Kwaito was derived from elements of Miami house music and, of course, hip hop.
This blend of sounds shaped the music and outlook of an entire generation and there is no escaping its impact, all you need do is press play on an amapiano record to see this.
It is arguably the best local sound we ever cultivated but the last thing you would expect is for a person from Bangladesh to be dabbling in this sound.
Shahriar Chowdhury better known as Juelz is a 48-year-old ex-pat from Bangladesh, Dhaka, who came to South Africa to further his studies. He ended up finding love in a few forms including the recording booth. His affinity for South African languages and our music has led him to collaborate with singer, songwriter, and rapper Sjava.
"I was born in Bangladesh. I came to South Africa to study, and I have a bachelor's degree in commerce from Unisa.”
Juelz started making music in 2006 and has been at for 18 years.
"My specialty is kwaito music which inspired me to do music in the first place. Artists like Mandoza, Arthur Mafokate, Brown Dash, Kabelo, Trompies and TKZee are people I look up to," he says.
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“I was staying in Springs around 1997 and 1998. I used to go to this pub with my South African friends and that’s when I fell in love with kwaito music. I hadn’t experienced anything quite like it before.”
The music bug bit him way before he moved to SA. His cousin, Kamal, played keyboard in Bangladesh's first heavy metal band and Juelz would always attend their concerts before they made a mark in Germany.
Juelz's most renowned track, Reveal the Riches, helped him amass a significant following. He has a few tracks that got the streets talking like Mirage, a multilingual record boasting a harmonious blend of Zulu, Sotho, and a variety of African tongues, intertwined with the melodic beauty of Hindi.
His South African compadres constantly urged him to keep at it as most of them had not seen anyone of Asian descent try their hand at kwaito.
“Even my girlfriend Nombuso Nyembe inspired me to sing kwaito and that’s why I’m always rocking a sporty and my lifestyle has kwaito at the centre of it. I also do a little bit of hip hop, but kwaito has my heart."
Juelz is still doing music as a pass time but after being in close proximity to Sjava he is excited to see what the future might hold.
Obviously, kwaito rests heavily on vernacular dialects being used and Juelz prides himself on being able to speak a few South African languages.
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“I understand Zulu, a little bit of Tsotsi Taal and a bit of Afrikaans. My ex-girlfriend and my present girlfriend taught me to speak Zulu. I have a Zulu mother; she may not be my real mother, but she has become more to me than my real mother and she loves me like I am her actual son.”
Although this may not be his primary vocation he enjoys collaborating with up-and-coming artists like Danja Dash, Lash and DJ Tako, Rizzla, Tumi Keababa, Smallz Money Mkaer and Feezy as well as Kool K from The United States, Mahcisa and G Morris of Isidingo fame.
He says Sjava is the one who pushed him to use Indian languages in hip hop music.
“Sjava, Ruff and Emtee and their African Trap Movement are like family to me, they are my brothers. I used to go to their studio and that's where Ruff taught me a lot. Sjava is an icon to me, and he inspired me even before he was famous back when he was acting on Zone 14.”
He humbly recalls being recognised at an internet café on a day he was just out and about with a friend of his.
“Some guy came in and he asked my friend if I was who he thought I was. I was really excited, and we took a few pictures, I gave him my contact details and told him to reach out to me whenever. I love talking to the fans I have, and I love people who love music.”
Juelz would relish the opportunity to work with DJ Maphorisa, Kwetsa and Cassper Nyovest in the future.
“I want to show this industry that if you have real talent then nobody can stop you. Anyone like that can go from being a zero to a hero."
