Momoleme Tsiki, aka Mo’Flava has just scooped one of the most revered and sought after slots on radio, the breakfast slot, on youth radio station YFM. I had an opportunity to have a chat with him and seized it with both my hands. Our interview took place at the YFM studio’s reception where I had waited for just a few minutes after arriving at the posh new offices.

Mo’Flava is proud of the fact that he had a common childhood. He grew up in Dube, Soweto. Although his parents were still alive, he was raised by grandmother. Grandma’s hands may have cocooned him so warmly that he stayed there until he started working.

The verity is, he doesn’t shy away from mentioning that he went to Model C schools, and being around narrow-minded people at that; resulted in him always questioning things. Whenever there was a discussion, it was always political. People said he should be a politician, but he didn’t want to do that. He is also quick to reiterate that he went to Northcliff High School, adding, “I went to some of the best schools in Gauteng”.

After matriculating in 2002, he did a Media Studies diploma with Boston Media House, majoring in Media and Journalism. He didn’t complete the course, but has recently enrolled to complete what he started those years ago. Mo’Flava initially wanted to study architecture, but at age 15 changed his mind, owing to the idea of getting a salary when he was 18 years. Credit should be given to his parents as he was very lucky to have ones that are liberal.

Being a DJ was something Mo’Flava had fantasized about as he always knew he wanted to be on the airwaves. He finds it amazing on how people don’t know what you need to be a DJ, yet will shout out all the requirements for being a teacher or doctor. And the notion of always being told to have something to fall back on, plays a part with one actually deciding to take this as a career.

When asked who his influences as a radio jock are, he boldly quips, “At the time I thought Glen Lewis was brilliant but now I think he’s useless”. He quickly follows this statement by saying, “I still admire that he is always himself”. He also mentions the guys that were on Yfm at the time, names like Fresh, Phat Joe, Rudeboy, and Thomas (then Bad Boy T). He adds, “I love how Thomas carried the whole heritage of urban radio thing.”

Even more names are echoed as he lists Gareth Cliff, Pabi Moloi, and Alex Jay. Mo’Flava likens Alex Jay to an encyclopedia of radio. He also thinks MacG has a lot of potential. Although he doesn’t even know Rob Vember personally, he thinks he is not doing a bad job either. One not shy to speak his mind, he says that he is disappointed with the females in the profession.

When he joined YFM, he was an intern for three months on the graveyard shift. This allowed him time to learn about the basics. A year later, he was moved to the 18:00 – 21:00 slot. He once again felt this was a challenge but also a learning curve. He credits this time as the three of the best years of fun in his life.

He feels he is part of new school type of radio. He sharply utters, “Radio is about talking to people, not at them”. His tongue-in-cheek approach to issues and being highly opinionated is what attracted his listeners to him the most. He is happy that it came when it did. At the time when he joined Yfm was when everybody left. Mo’Flava shows some sadness for a second remembering how hard it was to get in when people were saying stuff about YFM. “It was chaos. Things settled down and started getting better. The team is now solid again.” he says with a sense of relief.

Mo’Flava doesn’t think he’s made it now that he is a driver in a breakfast slot. Having been on commercial radio for four years, he is actually chuffed about it. “If you put me in a slot, I’ll do radio,” he says. He undoubtedly understands it’s a big challenge, but enjoys that it’s also a big opportunity. At the moment he is streamlining the values, and ethics, which he wants to set the tone for the rest of year. It’s an interesting revelation to him that he has a big and critical audience, and welcomes that people don’t have to agree with everything he says on the show.

Being comfortable is not part of the game for this lad. He believes it doesn’t work like that, but one needs to rise to the occasion all the time. This is something he wants to do until he gets tired. He knows that people tend to channel hop, therefore it’s important for him to do something unique to differentiate himself from the rest. According to him, that something is good quality radio.

Mo’Flava also knows about issues that are youthful, to the core and out there that he needs to address. He proudly proclaims, “Gareth is probably the only one close to what I want to be about.” He has a modern approach to how issues are tackled. He wants to get people talking. It’s about portability for him and he doesn’t mind initiating a debate one bit.

Of course, that’s not the only thing that he wants to stand out about his show. He plans to play lots of music. Anything that’s hot. Hip hop, kwaito, R&B and a bit of Reggae, he’s quite eclectic. He declares, “If The Parlotones release a hit, we’ll play it.”

Mo’Flava’s stance on negative media reports is pretty simple. “It’s their job, if you want to write something terrible, it’s up to you,” he confidently says. He categorily adds, “The only problem is if it’s personal, for example, insulting my children. If you say I need fashion tips, it’s fine. I’m not a fashionista therefore that’s not my line of business.” He emphasizes that this doesn’t change his ability to do his job. In addition, he says, “It’s a load of nonsense that any publicity is good publicity. Perception has to be favourable to the overall brand.”

This young man is not only a radio jock, but also a club DJ, specializing in house music. He mentions that he has a debut solo compilation coming out this month which features commercial house music because people love pop. Mo’Flava reasons, “You’ve got to marry the pop sound and quality music.” He kind of contradicts himself though when he says he honestly never wanted to say he was a club DJ, yet it was something he wanted to do and is currently doing.

When asked about how he is different from the flock of house music DJ’s out there, he agreeably admits that it’s difficult to distinguish himself from the rest. He adds, “It’s about the following, largely. Do concept parties, events, that following sets you apart from other DJ’s”.

Other ventures he has partaken in include doing Music Lounge on SABC1 in 2008. He decided that he wanted to do more challenging work, so he quit the show. He felt that he didn’t need to have more pressure. He then moved into talk show Harambe where he is just one of the regular guests. He says he has other things he’d like to do on TV, however, he will be careful and picky about what he does.

A lot of people complain about personalities wanting to be jacks-of-all-trades. He responds, “There is nothing wrong with doing different things.” He quickly points out that YFM is a radio station, but if listeners want to interact with him on other platforms, there is nothing stopping him. “It goes hand in hand,” he adds. Mo’Flava also points out that many people are able to do it well. Moreover, he doesn’t believe being everything to everyone. He goes on to say, “I specialize in broadcasting, whether radio or TV.”

The ladies who fancy a romantic chance with Mo’Flava will be happy to know that he is not married, although he doesn’t want to reveal if he has someone or not. He does, however, admits that he is still in the transitional phase and that the key to attracting him is being yourself.

Mo’Flava wants to be remembered as the best broadcaster ever when he is no longer on this earth. In the simplest of terms, he says, “I’m not trying to be anything frivolous.” He believes he has the passion and ability to do the best. Whatever he does on TV and radio, he feels it needs synergy. He also wants to be remembered as the guy who made an effort for the next person. He pledges, “If there is a kid who wants to get into radio, I will help with demos, etc.” He re-iterates that YFM is not his, and reveals that he wouldn’t be here if his predecessors had not done the same for him. “If it’s meant for you, it’s meant for you,” he says.

He then offers some advice to aspiring DJ’s who want to be where he is now. At the top of the list is possessing interest in the field. Following that is understanding the medium you want to get into. If it’s TV, one should do research; find out what it’s about. And the third requirement is knowing what tools you need to get into it. Mo’Flava thinks people who abuse platforms are a big no. “Respect the medium, respect the game and respect the platform,” he shares.

That was it from our chat with Mo’Flava. My impression of him was that of aloofness and a sense of feeling he was better than everybody, at times. On the other side of the coin, he is a smart young man, with a great future ahead of him if his humility improves. But hey, I can’t judge a guy by just the 30 minutes I chatted with him, or understanding circumstances around such feelings for that matter. Catch him on YFM on weekdays from 06:00 – 09:00 in the mornings.