Before Nasty C, Durban’s brightest hope, in terms of rap music, were either Zakwe or Duncan.
He had crossover appeal and a kwaito edge thanks to his vernacular delivery. He was also witty and fairly gifted with the pen in hand and has been involved in making a few hits because he enjoyed storng ties to the once dominant Afrotainment.
Now Duncan has made a move towards cinema, and he is starring in a comedic offering alongside Mpho Popps.
“To be honest acting was not something I was longing for, people would come and offer me roles, but I would reject them because I felt like I was not ready, and I don't take acting for granted. Hence, I have a lot of respect for this type of industry because usually people go to schools to gain knowledge on this type of career path.”
Duncan has a friend named Thulani [Shange], who played a role as Mqoqi in the series The Wife, who approached him and told him that there would be a movie shoot which would be on Netflix, and they were looking for a specific character, then he thought of the rapper.
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“He even told the whole cast that I would perfectly be the best fit, he went on and showed them my pictures only to find out that they loved what they saw. Then, they requested for me to do auditions via the phone, and I sent them the video, they loved it and that's how I bagged the role of being "Mancane" which was something I didn't plan on doing.”
Duncan took this artform like a newborn baby to water. “I actually didn't take any acting lessons or training, what happened was I would seek some advice, assistance, or guidance from the people I was working with since it's their profession and that they are more advanced than me. I would do this every time before the shoot.”
He learnt on the job, and he was fortunate enough to be surrounded by cast and crew who were more than happy to aid him in this journey.
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“I had to be smart and quick to grasp some techniques so that everything would be smooth.”
The film called Big Nunu's Little Heist involves a group of guys who live in a township and are skilled at crime. They execute heists to make a better living for themselves. The boss named "Putsununu" would organise them to do certain heists, so in a way, he was trying to take the boys out of hardship through crime.
“But they would not misbehave in the township, it's only when they would go for certain jobs or gigs that they can be able to feed their families. So that's what the movie is all about,” Duncan elaborates.
Big Nunus Little Heist is an action-comedy movie.
“If you feel like you are not having a good day, or you just want to laugh I suggest you go and watch it. The film has legends like Spinach (Thulani Didi) who used to act on the SABC 1 telenovela Zone 14. There's Thulani Shange whom I mentioned who was acting on The Wife as Mqoqi as well as in Uzalo as Thulani. There's Mpho Popps, Celeste Ntuli, Daniel Ndlovu and Kagiso Lediga who was in the Pure Monate Show, just to name a few because there were quite a lot of people that we were working with.”
He has high praise for the director, Andy Kasrils, who Duncan says was amazing to work with.
“It was my first time shooting a movie, so it was a genuinely pleasant experience for me. The treatment was phenomenal because they knew that I was still a minor and I needed to be guided to ace the role and that boosted my confidence.
"To be honest my experience was spectacular because people the I was working with were legendary and being able to be in the same environment with them was the start of my experience. Even though I was hesitant at first because I was dealing with people who were professionals and knew their craft so well, I managed to overcome my doubts and fears.
What Duncan loved the most is that they guided him through, which made his work easier and more enjoyable.
"We were more like a family, as we could sit down and fix minor problems. Overall, I appreciate the fact that I got to be exposed to that kind of work and I learnt a lot not only with the film but the production, the people, and the information that I never thought would be relevant to my life.”
We had to ask him which avenue of the arts was more difficult, making records or cinema.
“As I mentioned, acting is not child’s play hence, school is important for one to gain knowledge and training when it comes to any working career in general. Yes, anyone can act without being previously educated on it but in the long run there would be a gap that needs your knowledge in this field because there are things that would be difficult to do.
“Therefore, acting schools play a crucial role in those instances. With regards to music, for me, it's something much more convenient because I started it at a noticeably youthful age compared to acting. So, acting was more challenging for me.”
Duncan has added this to his creative repertoire and has not turned his back on rap.
“I am not done with music; music is my life. Right now, I'm working towards my album which will be released this year called "Incwadi Yezono" the book of sins. People should look forward to it, I'm still going produce more music and I'm not planning to retire anytime soon because music is my first love, so I still have a long way to go.”
As memorable as this undertaking may have been for him grappling with his emotions on cue was not the easiest thing in the world.
"It was challenging to produce the kind of emotions they were seeking. I would do many takes just for that one specific emotion and directors would also try and help me out because I was facing difficulties. At that point I knew this was not a walk in the park, it looks easier on screens but the actual behind the scenes is a roller-coaster and a determiner of how strong you are in pulling off that specific role."
