Every track on this album is dope; every verse is quotable

Every track on this album is dope; every verse is quotable

• Singer Amon Mvula dies

• New Zimbabwe/South Africa music show airs on UK TV

• Castro-loving urban groover on a mission

• Bkay and Kazz: the next South Coast Idols?

• Kombo lied over pregnancy, claims hubby's mum

• Kombo, Kasi married in traditional ceremony

• 'In the name of Jesus, die' - Ivy's rant at journalist

• Pastor Kasi finally surrenders to the truth

• Ivy Kombo, Kasi wedding in February

By Henry Makiwa

THERE are no sacred cows on Afro-centric artistes Divided Kingdom Republic’s new effort, the double album Kudakwashe/Munyaradzi.

The Zimbabwean-born rappers, pioneers of hip hop in their homeland, deliver a scathing no-holds barred full frontal attack on just about all forces propagating strife on the continent: from sycophantic Western powers, the G8 to corrupt African leaders.

Following hot in the footsteps of their impressive debut offering, Rhythm and Prose in 2005, Mcs Kudakwashe Musasiwa a.k.a Begotten Sun and Munyaradzi Nota take a new approach to producing rap, a lighter way to enlighten, and some of the sharpest double entendres and wordplay ever recorded in hip hop and hereby leave an indelible mark on music history.

To start with, the duo who produced most of the tracks on this double CD, takes a bold decision to ditch the predictable and overused technique of computerised melodies and sampled bass lines for live guitar riffs, thumping traditional ngoma (drums), rattling hoshos while the Mbira yevadzimu dominates prominently.

The set is then completed by the compliment of kicks and a skanking drum machine to retain a hip hop flavour, already catchy before the addition of the often satirical but mostly blunt yet clean political compositions.

The genius in this record is the Chitauri theme which threads throughout the album that is famously attributable to Zulu Shaman and best-selling fiction author Credo Mutwa. Chitauri, as defined by Wikipedia, is a term of Bantu/Nguni linguistic origin, used to describe shape-shifting reptoids, 'the family of the Serpent', believed to exist in parallel with man. Nota and Musasiwa can however take credit for the recent proliferation of this word into popular usage.

Primarily through their expansion of the word's use to encompass all facets of what they see as the synthetic non-reality of day-to-day 21st Century life. They allege that modern man, by succumbing to his Chitauri instincts, is now trapped in a spiralling cycle of 're-creation,' in which he disassembles, and attempts to improve, a world he is not responsible for creating in the first place.

Hence, by this thinking, 'modern life', particularly Western Civilisation, including all its knowledge, routine, and even vocabulary, can be seen as Chitauri, that is, a ball of nonsensical but elaborately constructed confusion.
This is well documented throughout every subject the duo tackles but more so on Nota’s Chitauri on his Munyaradzi half of the double album.

Then Musasiwa takes the matter head on the poignant Magodo Angu/Rise Again and the arousing Wilderness. George Bush and Tony Blair are labelled “Morden-day Hitlers” here, while Robert Mugabe is satirically portrayed in Fallen King (though Musasiwa denies it is the ageing Zimbabwean leader he meant!) Musasiwa belongs to the first generation of Zimbabwean hip hop that ushered in Metaphysics (formerly of Peace Of Ebony), Zubz, Mizchif and Mau Mau a.k.a Shingirayi Sabeta onto the scene. He arrived with his ‘90s trend-setting Gospel/Rap project Gangstaz In da Right Gang as lead rapper and producer of the group H.A.R.D.C.O.R.E.

Nota, on the other hand, made his presence felt with the sophomoric Sands Of Time on Delani Makhalima’s classic hit compilation The Future album in 1999. Their recent work is viewable on www.dkrepublic.com. In addition, the Kudakwashe CD comes with an enhanced “create your own mix” CD that allows the listener to make his own music, a first in Zimbabwean music history!

Evident by his recent efforts, Musasiwa’s penchant lies in lacing lush, laid back grooves. His silky, layered keys for Magodo Angu samples that popular revolutionary hymn Mbuya Nehanda to capture a heart-rending emotion as he narrates and analyses the cause of African strife and the need for its peoples to rise in the spirit of liberation as dictated by the revered heroin a century ago.

My personal favourite Wilderness, borrows Kwekwe’s finest, the Zig Zag Band’s chorus off the classic Mudzimu Mukuru. Laced with a grooving mbira under-hem and a pushy bass guitar Wilderness becomes a medium on which Musasiwa portrays the diasporian challenges faced by Zimbabweans oceans from home.

The duo complement their efforts with collaborations with Gospel singer Mandi Kachingwe (on Taurai Nesu), soulful divas Alice Tsatsai (Nherera), Netsayi Chigwendere (Chenai) and Chimurenga songstress Anna Mudeka (Mugarandega).

Kudakwashe/Munyaradzi’s flaws are few and far between. Mutabaruka and Chitauri for example, ought to have defined their subjects as Nota addressed his issues. Nota however remains one of the naturally gifted rappers who hardly write their compositions preferring to kick it freestyle in the recording booth.

Overally the project is a must-own masterpiece of poetic, lyrical and productive proportions. Every track on this album is dope; every verse is quotable; every song is both intellectually and socially significant. Here is a classic album that will compete for shelve space with any Thomas Mapfumo or Oliver Mtukudzi album.
JOIN THE DEBATE ON THIS ARTICLE ON THE NEWZIMBABWE.COM FORUMS
shapiro@newzimbabwe.com