WATCH: Get to know Grandmaster Ready D, Kfm 94.5's legendary addition to the airwaves

Ready D has a long-standing legacy dedicated to rhythm, DJing, hip-hop culture, and uplifting voices through music (there's also some car drifting in between) - this continues on the Kfm 94.5's airwaves.

From being one of the founding members of Prophets of Da City, The Beatbangaz and Brasse Vannie Kaap, to sharing stages with global icons like Public Enemy, The Fugees, and Grandmaster Flash, to mentoring the next generation of DJs and creatives - his impact is felt not only on the airwaves, in clubs and concert halls, but in classrooms, community projects, motorsport, television and beyond.

Before we get to the Grandmaster turning tables for his first show at 6pm with Carl on The Flash Drive... let's get to know a little bit more about the music icon.

Some things you might already know...

Ready D's real name is Deon Daniels and he was born in District Six on 11 December 1968.

Reports say, Ready D heard hip-hop for the first time on a portable record player, owned by friends of his older sister. These friends worked on the boats and travelled around the world, bringing home music on vinyl.

Ready D cites Rapper’s Delight as the first hip-hop song he heard, when he was 11.

DJ Ready D was first exposed to hip hop through avant-garde producer Malcolm McLaren, who fused South African music, punk, and hip hop. This sparked his interest in scratching and B-Boy culture.
During the 1980s state of emergency, Ready D and friends danced on street corners, often on the “White side” of train stations for cleaner floors.
Teasers Club on Harrington Street became a hip hop hub where he encountered racial mixing and genre diversity. It later became The Base on Shortmarket Street.
At The Base, Ready D met Shaheen Ariefdien. Despite different goals—Ariefdien’s political activism vs. D’s dream of stardom—they founded Prophets of Da City (POC).
POC’s debut album Our World (1990) featured the first Afrikaans hip hop track, “Dala Flat.” By 1992, new members brought broader South African representation to the group.
POC’s political lyrics intensified, especially in the album Age of Truth, nearly lost after an engineer confiscated their material, but salvaged by a hidden backup master.
Although initially removed from the program, POC performed at Mandela’s 1994 inauguration using beatboxing after being denied equipment. Their music was later banned for being too radical.
POC recorded Universal Souljaz in the UK due to censorship in South Africa. They toured Europe and joined the Right to Hope initiative, connecting with global communities facing conflict.
Ready D helped form Brasse Vannie Kaap (BVK), focusing on Cape slang and Afrikaans with less overt political content, balancing musical identities in South Africa and abroad.
In 2002, Ready D became resident DJ on The Phat Joe Show and DJed at a Mozambique event where he met Will Smith during the Ali premiere.
He released his first solo album Not For The Fainthearted, Vol 1 in 2005 and founded Full Contact Records the same year.
He went on to host and direct TV shows including Mzansi Rides (2006) and Decktales (2007).
His second solo album Big Air Society (2014) was self-produced. In 2015, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the South African Hip Hop Awards.
In 2025, he was awarded the Urban Music Awards Icon 2025 Award at a prestigious ceremony held at the Heartfelt Arena in Pretoria.

With a career spanning over four decades, Ready D's name has become synonymous with legendary.

WATCH: Get to know Grandmaster Ready D, Kfm 94.5's legendary addition to the airwaves

Come with us behind the scenes with Ready D!

Some things you might already know...

Now, let's get to some things you might not know about the Grandmaster...

Here’s when to catch the Grandmaster on Kfm 94.5:

In case you wanted more, here you go: