Kudakwashe (DKR) - Mambo/Fallen King *new music video*

Kudakwashe Musasiwa of DKR recently released a video of his song Mambo/Fallen King off the Kudakwashe half of the last DKR release. As decribed by blaztv,

"An interesting hiphop allegory fused with Zimbabwean Mbira Dzevadzimu (Instruments of the Ancestors)about the Fallen King David... which as the story goes on, blurs into similar sounding themes that are affecting our current crop of "Kings" in the Motherland. The play of words and characters (like Bathsheba, the coveted wife of another man) symbolising our "Kings" fascination with all things regal and foreign including money, religion & processions. A great piece of music and poetry!"

Mambo/Fallen King (Kudakwashe 2007)

Return To Life -Rassie Ai(2008)

Return To Life is the official full-length debut offering by one third of DKR, Takura Makoni known in the music circles as Rassie Ai. Having been in the music industry for many years since the days of The Future Compilation by Delani Makhalima, it has been a long time coming and definitely an album overdue.

This album is definitely in a different class compared to previous efforts by Rassie Ai and marks a significant evolution in the man's musical approach. It boasts of a sound untapped by many with undeniable African energy carried through the musical composition. The opening track, Blue Steel World is an insight into the exploits of humans in developing the world , creating an imbalance in different societies stripping them of pure forms of living they had prior to that. This song is an introduction to a world of thoughts through the eyes of Rassie Ai. Smiles & Cries is definitely a gem and is like a personal Rassie Ai diary about inspiration to live. It talks about the difficulty of life in our day to day and how what we live for raises us from those downs. It is my favourite track on this album.

Rassie Ai openly vents his frustration at the hypocrisy of life and the political system in place. As is in the song Free To Breathe he picks up from the lyrical intensity of Blue Steel World. The emphasis on reality of the world is and what it could be is synonimous throughout this project. Step Over Them(video below), has received a lot of airplay and exposure as the lead single off this album. I instantly connected with its 'Zimbabweaness' and the call to pride ourselves in our homeland. I also enjoyed the title track Return To Life which calls us all to enrich our lives with the ernest purity of love and simplicity. To describe Rassie Ai based on this album i would say he is a soldier for the righteous cause of the African spirit.

I think some people might find it hard to understand this album due to the 'patois' inclination in his lyrics and delivery. It's something that might take some getting used to and i had to give it a few listens to really have a more complete idea of what was being sung in the songs. Believe it or not i am still trying to find a proper classification for this genre. I usually like my albums to have more tracks but this 8 track journey is straight to the point. This is no longer the Rassie Ai of old and he is more mature, has far more controlled delivery with a twist of Bob Marley influence.

Cover Art - 9/10(one of the best i have seen)
Music - 8/10(mature and refreshingly different)
Mixing & Mastering - 8/10
'I Like' Factor - 7/10

Get the album here: http://www.kynrecords.com


Step Over Them

Kudakwashe/Munyaradzi(2007) - DKR

This week we look at the double disc Kudakwashe/Munyaradzi by DKR made up of Kudakwashe Musasiwa a.k.a B.Sun and Munyaradzi Nota. To be honest I started checking the post box a week before the CD rauya. I was that eager but usually when you wait for something like that you definitely do not want a disappointment, handiti? So this album had to be either all that or I was going to send it back kuUK ikoko and thank them for lending me their CD for a listen.

Kudakwashe

So the CD comes with this Create Your Own Mix software that Kuda Musasiwa created himself. I haven't used the software yet except on his myspace page but one can basically edit the songs on the CD by removing vocals or certain instruments etc and have their own feel to the music. One has to see this to believe it, zvinoshamisa vakomana. I will use it one day but that is a first and makes you proud to be Zimbabwean. I was amazed at how it was done and makes the listener part of the music!

Anyway…
When I heard the intro I realised that this album was conceptual, it is a journey and a journey back to Zimbabwe through music relating to our struggles, trials and tribulations we face. That caught my attention as a listener because I am Zimbabwean and I can identify with that(Kunyanya muDiaspora muno).

Every single track was worth a listen. Yes I said it every single track. Firstly, the inclusion of live instruments made a huge difference from computer made music and it is such a breath of fresh air especially coming from someone who is still young. It was so very African but still cool as ever! I mean who on earth gets a Hip Hop base line in there, some mbira, twungoma, chinyakare type choruses then raps in Chivet and mixes all of these so well?

