Big Zulu gearing up to host soccer tournament while cooking ‘200 Bars’ in studio

Rap star Big Zulu is set to host his annual celebrity games at KwaZwelithini stadium, Umlazi, Durban, on July 21.

The popular musician, real name Siyabonga Nene, said he is hoping to add a team from the acting industry in this year’s tournament.

Last year's tournament saw the Gospel Team walking away with the trophy.

“In 2022, Amapiano team got knocked out and last year we saw the Gqom team packing up early in the tournament. The tournament is made up of four teams from different genres, now with both Amapiano and Gqom out, I'll be looking to add actors,” he told TshisaLIVE.

Big Zulu said the reason he moved the tournament from Johannesburg to Durban was to make it a national event,

“These games are for our people who've been supporting us in our craft, so we are taking these games to them. We didn't want this game to be classified as a Johannesburg celebrity games event, so we'll go to Limpopo, Western Cape, Northern Cape, North West etc.”

The Bergville-born star said he urges participating teams to get ready by heading to the gym.

“Players need to be fit, because our fans are leaving their things to spend their afternoon to watch us play soccer — readiness is essential.”

When Big Zulu was asked about his views on recording a beef single, and how some hip hop artists take the beef personally, he said he has another one on the way.

“Soon I'll be dropping a 200 bars single and we do need beef, it's just that some artists take things very personal when they're in a beef. Two years back I started a beef, [in] which I never used vulgar words on my song, but in retaliation, some artists decided to insult me and my mother and when we meet they expect me to understand or be cool with the situation. You insult my mother it's no longer a beef,” he said.  

Big Zulu lamented that in the US once a rap star takes beef  personally, music fans should know that there has been a war brewing before the beef.

“They take [it] personal and next thing the art of hip hop turns into violence, some lose their lives in that process.”