Since its inception, Rapping in Zimbabwe has been seen as the pastime of a privileged society and its touch with the general ghetto masses was then minimal. From the age of Major Players up to the reign of the Few Kings, it’s still yet to become an ‘industry’. South African Hip Hop even surpasses our local products, getting airplay on radio and television. A Cassper Nyovest show might garner a crowd of more than 4,000 people whereas a local Zimbabwean act might only get measly numbers despite having a ‘dope’ product out on the streets.
Most tracks don’t even get airplay whereas another much younger genre Zim Dancehall gets a lot of airplay and has slots on every major station. Is at a case of the artists not producing enough content? Or maybe the quality of the product they offer does not meet the standards of the Radio Stations? If that is the case then, why do some sub-standard backroom studio Zim Dancehall tracks get airplay? These are questions that need answers if this genre has any hopes of pushing itself up the food chain, so to speak.
Rising Hip Hop artiste whose track ‘Soko Matemai’ did very well on Zambezi Magic’s Zim Top Ten, Sharky believes that Zimbabwean Rappers do not produce music that the Zimbabwean audience can vibe to.
“You can play a Nigerian Hip Hop beat and one can tell that it is from there. You can play a Skhanda Rap beat and one can tell that it’s from South Africa. But Zimbabwe does not have a signature sound,” he mused.
Sharky’s music is unique blend of Mbira, Sungura guitar and a basic Hip Hop beat a formula he claims makes his music more relatable to the listener. He also said that if all Zimbabwean Hip Hop artists pushed the same Zimbabwean inspired sound it would ensure that the fans would appreciate it.
However, one of the Few Kings Tehn Diamond had this to say,
“Zimbabwean Hip-Hop as with any Hip-Hop or true art throughout the world, is a reflection of the people. If the people struggle, we struggle. If through the struggle the people need to smile, we smile. And if they need to dance we do our jobs with a smile and not a single thought for the struggle. Where the people go, we go. And where they can’t, we lead.”
Source: Unknown
The rise of new radio stations in areas such as Bulawayo, Victoria falls and Mutare couldn’t have come at a better time as the list of plaguing issues against Zimbabwean Hip-Hop include Regionalism as most Southern based artists argue that getting airplay on Hip Hop shows is hard while artists from Harare stay on rotation. A Rapper from Bulawayo, Rizzla stated,
“There are very few presenters from Bulawayo and other areas outside Harare who do shows on mainstream radio. Therefore most presenters play Hip Hop from Harare because they are in touch with the artists there.”
One thing is for certain, Hip hop in Zimbabwe is yet to find its own sound. A sound that people will find both familiar and easy to appreciate. While the potential is massive, maybe the effort by the artists to flood the market with their music is what keeps its reception poor. It might not be too late to take a leaf from the Zim Dancehall artist’s work ethic. Case in point Soul Jah Love who drops a track nearly every fortnight. Do you think the Hip Hop guys should try that too?
