UP Artist of The Week: ZJ Heno
There is something explosive every time you listen to his mixes. He will start you off with tracks you know well, then serve the main course of what you really want to listen to and finally ensure the dessert is something new- a perfect set from any deejay.
From making riddims that have gone to be voiced by some of the major acts in the world- The tranquility riddim, Compatible riddim and many more, ZJ Heno is both a producer, a business mogul CEO and a deejay at Homeboyz Radio’s HBR 103.5FM.
With a weekly slot on Nairobi’s urban spot for anything local, R&B, hip-hop, grime, reggae & dubstep related, ZJ Heno is fast becoming a force to reckon with.
“Deejay is a Disk Jokey.Veejay – Video jokey .Veedeejay – Video disk jockey and Zj – Zip jokey,” he once explained about his choice for the title ZJ.
But anyone familiar with the Jamaica culture knows that ZJ is a term used by the country’s Zip FM deejays- it’s just something to set their radio disc jockeys apart from any other disc jockeys.
For a man who had his eyes set on becoming a farmer, his encounter with his dad’s cassettes and vinyl would be the first point to falling in love with music. Perhaps many do not know, but ZJ Heno is credited for creating a lot of the buzz around Jamaica’s new sensation, Chronixx.
That push is quite what is significant to Homeboyz Radio- if you are a plugger to the urban voice of Nairobi, then you know their hits today become hits tomorrow thanks to their wide urban talent of radio DJs and presenters who curate the best playlist in Nairobi.
Recognised as the top DJ for reggae and dancehall in Kenya and East Africa, Kenyan born and Nairobi based, Heno started out doing online radio and street mix-tapes, both audio and visual varieties. His Passionate Riddim project is ranked number 65 on iTunes top 100 reggae albums.
Catch ZJ Heno every Sundays on Homeboyz Radio from 11am and every Tuesday from 10pm. His mixes are on daily between 5am and 6am in the morning.
Listen to some of ZJ Heno’s mixes on Soundcloud and follow him on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram.
