D-Naff
Encyclopedia
Naftalie Shigwedha Amukwelele (born 1 January 1974) commonly known as D-Naff, is a Namibia
n award-winning rapper/singer, and a former street gangster
. D-Naff sings inspirational religious music in the style of kwaito
, hip hop
, kizomba
, dancehall
and afro-pop. D-Naff is also a motivational and inspirational speaker and has visited more than 15 schools in Namibia including the University of Namibia
, Windhoek College of Education, Ongwediva College of Education and the Polytechnic of Namibia
.
in 1998, during the soccer world cup
under the sponsorship of the Franco-Namibian Cultural Center. After a giving his heart to Jesus, D-Naff went on to establish a GOspel hip-hop group called Eagles in Flight which later became Heaven's Dialect. After the exodus of the Group's producer to U.S.A., the group disbanded and D-Naff went on to found a group called "Eagle's Mentality" which became the winner of the 2005 "Best Gospel" at the Sanlam-NBC Music Awards.
D-Naff has been appointed as the (goodwill) Ambassador for the National Youth Council of Namibia (NYC). His duties as Ambassador include addressing the youth countrywide on matters facing them, being the spokesperson for them, motivating and inspiring them to be the best they can be and to live a life of meaning. D-Naff is also a member of a Choral group called Cantare Audire, under the leadership of Mr. Ernst von Biljon at the college of the Arts. Through his career as a musician, he has toured the United States
and Europe
.
in the gospel category with his song, "Tsipi Tsipi". His third album Above The Limit was released in early 2008. He is currently the best selling Gospel artist in Namibia, and the country's top and most requested performing Gospel star. His music enjoys airplay in all radio stations across the country as well as Radio Phoenix in Zambia
.
Namibia
Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...
n award-winning rapper/singer, and a former street gangster
Gangster
A gangster is a criminal who is a member of a gang. Some gangs are considered to be part of organized crime. Gangsters are also called mobsters, a term derived from mob and the suffix -ster....
. D-Naff sings inspirational religious music in the style of kwaito
Kwaito
Kwaito is a music genre that emerged in Johannesburg, South Africa, during the 1990s. It is a variant of house music featuring the use of African sounds and samples. Typically at a slower tempo range than other styles of house music, Kwaito often contains catchy melodic and percussive loop samples,...
, hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
, kizomba
Kizomba
Kizomba is one of the most popular genres of dance and music created in Angola. Derived directly from Zouk, sung generally in Portuguese, it is a genre of music with a romantic flow mixed with African rhythm. The kizomba dancing style is also known to be very sensual.- Origin :Kizomba was developed...
, dancehall
Dancehall
Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s. In the mid-1980s, digital instrumentation became more prevalent, changing the sound considerably,...
and afro-pop. D-Naff is also a motivational and inspirational speaker and has visited more than 15 schools in Namibia including the University of Namibia
University of Namibia
The University of Namibia is the national university of Namibia, located in the Pioneers Park district of Windhoek. Established by an act of National Assembly on 31 August 1992, UNAM includes Colleges of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Economics & Management Science Education, Humanities and...
, Windhoek College of Education, Ongwediva College of Education and the Polytechnic of Namibia
Polytechnic of Namibia
The Polytechnic of Namibia, locally also known as Poly or Polytechnic, is an institute of tertiary education in Windhoek, Namibia. It has been established by Act 33 / 1994 of the Namibian Parliament.-History:...
.
Career
He started his music career back in the early 90's while a student at "Jan Jonker Afrikaner Secondary" under a group called the "Glamour Boys". The group toured FranceFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in 1998, during the soccer world cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
under the sponsorship of the Franco-Namibian Cultural Center. After a giving his heart to Jesus, D-Naff went on to establish a GOspel hip-hop group called Eagles in Flight which later became Heaven's Dialect. After the exodus of the Group's producer to U.S.A., the group disbanded and D-Naff went on to found a group called "Eagle's Mentality" which became the winner of the 2005 "Best Gospel" at the Sanlam-NBC Music Awards.
D-Naff has been appointed as the (goodwill) Ambassador for the National Youth Council of Namibia (NYC). His duties as Ambassador include addressing the youth countrywide on matters facing them, being the spokesperson for them, motivating and inspiring them to be the best they can be and to live a life of meaning. D-Naff is also a member of a Choral group called Cantare Audire, under the leadership of Mr. Ernst von Biljon at the college of the Arts. Through his career as a musician, he has toured the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
Music
He released his first solo album entitled Oshagwana in 2006 which made him more popular. In 2007 he released his second album entitled Iikele Yuuyuni Mbu which won him an award at the Namibian Music AwardsNamibian Music Awards
The Namibian Music Awards ', also referred to as Namibian Music Awards is a Namibian award show that annually honors established recording artists...
in the gospel category with his song, "Tsipi Tsipi". His third album Above The Limit was released in early 2008. He is currently the best selling Gospel artist in Namibia, and the country's top and most requested performing Gospel star. His music enjoys airplay in all radio stations across the country as well as Radio Phoenix in Zambia
Zambia
Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....
.
Solo albums
- 2006:Oshagwana
- 2007:Iikele Yuuyuni Mbu
- 2008:Above The Limit
- 2009:The Untold Truth
- 2010:Reloaded