He has been in the music industry for more than 23 years and is responsible for discovering some of South Africa's biggest kwaito stars.Recently, producer, deejay and businessman Cleopas "DJ Cleo' Monyepao opened up about his career and music journey on the Podcast and Chill with MacGDJ Cleo named and revealed some of the music industry corruption. 

 HIS CHILDHOOD

The Gcina Impilo Yam DJ opened up about having a tough childhood and past experiences. "That's why there is this perception in the industry that I am arrogant. It is not true. I know where I come from and how I struggled to get into the industry. I knew all the record labels and where they were located. I went to all of them dropping demos. Once you get in, you want to protect that. Secondly, I don't drink or smoke, and I don't have to chill with the drinkers to socialise, especially If I see them as troublemakers. The toughness is merely to protect myself.' Cleo adds that "the tough fox' came from being marginalised as MoPedi  living in Vosloorus. Cleo also opened up about being arrested at 17 years old for stealing at school. "I wrote my exams in the charge office. That is the first time I saw a dead body,' he says.

MAKING STARS

He has made many stars in his career such as the incarcerated Pitch-Black Afro, Brickz, the late Brown Dash and many others. DJ Cleo shares how he created the Mzekezeke concept which was adapted by DJ Sbu. "There is a guy who used to come to Y-FM selling ornaments. His name was Zakhele. I love imitating people and I would mimic Zakhele, aka Zakes, and DJ Sbu developed the character Zakhele/Zakes on radio as a prank caller,' he says. "We used to chill together, even when I was imitating Zakhele. For me looking back, I developed it, and he took it and ran with it,'he says. "He took it with David "D-Rex' Campos (Artist Manager). I kept telling them to let me do the song Guqa Ngamadolo. D Rex did the first version, which did not take off. They tried and put it on air and forced it. It just did not work.' One day he says TK asked him to give it a shot. "The beat that now everyone knows on Guqa Ngamadolo was done in two hours.' DJ Cleo, Gili Majaivane, Brown Dash, and DJ Sbu recorded the song. At the beginning of Black Coffee's career, DJ Cleo also claims to have been the one who opened the international door for Black Coffee's reign."We had the same international manager. My career was flying in 2005. There was an international tour with no money. I had two kids already and I turned it down and suggested Black Coffee.'

MUSIC AND CORRUPTION

Speaking on some of the artists he has worked with, DJ Cleo expresses how Brickz was a party animal, Pitch Black was toxic and how Brown Dash struggled to write his own music. "Brown Dash couldn't write... If he wrote, he repeated old lyrics,' he says. He describes how Brown Dash's lack of writing skill led to TS Records and Music Executive Vusi Leeuw stealing a verse that had been written by Boom Shaka member Thembi Seete in the making of Phantsi Komthunzi Welanga by BrownDash featuring Mzekezeke. "It's a sad one and I need to talk about this,' he says. " I was given a song by Vusi Leeuw. He was working for CCP at the time. He asked me to do a remix of the song. I listened to the Acapella but I didn't like it. I then found that one piece, which I looped repeatedly. Which I still have to this day,' he says. "Thembi was singing repeatedly, 'Phantsi Komthunzi Welanga, Masigidakushoni langa' and Brown Dash was my boy, he loved the song."

THEMBI NEVER GOT CREDIT

Putting a long story short, Cleo says remixing the song never worked out. Cleo says, he then heard that Brown Dash had released the song he was meant to remix for Vusi Lueew. "I heard it and i was like no!. This can't be. It was on a Thursday and that Saturday at a parking lot,I bumped into Thembi Seete. I don't think she was aware that I had left TS Records. She thought, "how could I do this to her?" They heard it, many times, liked it and they stole it,' he says. adding that, "Mthunzi Welanga was written by Thembi Seete and she never got her share of anything there. "This story has never been told because only I can tell it. Unless she has told it. I am the catalyst here. That song was written by Thembi,' he says. "They were signed to CCP at the time, and it was probably dealt with internally. This all happened in 2004. I never had a conversation with Brown Dash.' Speaking to Zimoja, Vusi Leeuw says he is coming for Cleo, legally for the allegations. "I am suing him. I am coming for him legally for defaming my name and painting me to be a song thief,' he says. "He needs to tell the truth about what happened and stop with the lies.'