WATCH | ‘I love it!’ DJ Tira thanks Rasta for immortalising him with a painting

09 June 2021 - 13:00
By chrizelda kekana AND Chrizelda Kekana
Rasta made his way to Durban so he could gift DJ Tira with his portrait.
Image: Instagram/DJ Tira Rasta made his way to Durban so he could gift DJ Tira with his portrait.

While Mzansi was still trying to figure out who they see depicted in Rasta’s latest masterpiece — which is supposedly a portrait of KwaZulu-Natal DJ Tira — the DJ was happy to accept the “token of appreciation” from Rasta and even told the artist he loved the painting.

After causing major traffic when he shared the Tira portrait online, Rasta, real name Lebani Sirenje, made his way to Durban to give DJ Tira the painting.

In the video posted by DJ Tira, Rasta explains that he wanted to show his appreciation, the best way he knows how, for everything Tira has done for the music and entertainment industry. Rasta said he decided to paint the DJ while he was alive so he could receive his flowers and smell them.

“This is a token of appreciation for your milestone, my brother, your 21 years in the industry and doing music for us. I thought let me as an artist do something that will show him appreciation before he passes away. I usually paint people after they die but with this one, I wanted you to be alive to see it,” Rasta said.

Obviously flattered, Tira is heard saying. “Thank God I lived to see my portrait by Rasta”, and he later exclaims, “I love it!”.

Watch the video below:

Rasta’s fans were left in stitches last Tuesday after he revealed his tribute to DJ Tira. 

The Afrotainment DJ recently celebrated two decades in the music industry, which is why Rasta painted the portrait. The problem was the painting looked nothing like the DJ, at least according to social media users who were quick to point that out.

Taking to the comment section, scores joked that the man in the picture was nothing close to Tira, while others gave the artist an “E” for effort. 

One user joked that the portrait looked like an “Usher cartoon on the Boondocks”. Another said it looked like singer Nomcebo Zikode.