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The Kiffness

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David Scott
Birth nameDavid Scott
Also known asThe Kiffness
Born (1988-02-11) 11 February 1988 (age 36)[1]
Cape Town, South Africa
GenresElectronic, parody
Occupation(s)Musician
Years active2013–present
Websitethekiffness.com
YouTube information
Personal information
NationalitySouth African
Subscribers2,660,000
(7 July 2024)
100,000 subscribers2021
1,000,000 subscribers2022
EducationUniversity of the Witwatersrand, Rhodes University

David Scott (born 11 February 1988), also known by his stage name the Kiffness,[2] is a South African musician, producer, and parody artist who is the founder and lead singer of the band the Kiffness.[3][4] Despite the band's name, Scott is referred to as the Kiffness alone.[5][6]

Early life and career[edit]

In 2004, Scott was a member of the KwaZulu-Natal Youth Choir.[7] He was educated at Michaelhouse school and went to the University of the Witwatersrand to study medicine.[8] However, he dropped out and switched to studying music and philosophy at Rhodes University while working as a DJ and playing in a jazz band.[8] In 2013, he released his first single, "Where are You Going?", with Matthew Gold, which made the 5FM Top 40.[8] Their album Kiff was nominated at the 21st South African Music Awards in 2015 and again in 2017.[9][10]

Scott usually performs wearing a floral custom suit that he had made in Vietnam, with material selected by his wife and himself, as it resembled his grandmother's curtains.[11]

Scott creates satirical songs that are mostly aimed at South African political issues. In 2017, he released a track called "White Privilege" as an attempt to make white South Africans more socially aware.[12] In 2018, he filmed a video for his Afrikaans song "Pragtig Meisie", with a picture of the Afrikaner nationalist singer Steve Hofmeyr's face on a blow-up doll.[12]

In 2019, Scott banned the South African Broadcasting Corporation from playing his music when it emerged they had not been paying musicians for playing their songs, and he alleged he was owed R60,000.[13] The same year, he launched a solo career.[14]

In late 2020, Scott collaborated with Turkish musician Bilal Göregen in a remix of Göregen's rendition of "Ievan polkka" that went viral on YouTube.[15] In 2021, he created a song parodying Miriam Makeba's "The Click Song" to assist people with pronouncing the new names of Port Elizabeth, King William's Town, and Maclear after the South African government changed them.[16]

Activism[edit]

During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Scott supported Ukraine by remixing the Ukrainian folk song "Oi u luzi chervona kalyna", performed by Boombox frontman Andriy Khlyvnyuk. The latter cancelled his American tour to defend his country against the invasion by Russian Armed Forces.[17] Royalties from the remix were intended to go toward humanitarian aid for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.[18]

Controversy[edit]

Scott has courted controversy in several racially tinged and politically oriented incidents.[19][20][21] In 2020, he parodied the national anthem of South Africa for a song called "Nkosazan' Dlamini Trafficker" as part of criticism of government minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma's ban on the sale of cigarettes in South Africa during the COVID-19 lockdown.[22][5] The mayor of Ekurhuleni, Mzwandile Masina, criticised Scott for this, claiming it to be racist.[23] Scott and Masina later discussed the issue over the phone, with Scott defending the song as satire.[23]

Later that year, the South African pharmacy chain Clicks aired an advertisement that the far-left Economic Freedom Fighters deemed racist. Scott was subsequently called out on social media for referring to the ad as a mere mistake.[24]

In December 2022, a pub in Cape Town, known as Hank's Olde Irish Pub, created a furore after they supposedly refused entry to a black man. Scott received backlash when he responded to a tweet and defended the pub's owner by stating that he is a pastor who feeds homeless people.[25]

In November 2023, Scott faced criticism after calling out Anele Mdoda for applying a double standard when criticizing racist speech on the part of a White teenager while endorsing Julius Malema, who is known for making anti-White statements.[26]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Scott, David. "I'm feeling 32". Facebook. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
  2. ^ Caylor, Marilyn (27 May 2020). "Man changes the lyrics to 'Sound of Silence' and has internet cracking up with his version". Seeitlive.co. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  3. ^ Braganza, Caroline de (13 December 2020). "David Scott, founder of the local South African band The Kiffness, has kept our spirits up since…". Medium. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  4. ^ "When your beats are so kiff your domestic can't resist". Cape Town Etc. 20 June 2019. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  5. ^ a b Nkanjeni, Unathi (27 May 2020). "WATCH | The Kiffness takes aim at Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma in national anthem spoof". TimesLIVE. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  6. ^ "Christmas Kiffness' Three Kings Parody and Interview". SA People. 11 December 2020. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  7. ^ Ingram, Adcock (3 April 2020). "Watch The Kiffness sing his Ode of Blessing for South African HealthCare Professionals and Allied Healthcare workers". News24. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  8. ^ a b c "Kiff interview with The Kiffness, who got Trump to do the Jerusalema, gave Gretha personality". Biz News. 15 October 2020. Archived from the original on 8 June 2021. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  9. ^ "South African Music Awards nominees announced". Mail & Guardian. 12 March 2015. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  10. ^ "2017 Best Pop Album Nominee : The Kiffness – Kiff". SA Music Awards. 27 November 2019. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  11. ^ Singer, Toni Jaye (14 November 2020). "Awww! The Kiffness lent his famous suit to a fan for their matric farewell". TimesLIVE. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  12. ^ a b Andersen, Nic (28 November 2018). "Pragtig Meisie: The Kiffness trolls Steve Hofmeyr in ridiculous treffer". The South African. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  13. ^ Zeeman, Kyle (6 August 2019). "No pay is not kiff: The Kiffness gives SABC no pay, no play ultimatum". TimesLIVE. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  14. ^ "The Kiffness' David Scott goes solo". KFM. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  15. ^ Myers, Martin (22 January 2021). "#MusicExchange: Rapid-fire Q&A with SA's coolest oddball The Kiffness". The South African. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  16. ^ Zeeman, Kyle (25 February 2021). "How do you say that? The Kiffness has this neat trick to learning the new name for PE". TimesLIVE. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  17. ^ "The Kiffness goes viral! Check out his Ukrainian folk song [video]". The South African. 7 March 2022. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
  18. ^ "Instagram". Instagram. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
  19. ^ "Racist? The Kiffness courts controversy with political views". thesouthafrican.com. 19 April 2024. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
  20. ^ "'Left out full context': The Kiffness on Renaldo Gouws racist video". thesouthafrican.com. 20 June 2024. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
  21. ^ "The Kiffness defends DA's 'flag burning' campaign ad". bona.co.za. 7 May 2024. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
  22. ^ Baxter, Jenni (25 May 2020). "Watch South Africa's Hilarious New National Anthem by The Kiffness". SA People. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  23. ^ a b Bhengu, Cebelihle (29 May 2020). "The Kiffness and mayor Mzwandile Masina clash over 'racist' national anthem remix". TimesLIVE. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  24. ^ "The Kiffness faces backlash after referring to Clicks' racist advert as a 'mistake'". iol.co.za. 8 September 2020. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
  25. ^ "The Kiffness receives backlash after defending Cape Town Hank's Olde Irish Pub amid race storm". iol.co.za. 13 December 2022. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
  26. ^ "The Kiffness Takes on Anele Over Racist Teen 'Witchhunt'". 2oceansvibe.com. 30 November 2023. Retrieved 30 June 2024.

External links[edit]

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