Benn Gilbert Kamoto (born 14 June 1990), better known by his stage name Gemini Major, is a Malawian-born South African record producer and singer-songwriter. He was signed to Family Tree Records, a South African independent record label founded by Cassper Nyovest.[2]
Gemini Major | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Benn Gilbert Kamoto[1] |
| Also known as | Rudebouy Major |
| Born | 14 June 1990 Blantyre, Malawi |
| Origin | Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
|
| Citizenship |
|
| Instruments | |
| Years active | 2010–present |
| Labels | Family Tree (former) |
| Website | instagram |
Early life and career
editGemini Major finished high school in 2007 and graduated in I.T. in 2009. In the same year, he moved to Durban, South Africa to pursue his dream as an artist and record producer.[3]
He has produced for a number of artists in a variety of genres including R&B, hip-hop, house, dancehall, pop and gospel. His portfolio includes production used in TV shows such as Gold Diggers, Forever Young and Mo Love.[1]
In 2013 he moved to Johannesburg. After a chance meeting with Cassper Nyovest and his team at a video shoot for a song that Major had produced, he joined the Family Tree team. In the wake of the release of Nasty C's hit single "Juice Back", Major has become the go-to producer for some of South Africa's leading hip hop artists.[4]
In 2015 Major was nominated for Producer of the Year at the South African Hip Hop Awards alongside South Africa's best hip hop producers such as Anatii, Riky Rick, Ganja Beats and Tweezy.[3][5]
He released a single named, "Church" on 28 September 2017.
On November 20, 2020, his EP Slum Kid was released in South Africa.[6] It features Nasty C, Riky Rick, Tellaman, AKA, The Big Hash and Emtee.
Discography
editAlbums
edit| Album title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Gem n Eye |
|
Singles
editAs lead artist
editThis section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources. (July 2019) |
| Title | Year |
|---|---|
| "Badmanting" (featuring Aewon Wolf) | 2015 |
| "One Night Stand" | |
| "Bumpy Ride" | 2016 |
| "Ragga Ragga" (featuring Cassper Nyovest, Nadia Nakai, Riky Rick and Major League DJz) | |
| "Right Now" (featuring Nasty C and Tellaman) | 2019 |
Production discography
editThis section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources. (July 2019) |
Singles produced
edit| Song | Artist | Year |
|---|---|---|
| "Juice Back" | Nasty C | 2014 |
| "Ufunan" (featuring Kwesta, L-Tido and WTF) | Junior De Rocka | 2015 |
| "Summer Fever" (featuring Gemini Major) | Aewon Wolf | |
| "Badmanting" (featuring Aewon Wolf) | Gemini Major | |
| "Juice Back (Remix)" (featuring Cassper Nyovest and Davido) | Nasty C | |
| "Bumpy Ride" | Gemini Major | 2016 |
| "Walking and Dabbing" | Khuli Chana, Aewon Wolf and Gemini Major | |
| "Skelm" | Cassper Nyovest | |
| "Super Ex" | Cassper Nyovest | |
| "Mayo" (featuring Yung Swiss, Tellaman, Shane Eagle and Frank Casino) | DJ Speedsta | |
| "Ayeye" (featuring Cassper Nyovest and Carpo) | DJ Vigilante | |
| "Switched Up" | Nasty C | |
| "Belong" | Nasty C and Buffalo Souljah | |
| "Sidlukotini" | Riky Rick | |
| "Day Off" (featuring Nasty C) | Stilo Magolide | |
| "Ragga Ragga" (featuring Cassper Nyovest, Nadia Nakai, Riky Rick and Major League DJz | Gemini Major | |
| "My Heart" | Diamond Platnumz and Cassper Nyovest | |
| "Lifestyle" | Da Les | 2016 |
| "NDA" | Nasty C | 2017 |
| "Tito Mboweni" | Cassper Nyovest |
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Award ceremony | Prize | Work/recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
2015
|
South African Hip Hop Awards 2015 | Producer of the Year[5] | Himself | Nominated |
2016
|
South African Hip Hop Awards 2016 | Producer of the Year[7] | Himself | Nominated |
| Best Collabo[7] | "Ragga Ragga" (featuring Cassper Nyovest, Nadia Nakai, Riky Rick and Major League DJz) | Nominated |
References
edit- ^ a b "ARTISTS/GEMINI MAJOR". FamilyTreeWorld. Archived from the original on 8 November 2016. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
- ^ "Gemini Major leaves Cassper's Family Tree". The Citizen. 7 March 2017. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
- ^ a b "Gemini Major – Malawi's fastest rising star in South Africa". Nyasa Times. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
- ^ "Malawi: Cassper Nyovest Signs Malawian Producer Gemini Major". AllAfrica. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
- ^ a b "Nomination List 2015". sahiphopawards. Archived from the original on 14 September 2016. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
- ^ Jabulani, John (26 November 2020). "Gemini Major Delivers New Project "Slum Kid EP"". Ubetoo.
- ^ a b "Here's the Full List of South African Hip Hop Awards 2016 Nominees". okayafrica. Alyssa Klein. Retrieved 4 December 2016.