Penny Penny

Giyani Kulani (born in Limpopo in 1962), better known by his stage name Penny Penny is a South African musician and politician,[1] known affectionately as the "Shangaan Disco King" for the musical style he helped popularise.[2]

Penny Penny
Birth nameEric Kobane
Born1962
Limpopo
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Musician
  • singer
  • songwriter
  • politician
  • television personality
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • synthesisers
Years active1994–present

He was the youngest of 68 children from a local traditional Surgeon/ doctor with 25 wives. His family was poor, meaning he received no education, but he soon became known for his dancing and was nicknamed Penny.[1] Aged 19, he worked on a West Driefontein goldmine near Carletonville, and soon left to escape the region's poor working conditions, although he did win several breakdancing trophies before his departure.[3] His breakthrough came with the recording and release of his 1994 debut album Shaka Bundu, which was recorded in a week using little gear but went on to sale 250,000 copies in the country.[4] The music features Tsonga (or Shangaan) disco sound, which emerged in Penny's native Tsonga culture,[5] fused with contemporary house music from the United States.[6] Unusually, the songs on the album were recorded in the Tsonga or Xitsonga language,[5] or more specifically its Limpopo-region dialect Xihlanganu, one of the least-heard languages in South Africa. This was a conscious choice on behalf of Penny, who wanted to introduce his language "to the world."[7]

He recorded several further albums, including Laphinda Shangaan (1997) and Makanjta Jive (1998), both of which outsold Shaka Bundu,[3] although none of his albums were distributed outside of South Africa, and he soon drifted into obscurity as the country's music trends moved on.[7] Shaka Bundu was re-released worldwide by Awesome Tapes From Africa, which helped renew his musical popularity.[8] His newfound popularity spread to the clubs of Los Angeles.[9] In 2017, he began creating music in a style he called "heavy gum," after growing tired of being referred to as the "Shangaan Disco King". He said: "I never labelled myself as Shangaan Disco King, other people did. I am tired of people knowing me only because of my language. Music is more than the language you speak." His first single in the style was "Goldie Bone."[2]

As a politician, Penny works in the African National Congress as a council member.[7] He entered a publicised long-running spat with a chief based in Giyani over an initiative for free water, explaining that he "entered into a partnership with a local farmer to help provide water to the community but was apparently stopped from implementing the plan by the chief."[10]

Since 2017, he also stars in his own reality series Penny Ahee on Mzansi Magic,[11] which was commissioned after a successful appearance as a judge on Clash of the Choirs.[12]

Penny Penny has one wife and 18 children.[13]

Discography
  • Shaka Bundu (1994)
  • Yogo Yogo (1996)
  • Makajanta Jive (1997)
  • Viyana Viyana (2000)[14]
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References
  1. Browne, David (4 November 2013). "Is Penny Penny the Next Rodriguez?". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
  2. "Penny Penny on creating a new music genre with first single, Goldie Bone". Times Live. 23 October 2007. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
  3. Mojapelo, Max (2009). Beyond Memory: Recording the History, Moments and Memories of South African Music. African Minds. p. 147. ISBN 1920299289. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
  4. "Awesome Tapes From Africa to reissue album by South African house legend Penny Penny". FACT. 13 September 2013. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
  5. Miles, Milo (6 February 2014). "Before He Joined Congress, A South African Janitor's Disco Past". NPR. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
  6. Spice, Anton (18 September 2013). "Awesome Tapes From Africa to reissue anthemic South African house artist Penny Penny". The Vinyl Factory. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
  7. Street, Andrew P (29 May 2014). "Penny Penny: back in currency". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
  8. Chauke, Orlando (23 September 2013). "Penny Penny's star to rise again". Review Online. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
  9. "South African pop star Penny Penny reborn in clubs of LA". BBC. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
  10. Zeeman, Kyle. "Penny Penny and Limpopo chief in spat over 'free water'". Sowetan Live. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
  11. Daylie, Qhama (12 January 2017). "Penny Penny hits out at English backlash". News24. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
  12. Mojalefa, Kekeletso. "Penny Penny Excited About Reality Show". Daily Sun. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
  13. "Child no. 68 Penny Penny has 25 children of his own". Citizen. 12 January 2017. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
  14. "Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
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