Ba2cada: self-conscious and oh so loud!
The real Nyakallo Leine is a completely different person to the guy we know as Ba2cada on Lesedi FM.
THIS & THAT:
Hosts an annual soccer tournament in Botshabelo called Ba2cada Soccer Games every December.
Cruises around in a gold BMW 645 ci cabriolet, which he's been driving for a month.
Is also the proud owner of an Audi A3, which he drives when he goes out with his boys.
Claims to be the No1 fan of Bloemfontein Celtic.
Also owns an event management company called Ba2cada Entertainment.
Loves his pap and chisa nyama, especially the one at Taung Nameng in Botshabelo.
Is a fan of Sotho hip-hop artist Tshepe. Andrianto, Commando Obbs and Sebata are his favourite Sotho rappers.
Is one of the judges of the South African Music Awards.
The host is ultra loud on his crazy Reya Kubeletsa afternoon drive show. But another side of him emerges when we meet him at Lesedi FM's state-of-the-art studios in Bloemfontein.
"I'm really a shy person. I feel comfortable only around my close friends," he tells me.
"When I'm with my friends, I talk about everything. I feel comfortable without being judged by my professional popularity.
"When I'm out with them I fear people who take what I say on radio seriously and make it personal, as if I have an agenda against them.
"Some of them want to discuss what I said on radio while we're clubbing and get irritated when I tell them it's just a job of entertaining people.
"They want to pick a fight for petty things. It p****s me off."
The message is: there's a clear line between his pro and private life, so don't confuse the two.
Having gotten that off his chest, he shares a bit more of the real Nyakallo with me.
"I'm a party animal and you can find me hanging out with my boys in Pimville and Newtown, Jozi (where he lives)," he says laughing.
"I'm a regular of ragga nights at Bassline, where I get on the dance floor and swing my dreadlocks to the rhythm of great music dished out by Jah Seed and Admiral.
"I really like local hip-hop, ragga and kwaito. That's the music that defines me as a person.
"But I'm a terrible dancer. I can't get down," he confides sheepishly.
"Anyway, I'm still trying to learn dance moves like hlokoloza.. I sometimes go to my bedroom and dance while looking at myself in the mirror, and - eish! - I can see God didn't give me dancing skills."
He giggles. His ability to laugh at himself is rather touching.
He's not too proud to let us know he has his imperfections.
It's also clear that he's no poser - he's wearing a simple patterned shirt and jeans.
Neat and unobtrusive.
"I am not choosy when it comes to fashion. I wear everything that comes... not fong kongs though.
"I like my tracksuits, especially in winter. I only wear a tie when it is necessary," he tells me, stroking his dreadlocks.
He's also obsessive about being clean.
"I love my sneakers and I can tell you that they don't stink," he says proudly.
"I have more than 50 pairs of sneakers and I wear different ones every day to make sure they remain clean."
I ask him about his love life. Any romance at the moment?
"I respect my woman a lot. She's a private person, who likes her space, but she takes me to parks, dinners and movies.
"To be honest, I don't like going there. But what can I say? She's my woman, so I pretend to go with the flow.
"When I tell her I don't like these things it leads to a lengthy discussion and she'd convince me to go. I'm adapting to it."
Hah! She's got him where she wants him!
"Mmabatho likes to feed me all the food she likes and she'd do that in front of people. I used to feel shy about it but now I'm game with it..."
He brushes his self-consciousness aside and boasts: "Anyway, women throw themselves at me, even when I'm with my woman. She was a bit uneasy at first but now she's getting along with what happens.
"Mmabatho really understands the situation. She understands that that's what Lesedi FM made me to be, a people's person."
But not with certain types.
"I'm short-tempered with people who don't respect others. Some people undermine me when they see me for the first time, but when they are told who I am they start treating me differently.
"I don't like those kinds of people. I tell them where to get off. I don't like pretenders, period. to me those characters are fake."
Which pretty much sums up who this DJ is - he's not perfect and doesn't pretend to be, but he's real and he likes to keep it real.
•mdakaneb@sundayworld.co.za
