Music
Mascot Entertainment is taking the Vhembe area by storm with its sensational vocalist, Vhutshilo Netshituni, popularly known as "King Vito''.
He developed a passion for music in 2011 because he admired some Jamaican artists. ''I was a big fan of Ninja and Beenie from Jamaica. I used to listen to their music. I liked their style and then I decided to try to emulate them. But when I tried, I decided to sing in my vernacular language," said Vhutshilo.
Vhutshilo is the founder of the enterprise, Mascot Entertainment, founded in 2013 with the aim of lifting Venda rap to new heights. When asked why he started Mascot Entertainment, he mentioned that he started to sing in 2011 and was just singing without recording. "In 2013, I wanted to start recording, so I decided to start a team called Mascot Entertainment,'' said Netshituni.
Although he started the enterprise he was joined by other sensational artist known as ''mrich-man'' in 2014, and he also recruited other artists the following year.
When asked about the achievements of Mascot Entertainment, he said that when he started the enterprise it was unknown, but now it was known nationally. "Our songs are played in Ghana, and even in Zimbabwe they play our music. We collaborate with artists from other nations. We produced a mix-tape called Vhusiwana, which sold more than 1 000 copies."
Since the inception of Mascot Entertainment, they had faced a number of challenges as a team. "Our first challenge was when I wanted to record a song and then one of our partners did not like the song." He also said that even when they recorded their music, they used a lot of money and were unable to make a profit.
He advised upcoming artists to develop their listening skills and respect each other, so that they can achieve more as a team. "They must have self-confidence and never give up," he said.
So far, Mascot Entertainment has recorded one album and they are busy recording their second. It will be released mid-February.