Zimbabwean hip hop - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

History

There are many Zimbabwean Hip hop acts, in and around the world, with varying degrees of success. The majority of them are heavily influenced by American East Coast hip hop

East Coast hip hop

East Coast hip hop is a regional subgenre of hip hop music that originated in New York City, USA during the 1970s. Hip hop is recognized to have originated and evolved first in the East Coast...

, with the younger ones leaning more toward the new dominant American dirty south sound. On the other hand, there are a few acts that are now trying to move away from the American stereotype and reinvent themselves by building and branching off from the remnants of the "Urban grooves" era . "Urban Grooves" was an umbrella term (for lack of a better word) for all the urban genres of music that were popular in Zimbabwe at the time (Hip hop

Hip hop

Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...

, R'n'B, Dancehall

Dancehall

Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s. In the mid-1980s, digital instrumentation became more prevalent, changing the sound considerably,...

, Afro pop). The "Urban Grooves" movement and those within have been maturing, and at the same time, the laws have re-integrated International music according to the growth of the Zimbabwean local industry, what where the sub-genres of "Urban grooves" are now developing into whole and independent genres of their own. There seems to exist a visible effort on the part of a lot of current MC's to experiment in order to redefine and own a sound that could be recognised as Zimbabwean Hip hop. Some are doing this by making a more extensive use their own traditional languages (Shona

Shona language

Shona is a Bantu language, native to the Shona people of Zimbabwe and southern Zambia; the term is also used to identify peoples who speak one of the Shona language dialects: Zezuru, Karanga, Manyika, Ndau and Korekore...

and Ndebele

Northern Ndebele language

The Northern Ndebele language, isiNdebele, or Ndebele is an African language belonging to the Nguni group of Bantu languages, and spoken by the Ndebele or Matabele people of Zimbabwe. It is commonly known as Sindebele....

), and local instruments such as Mbira

Mbira

In African music, the mbira is a musical instrument that consists of a wooden board to which staggered metal keys have been attached. It is often fitted into a resonator...

, Marimba

Marimba

The marimba is a musical instrument in the percussion family. It consists of a set of wooden keys or bars with resonators. The bars are struck with mallets to produce musical tones. The keys are arranged as those of a piano, with the accidentals raised vertically and overlapping the natural keys ...

, Ngoma (traditional drums) or Hosho (traditional shaker).

1990 - 2000

It is unclear who to credit for championing hiphop in Zimbabwe. During this 10 year period, the youths across the country would begin to participate in the genre largely influenced by American hiphop music being exported globally and being well received in Zimbabwe (though, it was never as popular as the genres of Museve

Museve

Museve is a popular Zimbabwe music genre. It derives its name from the Shona word which means an Arrow. This is generally so because the music is considered to have a very fast tempo, especially the beat and is characterised by fast dance routines such as 'Borrowdale dance" popularised by Alich...

, Reggae

Reggae

Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...

, Kwaito

Kwaito

Kwaito is a music genre that emerged in Johannesburg, South Africa, during the 1990s. It is a variant of house music featuring the use of African sounds and samples. Typically at a slower tempo range than other styles of house music, Kwaito often contains catchy melodic and percussive loop samples,...

, and African House

House music

House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...

2001 - Present

In November 2009 a magazine known as The Platform was released in Harare. It was meant to elevate the industry but did not stretch to other parts of the country. A follow up was made in March 2010. Shows such as Mashoko and The Circle done at The Mannernburg in Harare are also measures that have been taken to elevate hip-hop in Zimbabwe. Poets and emcess such as Outspoken, Synik, Upmost, Godobori, Aura, blackbird among others. Rapper Munetsi aka SVR is widely regarded as the premier rapper. He raps in Shona and English. His non-affiliation has seen him largely sidelined by his peers. He has proven his mettle from destroying opponents in battle, beef, wax and performing live. Most of these poets incite politics in their music and have started a movement known as House Of Hunger.

Artists and groups

Notable Zimbabwean Hip hop artists are the late King Pinn, Carlprit

Carlprit

Rudi Schwamborn, better know by his stagename Carlprit, is a Zimbabwe-born German rapper and actor. He is the younger brother of Söhne Mannheims rapper Metaphysics. In 2009 he made his most notable appearance on Cascada's hit single "Evacuate the Dancefloor" which sold over three million copies...

, MuJiKwA, Mizchif

Mizchif

Hechichamunorwa Mount zion Kwenda , better known as Mizchif, is a South African based Zimbabwean rapper.Mizchif was born and raised in Highfields, Harare, Zimbabwe. He moved to Syracuse, New York at the age of 12 where he hooked up with a crew, Soul Pack, and began rapping...

, Maskiri

Maskiri

Maskiri is a controversial Zimbabwean rapper whose rapping style is similar to that of the American rapper Eminem. He rose to fame in late 2002 with the track 'Muchinda Wangu' which later featured on his debut album 'Muviri Wese'...

, 25toLyf, Mcpotar, Jusa Dementor, Karizma

Karizma

Karizma may refer to:* Karizma , Serbian hard rock/glam metal band* KariZma , Bulgarian pop duo* Hero Honda Karizma R, the flagship motorcycle of Hero Honda....

, sugaspott and Tek Neek.

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