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The Dogg Stepping Down While on Top of His Game

Not a lot can be said about The Dogg that you do not know already. The Namibian music community and music enthusiasts beyond our borders have witnessed and accepted his glory.

When you reflect on the achievements The Dogg has accomplished in his music career, these milestones tend to evoke an undeniable feeling of respect and gratitude towards the artist for all that he has done and added to the history of Namibian music.

By now, we all undeniably know that The Dogg is definitely one of the best artists in the country and by that, we mean ‘best’ not only in the present tense, but in a historical sense too. With so much under his belt, it is understandable that after 15 years in the music business, the time has arrived for him to take a back seat as far as releasing music is concerned and concentrate on other ventures.

Prior to his much anticipated final concert to be held at the Unam stadium on Saturday, 29 September – sits down with the music heavyweight who shared insight from his legendary journey in the music business.

Reflecting over the last decade and a half, The Dogg, real name Martin Morocky, says his proudest achievement as a Namibian musician is influencing change in the music space in Namibia. “I changed the whole industry. Before me, a lot of people did not really believe in local music but as soon as I released my first album, everything about how local music is perceived changed. Radio stations started playing local music more and people started attending music concerts with line-ups comprising more of Namibian artists,” he said.

On his accolades, The Dogg mentioned that he is proud and grateful that his fans have managed to help him garner numerous awards. “It is not something that I take for granted”.

“I have lost track of how many awards I have won in my career. I used to count, but they are just so many. All the international awards are my favourite, especially the Afrima fan’s favourite award. I competed with big artists from countries with huge populations like Nigeria, Ghana and South Africa. Those awards are based on votes. I underestimated myself since our population is small. But I killed an elephant with a stone. I am the Goliath,” said The Dogg.

He pointed out his first artist of the year award as one of the awards he is proud to have the most, stating that it came to him as a surprise and that he never expected to be that successful at that point of his career already. “I went on to win artist of the year four times in a row, a record that has not been broken to date,” he said proudly.

Sharing the challenges he has encountered along his journey, The Dogg said that music piracy is one of the biggest hurdles he has had to deal with. “This is supposed to be one of the biggest sources of income for artists but people still try to cut it in half.”

The lack of support from the corporate world is another challenge The Dogg mentioned. “Corporate companies not believing in us artists was a big challenge but things have improved now as they have noticed that for people to buy into their products and services, they need somebody influential,” The Dogg said.

Speaking to The Weekender, founder of Poiyah Media Ilke Platt, who has been entrusted with The Dogg and Mshasho’s public relations, said that Mshasho has allowed her team to market and showcase their abilities. “Arranging one of the biggest events of the year is an honour and we look forward to showing our professionalism. We would like to thank The Dogg for allowing us to elevate his brand into the corporate arena,” said Platt.

Besides the music, The Dogg has been involved in numerous social campaigns, more specifically the ‘Smart Cut’ campaign in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS). “It is a blessing that I am in a position of changing people’s lives for the better. I felt very happy when the health ministry gave me an award for contributing to behaviour change towards HIV-AIDSs. These sort of social campaigns are some of the things I want to dedicate my time and energy to after my final concert,” shared The Dogg.

The Dogg, who is a father and husband, said that he takes pride in and cherishes being a family man. Describing the relationship he has with his two daughters, he said that he is very open with them and they know who he is besides being their father. “The relationship I have with them is a really friendly one. It is not like how we grew up where we were taught to fear our fathers. I can be in my room and they can even come and sleep next to me or change the channel without any fear because we are open like that. But there is also that element of respect because I am Daddy,” he said.

Giving advice to upcoming artists who are also chasing their dreams, The kwaito superstar said it is important to stay focused, have a mentor and choose friends wisely. He added that when it comes to being a musician, everyone will want to be associated with you, more-so if you make great music – thus, it is important not to be caught in the hype.

“For those in school who have already started doing music, make sure you pass Grade 12 and go to university. It is just four years of your life then you will have something to fall back on should your music career fail,” he warned.

On mentorship, The Dogg mentioned John Savvah, Lazarus Jacobs and Hilda Basson as the few people who he considers his mentors and whom he looks up to. He shared that he calls them anytime for advice on a lot of things, and when they see him doing something wrong, they are the first ones to correct him.

“They keep me in line and that helps me do great things. I am grateful to them for they have never sent me an invoice for all the advice they have shared with me and I urge young people to find mentors in their respective fields,” he said.

Ending the conversation with The Weekender, The Dogg said that he wishes to leave a legacy that will have people wondering how he achieved so many things with few resources.

“I want to leave a great legacy. When I am gone, the brand Mshasho should live on and create employment. My great grandchildren should survive from what I have created,” The Dogg concluded.

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