Jack Daniel’s Music Scouts 2015: FAQ

Why Jack & Music?
Jack’s story began in Lynchburg Tennessee in 1866. Over the years, his whiskey would travel across the world gracing dressing rooms and stages of a number of well-known artists.

As with all great stories, Jack’s was born from a passion and determination to do things his own way. And we’re not just talking whiskey making: Jack began one of the oldest recorded music sponsorships in the 1860s – of the Silver Cornet band.

Mr. Jack’s band was made up of local townspeople – a bank clerk, grocer, policeman, and even a local lawyer. Like his whiskey, music brought together folks from every walk of life. Along with playing at saloon openings, the Jack Daniel’s Silver Cornet Band played at Independence Day celebrations and political rallies. It would finally disband when its members left for World War I. But the music would never be completely silenced.

After his death Jack’s spirit continued to live on through music. His whiskey would become the unofficial whiskey of Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack. Rock ‘n’ roll would take over the mantle in the ‘60s. Some have said the history of music is dripping with Jack Daniel’s.

We’d like to continue Jack’s love affair with music by helping showcase up and coming Artists creating their own Authentic Sounds. We’re looking for Picking up where Jack left off so to speak….

What Is Jack Daniel’s Music Scouts 2015 Mantra?
We’re in search of those, who like Jack Daniel, posses a fiery spirit and a passion for what they do. Those who want to live their story, their way. And in return, we’ll give them the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to “win their calling”.

To help us, we’ve enlisted three musical mentors who’ve followed their own path and know authentic talent when they see it. Introducing K.O, Culoe De Song and DJ Speedsta.

They know music, they know the industry and they know what it takes to get on stage and stay there. Welcome to Jack Daniel’s Music Scouts 2015. WIN YOUR CALLING.

Do You Have More Info On The Jack Daniel’s Music Scouts?
K.O
K.O is a veteran of South African Hip Hop, who earlier this year scooped the coveted Record of the Year at the South African Music Awards (SAMAs) for his single “Caracara”. It was the first time in the Awards’ 21-year history that a Hip Hop record has taken the honour.

Born in Soweto, Johannesburg Ntokozo “K.O” Mdluli’s family moved to Piet Retief in Mpumalanga where he spent his growing years. His early music influences were greats like Snoop Dog and Dr Dre and he dreamed of one day being a Hip Hop great himself.

Attending Vaal University of Technology where he graduated with a PR degree, K.O met Ntukza and Ma-E and the three friends formed well-loved group Teargas. To date, the group has released four critically acclaimed, award-winning albums, namely “K’shubile K’bovu”, “Wafa Wafa”, “Dark or Blue” and “”Num8er Num8er”.

In 2013, K.O then teamed up with Teargas’ Ma-E and music and marketing executive Thabiso Khati to start Cashtime Life, an all encompassing entertainment and lifestyle company, with K.O as its first artist. His first single, “Mission Statement” is enjoying massive airplay across Southern and Eastern Africa and March 3rd saw the release of his highly anticipated second single “Caracara”, which features fellow Cashtime Life artist Kid X. Basing this track on the legendary VW Caravelle mini bus and how it featured in South African township lifestyle back in the 90s, “Caracara” has been a runaway success. The song has reached number 1 on MTV, Trace TV, Channel O, Metro FM, Yfm, 5fm, Ukhozi FM as well as Nigeria’s The Beat 97.9 FM and Tanzania’s Choice FM and it was also the first South African Hip Hop music video to reach over 1 million views on YouTube.

When it came time to launch K.O’s follow up single “Son of a Gun” he decided to push the envelope further by strategically partnering with Twitter as part of a massive global campaign to launch Twitter’s audio service called Audio Card – a native app that enables the user to stream audio within a tweet.

K.O’s debut solo album “Skhanda Republic” has already produced six major hit records, all of which have dominated radio playlists across the country. It seems K.O’s success knows no bounds and his recent accolades include Record of the Year, Best Rap Album and Best Collaboration – all at this year’s SAMAs, he was voted MTV’s Hottest MC of the Year for 2014 and #2 African Artist to watch by BBC1 Xtra.

