Professor (musician)
| Professor | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Mkhonzeni Langa |
| Born | 1978 (age 38–39) Port Shepstone, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa |
| Origin | [Umlazi Township, Durban, South Africa |
| Genres | Kwaito |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1996–present |
| Labels | Kalawa Jazmee |
| Associated acts | |
Mkhonzeni Langa (born 1978) better known by his stage name Professor is a South African Kwaito musician from Durban. He first rose to prominence as part of the Durban-based Kwaito duo Tzozo and Professor before branching out on his own making a huge mark on the South African music industry with hit songs such as Jezebel, Imoto and Lento.
In 1995 Professor was discovered by South African music producers Lindelani Mkhize, of Joyous Celebration and Spikiri (Mandla Mofokeng) of Trompies while he was performing. In 1996 he moved to the city of Johannesburg to pursue a music career. During this time the Kwaito genre was fast approaching its peak with musicians such as Arthur Mafokate and Mdu Masilela at the very prime of their careers.
In 2003 Professor was signed to Kalawa Jazmee Records by Oskido and Spikiri. At Kalawa Jazmee Records Professor was pair up with an already established Kwaito singer Tzozo, and together they formed a due which was known as Tzozo & Professor. The emergence of Tzozo & Professor also marked the emergence of the subgenre, Durban Kwaito Music, spanning from the original genre pioneered by the very label that signed them, Kalawa Jazmee Records. While together the duo released three albums: "Woze Durban", "Amantombazane" and "Magazine".
In 2010 Professor released his debut album as a solo artist under Kalawa Jazmee Records. The album was titled "University of Kalawa Jazmee" and its lead single titled "Jezebel", it was a runaway success and catapulted to even higher levels of success as an artist and launched as an individual rather than part of the duo. The songs contained in the album were so strong that every single that came out of it was critically praised; this includes, "Jimaphi le Weight", "Imoto" and "Lento". Furthermore, at the year 2010 edition of the Metro FM Music Awards the album was nominated in three categories; Best Kwaito Album, Song of the Year (Jezebel) and Best Collaboration. He went on to win Best Kwaito Album and the coveted Song of the Years Award. At the 21st South African Music Awards held on 19 April 2015 at Sun City in the North West the album, University of Kalawa Jazmee, won Best Kwaito Album.
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