties at Wits. He would also travel to places like Mmbatho, where he met his future partner Bruce "Dope" Sebitlo in Brothers Of Peace.

Under the Brothers of Peace band, Oskido released and produced eight albums between 1994 and 2004 before he went on to partner with Don Laka and Christos Katsaitis to found Kalawa Records.

Later, he joined forces with Don Laka and Christos Katsaitis to form Kalawa Records.

The stable's first act, Boom Shaka (whose first CDs were sold out of the boot of a car!), birthed the kwaito revolution, and Kalawa Jazmee (as the label is now known sans Christos and Don Laka) became the biggest independent label in South Africa, with well known acts like Boom Shaka, Bongo Maffin, Maikizolo, Trompies, Thebe, DJ Vetkuk, Spikiri, and Alaska.

His work in Zimbabwe

In 2014, Oskido partnered with the National University of Science and Technology (Nust)’s Technopark to run the Masilela Beer Garden as a family entertainment center. They were leasing the property from Ingwebu Breweries — the Bulawayo City Council’s municipal liquor undertaking.^[1]