Interview With Dizzy Don

How did the stage name Dizzy Don come about?

If you know me as a person you will know that you can’t put me in a box. It came when I was in college my playlist had Bone Thugs, Bob Dylan, The Beattles etc. The guys around me would say theres no consistency so T.N.G (the guy who got me in the game) was the one who called me Dizzy Don.

How long have you been making music?

I started making music as a profession in 2010. I started writing verses back in college. The first verse I wrote was a song that was being done for the school and I was representing my block.

What major challenges did you face when you were trying to break into the industry?

Well I still face them. Due to my character everything that has advantaged me has disadvantaged me at the same time. I have been too presumptuous, this is the assumption that if your stuff is good it will get played or the assumption that your stuff is good in the first place haha, so I think most of my problems had to do with myself. The frustration my fellow artist were facing I started feeling it myself, so I had to look inside myself and realised to solve my problems I had to solve me. The more you begin to understand how the people you help from see things the more you can become those people. I started to ignore what the artists were teaching me, that is ‘tinoda funding,

How do you feel about the state of Zim Hip Hop right now?

It is beautiful and precarious position, beautiful in that the structurelesness makes anything possible, anyone can do what they want to do becuase it is not structured.Comercial in this space is defined by what type of music the artist is making, if you are making music that makes people jump, people say you are commercial but this is not neccesarilly true because you are not in a commercial systeme. Now since this industry is not structured a person who makes tracks about being in the club just needs to go to the club and feed the people what they want! It is precarious because you have to do everything on your own and you find that artists don’t know how to push that music henceforth the music is just there and no one is listening except you and your girlfriend haha.

How long have you been making music?

Strictly as a proffession I started in 2010 so this makes it my fourth year!

When did Donald Maposa become Dizzy Don?

When I was in college I had a very high pitched speaker for my walkman, and one time the guys sat me down saying what I listen to doesn’t make sense, one time your listening Bone Thugs, the next time its the Beatles, then Bob Dylan have some consistency waiziya. So it so happen there was a hip hopper ainzi T.N.G his the one who gave me the name since I liked Bone Thugs and they had Krazy Bone, Busy Bone so he called me Dizzy Don.

When did you realise that you were going to be a musician?

It was in 2009 when I was working at Delta, I finished work, got home changed out of my suit and tie into my white tee and baggy jeans and headed to the Book Cafe. I was nervous but I got on stage and killed it. That’s when I had the ephiphany that I belonged on the stage. 6 months down the kline I handed in my resignation.

What made you quit your human resources job to pursue Hip Hop in a country where it is still a growing sport?

In 2009 I was working as a HR manager for delta beverages, 1 of the girls I had gone to college with (Tsitsi Mhlanga) had finished college and had come back to Zimbabwe. She had gotten funding from Ox Firm, the idea was we want you to do anything that you can with regards to current issues in your society and she picked gender violance as her topic. She remember the song from college and asked me to be a part of the project. When we released the album everyone had a song on it. On the release day, it was a Friday after work I went home changed and headed to the Book Cafe and when I was on stage I got a feeling I never got from work and thats when I realised that this is where I belong because when I was on stage I felt like a whole defferent person, I felt connection and thats when I realised this was the end of me as a formal someone. 6-7 months down the line I handed in my resignation at work.

What do you love about Zimbabwe?

I love everything about Zimbabwe man.

What would you say is your biggest accomplishment this far?

It has to be my award.

Whats the most valuable lesson you have learnt this far?

I have learnt a lot of lessons but the lesson I want to push out is let it be. Let you be you, I should never feel as if your success or failures will capture space. As long what you do doesn’t affect my teritory everything is good. Musada kucontrola vanhu.

Any words wise words to the youth of Zimbabwe?

I don’t know if they are wise but all I can say is its not easy out here but the fact that you are endowed with youth it means that you have years ahead of you and the energy to do what needs to be done. Just do, do not wait for anything for you to do, sometimes you are waiting for the 2018 elections to start doing, sometimes you are waiting for the introduction of the dollar, I always see people waiting for the right conditions but theres nothing like that, next thing uchamuka wane 35

Where can your fans reach you?

Twitter : @Dizzyzw

Website :dizzydon.co.zw

Facebook :Dizzy Don Maposa