KNYSNA NEWS - Be-Iskim initiative, a scouting project dedicated to identifying youths' talents and capacitate, develop and create a platform for them to get the necessary exposure, crowned their winners this past weekend at Chris Nissen Primary School hall in White Location.

The initiative was facilitated by youth empowerment initiative Yona Yethu and supported by 2015 Masters of Spin winner SK, well-known rapper Sbu Raps, reputable music rights author Sakhele Mzalazala, Knysna Municipality and local businesswoman Sam Lurie.

This year’s winners are vocalist Ibanathi Kanzi best known as Candy, rapper Bonga Chawder Nkohla and producer Sandiso Phekeleni, known as DNA.

The auditions took place at Chris Nissen Primary School in White Location, and the winners will be given a voice training coach who will start later in the week, and shortly thereafter they will be travelling to Port Elizabeth to record in studio.

Chawder (20), who started his musical journey when he was 11 with spaza music, says that genre fitted so perfectly with who he was at the time. "I was then introduced to hip-hop by my brother two years later. The genre broadened my vocab, became my passion and the love of my life, and I have never looked back."

The excited winner says he is looking forward to where his musical journey would lead him. "This opportunity came at a time that I was yearning for it – I've always rapped for my circle of friends so to spit rhymes for other people and have them see me is amazing. I am looking forward to making all my loved ones proud, who always believed in me – my mom, family and entire Concordia community."

The two other winners were not available for comment.

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