The message behind each song was strong and well put out. This album is lyrically rich. I was talking to a good friend and we agreed that Kuda's strength is really in how he tells us real life stories that affect not only himself, but all of us and he raps from the heart. I felt the emotion in the songs. Nherera was on a different tip though it is eclipsed by most other tunes on the CD but the spoken word was a good approach. The best song for me was Kumusha, it was beautifully sung and it made us think about going home and seeing vanhu vese vatakasiya. It is a catchy yet simple song and more importantly the message relates to something maZimba mudiaspora look forward to. Close second is definitely Wilderness. The sampling was beautiful(taken from the song Mudzimu Mukuru by popular 80s Kwekwe group, Zig Zag Band), the message was on point, hip hop heads will dig this one fo sho. The other one I liked is Nyoka inyoka and of course the lead single Misodzi which also has a video.

Every album has a downside, on this one i think some of the choruses became predictable and in the end after some listens i was a bit tired of it all. If you heard his debut and expect the same stuff you might be a little disappointed because he takes a completely different direction on this one. Great stuff!

The lead single Misodzi/Wipe Your Tears

Munyaradzi

Again the message behind each song was very powerful, that consistency on both discs is what makes it such a great listening experience and no 'I'm fly, b***h this n*gga that' type songs. Phew! They spoke to us about their lives through their eyes without saying a word about how flashy or good-looking they may be(which is what we have come to expect when it comes to most rappers). The maturity is outstanding.

Unfortunately I did not think the Munyaradzi disc started off as well as I would've wanted. I had already communicated to these guys through myspace that I was not feeling the song Maricho/Hustles and sadly that still stands. Message iripo but i don't think Nota was vocally compatible there. I didn't like his singing. He quickly covered up on Chitauri which I think is the best jam on his half the beat is mad crazy(go to wikipedia or google under Credo Mutwa to get an in depth explanation about Chitauri). I loved it more coz of my 'blaz' associates but really it was a good song regardless '...Mother and father forget about love when they fight for Chitauri dough...' Classic stuff! That said I think a video for Chitauri was more appropriate instead of Maricho. The other songs are great, Nota is truly a rapper at heart and he brought that hardcore Hip Hop side to the African. Chenai was a great effort! That song spoke to me although I felt it lacked a little bit on the production side of things but still it made it... Vakuru is a very good song with a strong message. For Nota's first solo debut he delivered well.

Besides the one or 2 downfalls i mentioned i still enjoyed listening to it. Out of 10??? It gets an 8 and this is coming from someone who is very stingy with points!

All in all this is a Zimbabwean classic. If you really think about it these guys have created a new genre altogether. I look forward to hearing other rappers getting a hit or 2 produced on this mbira hip hop tip. If you haven't bought this album yet wakamirira ani?

Get the double disc @ http://www.dkrepublic.com

Maricho/Hustles

The Pen & Lighter EP(2006) - Karizma

I seem to come across so many people who doubt our ‘youthful’ Zimbabwean genres. Hip Hop falls in that category. Not many have faith in our MCs. I guess it boils down to preference, though I am so tired of hearing peeps bigging up old school music like nothing new is nice. Not! Anyway before I get carried away this week I got hold of the debut album by Karizma. He is the man who gave you the ever popular Red Bull Song around 2004/5.

He is part of KYN Records headed by Begotten Sun of the Asi Chii Nhai fame. Karizma’s Pen & Lighter EP is testimony to the growing breed of current MCs. Young and full of energy with those bassline thumping beats that you gotta nod to. The album starts off with Hands Up which was dropped as the lead single a few months ago and damn, I love the track. Sometimes you just have to put the ‘Haterade’ down and give thanks where it is due. The song is simply hot and I’m down for the semi mellow flow as well. By any means I always prefer a good start to an album; it gives me more cause to listen further. I have to say production-wise the album is quite something. Zimbabwean Hip Hop is hot and like Karizma says on Hands Up “…f**k what you heard in fact f**k what they telling you!”

If you into dance floor type bangers on a hip hop tip then get a copy of this CD and listen to Get Wild because that is a party track to mash up the scene. That song does things to me each time I listen. The only problem I have with it is the song is too short mhani! Throughout the whole CD I marvel at how Karizma flows. Man can rap. Period. With that sometimes comes one or two problems and for me his biggest downfall is rapping about ‘how nice he is.’ A song, maybe 2 is fine but when you exceed that you suppress other possible concepts. I would have loved to hear a song about who Karizma is as a person, a love song with some emotional expression etc. In one word: Versatility. A collabo would have done the album good as well. All this adds an extra dimension to the music, which is what The Pen & Lighter EP lacked.

I was impressed by Let Me Politik which is a song urging people to keep on going strong if they have a dream. It’s great to see some positive lyrics, add to the talent. Other songs to watch out for are When The Sun Comes Up and The Banger. Overall, it is a good album that hip hop heads will dig and Karizma surely raises the bar among the MCs.

Get it @ http://www.itskarizma.com

Cover Art – 6.5/10
Music – 7/10
Mixing & Mastering – 8/10
‘I Like Factor’ – 6/10

The Banger