Culoe De Song
Internationally acclaimed South African producer, remixer and DJ Culoe De Song won The Best Male Artist category at last year’s Metro FM Awards for his album “Exodus” – an album that was also featured on Rolling Stones (South Africa) Top 500 Albums of 2013.

Born Culolethu Zulu in 1990 in Eshowe, Kwazulu-Natal, Culoe De Song began his music career in early 2007, DJing in South Africa alongside local acts like Black Coffee and international visitors like Louie Vega and Rocco. He soon began exploring production and collaborated with Black Coffee on a track called “100 Zulu Warriors”, which Black Coffee then included on his second album, “Have Another One”.

Culoe De Song was later signed to Black Coffee’s label Soulistic Music and was selected as one of the worldwide participants to attend the 2008 Red Bull Music Academy held in Barcelona, Spain. As one of the youngest participants in the academy’s history, he also performed at Club Macarena and Fellini in Barcelona and was later invited to perform
at Sonar in Spain – one of the world’s most famous electronic music festivals.

Culoe De Song then embarked on his international showings while at the same time releasing his debut album, “A Giant Leap”, an album that went gold and secured him award nominations in multiple categories, for the 2010 South African Music Awards (SAMAs), the Namibian Museke Awards, and the 2010 Metro FM awards. His second album called “Elevation” was released in 2011 and saw him collaborating with France’s deep house DJ and producer Rocco as well as local South African acts like Goldfish and funk dub four piece 340ml.
Japanese label, Mule Musiq and German label, Innervisions released several singles centered on his Afrocentric rhythms and subtle digital textures.

Travelling extensively to perform at some at the biggest music festivals and clubs around the world, Culoe De Song’s heart remains in South Africa where he is quickly becoming an icon.

DJ Speedsta
At the age of 23 DJ Speedsta has already achieved noteworthy acclaim on nationwide radio stations and television screens across the continent. Born Lesego Nkaiseng, DJ Speedsta is the youngest DJ to achieve the critical acclaim that he has, having started his career in 2008 at the age of just 15. His career received a huge boost when he won the “So you think you can DJ” competition on DJ Euphonik’s “My House” show on 5fm, after winning 7 consecutive weeks of the competition whilst in matric in 2010.

DJ Speedsta’s success as resident mix DJ on 5FM’s “The Shakedown” as well as on DJ Fresh’s “Fresh in the Morning” shows together with an unfailing determination, resulted in him getting his own radio show on YFM called “The Hip Hop Floor“, as well as a show on Soweto TV called Soweto TOP 10, which is the successor to his previous show called “Urban Explosion”.

With numerous successful collaborations under his belt, DJ Speedsta has worked with some of South Africa’s most celebrated musicians. Hit songs include “Don’t Worry” ft. Cashtime Family; “Couple More” ft. Maggz and Ma-E; “Hangout” ft. Riky Rick and Kid X, “Bad Chick” ft. Da Les and Dotcom as well as “Special Somebody” ft. Riky Rick, Anatii and Cassper Nyovest – all of which have helped to spearhead Speedsta’s music career across all mediums. His music has been on high rotation on radio stations such as 5FM, YFM and Metro FM, and the respective music videos have taken over television screens across the continent, on channels such as Channel O, MTV Base, and TRACE to name a few.

DJ Speedsta is passionate about being an active participant in the growth of the South African music industry as a whole. Next up is the recording of his debut album, expected to be released in late 2015.

How Does Entry Work?
Visit jackscouts.co.za where you will be asked to fill in your details and upload a track from your mobile device or computer.

How Will The Winners Be Chosen?
The Jack Daniel’s Music Scouts will listen to the demos which aspiring artists have uploaded to JackScouts.co.za. A representative from Dream Team SA will also be advising on the selection of finalists. Deadline for entries is 21 August 2015. Two finalists will be announced on the 3rd of August 2015 and the last two finalists on the 23rd of August 2015. All four artists will have the unique opportunity to star in their own music video profile, which will be featured on Channel O and Vuzu, along with interviews and profiling on Yfm. The finalists will also benefit from a day of mentoring and rehearsals in Joburg in front of the Scouts, to prepare them for the finale.

The Jack Daniel’s Music Scouts finale, hosted by Yfm, will be taking place on the first weekend of October in Joburg. The finale, headlined by Culoe De Song, will be broadcast live on Yfm and Vuzu Amped will be there and will see the winner announced after the finalists’ performances.

What Is The Prize?
The winner of Jack Daniel’s Music Scouts 2015 will win:
A live performance at Jack Daniel’s Boomtown Joburg presented by Airey Scott Entertainment, taking place on 17 October 2015 at Zoo Lake in Parkview, with headline act international sensation T.I
A tailored music deal with Dream Team SA to the value of R150,000 that includes:
– Creation of a 4-song EP for electronic distribution to all major digital stores in SA and globally for a 12-month window. This includes associated studio time. **Note the master recording rights would rest with Dream Team as the recording label for this EP.
– Shooting of 1 music video for the artist and the sampling of this music video to various music TV shows and networks in SA and Africa. Also included would be the placement of the video on the www.youtube.com/dreamteamsatv YouTube page.
– Sampling of 1 song from EP to be created to radio across SA and Africa.
– PR services for a 6-month window that covers the following:
• Biography
• Publicity photography (3 looks up to 15 pics)
• Creation of and management of Facebook Fan Page, Instagram and Twitter page
• Sourcing and securing traditional and online media opportunities
• Placement of artist biog. on the Dream Team SA website and other touch points for a period of 6 months

Who Was Jack Daniel’s Music Scouts 2014 Winner?
Gigi Lamayne was announced the 2014 Jack Daniel’s Music Scouts winner in December last year, after a campaign that kicked off in August to provide a platform to countless aspiring musicians around the country. The grassroots level search uncovered some of South Africa’s most inspiring talent. Upon winning the title, Gigi Lamayne said at the time, “Thank you so much to the Jack Daniel’s team and Scouts for this life-changing event. There are not many corporates giving back to the Hip Hop culture. Thank you for such a huge investment into youth culture. Ngiyabonga.”

Delivering a powerful performance at the Jack Daniel’s Music Scouts finale party held at Turbine Hall, Gigi Lamayne won the audience and the judges over with her fearless, original rapping and her clever fusion of music and dance.

In March this year, Gigi Lamayne, was signed by talent management agency and recording label Dream Team SA. Joining big celebrity hitters such as Khuli Chana, Thembi Seete, Ms Cosmo and Muzart who are also represented by the boutique talent label, Gigi Lamayne has wasted no time, with her latest single “Ice-Cream” already getting considerable airplay.

Is This Being Broadcast Anywhere?
All four artists will have the unique opportunity to star in their own music video profile, which will be featured on Channel O and Vuzu, along with interviews and profiling on Yfm.

Follow our progress on Facebook at JackDanielsSA #Jackscouts, on Twitter @JackDanielsSA and Instagram @JackDaniels_SA

Jack Daniel’s Boomtown Joburg Presented by Airey Scott Event Details?
Date: Saturday 17 October 2015
Time: 13h00 – 22h00
Venue: Zoo Lake Sports Club, Parkview, Johannesburg
Ticket sales: Computicket, and via the Airey Scott office
Line-up: Headline act is international rapper T.I and an extensive line-up of local artists still to be announced, including all three Jack Daniel’s Music Scouts – K.O, Culoe De Song and Yfm’s DJ Speedsta.
About the event: Jack Daniel’s Boomtown Joburg will be a sophisticated day turns to night occasion. With hospitality decks, incredible stage and sound infrastructure, and different zones that combine together to create an experiential world. This experience will again combine premium hospitality, local and international Hip Hop legends, and is sure to be an event you don’t want to miss! The dress code is stylish, smart casual, and premium.

As we launch the inaugural Jack Daniel’s Boomtown in Joburg, the most exciting news is that our Headline artist for the show will be Hip Hop sensation T.I

T.I. who has never before performed in South Africa, is 3-time Grammy Award winner with confirmed status as a Hip Hop icon. T.I is a multi-platinum artist with sales of more than 30 million singles, and 14 million albums. Along the way, he has collaborated with the likes of Jay Z, Rihanna, Justin Timberlake, Robin Thicke, Lil Wayne, Lady Gaga, Drake and Kanye West. T.I will perform tracks from a variety of his 9 Studio Albums, and we are very excited to confirm him as our headline artist for Jack Daniel’s Boomtown Joburg on October 17th!