The first ever Zim Hip Hop summit will take place during Shoko Festival on the 30th of September as a one-day event the event will be made up of carefully curated panel discussions focusing on different key areas of the hip-hop industry.

Each panel will have highly knowledgeable panellists that will share their expertise on the given topics.

Delegates to the summit were chosen through a registration process through the organisers’ official website, the event was however over subscribed showing the great enthusiasm and expectation from hip-hop stakeholders.

The aim of the summit is to be an avenue of access. By sharing knowledge and information that individuals can take away from the summit, we hope that people can proactively work at bettering their art and the industry in which they operate.

It was founded by Plot Mhako (Jibilika Dance Trust founder & Journalist), Awa (Hip Hop Artist based in Germany), Darryl Nyamutsamba (Rapper & Editor of SA Hip Hop Magazine)

Here is What the Program looks like

Event will commence at 0800hrs with registrations and info pack collections it will then end at 1500hrs

PANEL 1: THE STATE OF HIP-HOP IN ZIMBABWE

The current state of hip-hop in Zimbabwe is somewhat stagnant. Although we consistently see artists putting on showcases, people booking studio time and even an annual Hip-Hop awards show, there is often not much to show in terms of return or recognition. 

Similarly, while we have a number of notable artists, many have branched off into other professions in order to make ends meet. 

What is hindering progress and artist support and how can we do more to elevate hip-hop both as a social movement and commercially viable sector of the entertainment industry?

PANEL 2: THE BUSINESS OF HIP-HOP:

When artists enter a profession, they do so with the intention of making a profit and building a brand. In Zimbabwe, we see some artists make it, while others simply do not. What is stopping artists from fully

What is stopping artists from fully benefiting from the industry? Is it a lack of contractual, copyright and artist knowledge? Is it poor management and lack of financial literacy?

What should artists be doing in order to work towards securing a financially viable future for themselves and their art? What do we need to do collectively to push the industry forward?

PANEL 3: LYRICISM, CONFLICT AND FREE EXPRESSION

Hip-hop as an art form is based on free expression. With that, we sometimes see conflict and the rise of divisions between companies, brands and even regions.

For a long time, we’ve heard the Bulawayo vs Harare debate, but is there any merit to it?

What can artists do to deliver better content and how can we work towards using hip-hop as an art form that promotes change, social responsibility and critical and conscious thinking? How can we use the art to better our communities?

Line Up of panellist

Line-up includes multi-award winning South African hip-hop musician and businessman Siyabonga Metane AKA Slikour.

Stunner, Cal_Vin, Tehn Diamond, DJ Mox (Star FM), Lady K (The Fixx, ZiFM), award-winning videographer Blaqs.

 ZIMURA director  Polisile Ncube, Phil Chard (The African Hip Hop Blog), PD The Ghost, Keisha Thompson (UK)

 Rafael Tudesco (Brasil), Mambila Mageza(from In Place of War), beatboxer Probeatz, Joel Gombera (Senior Manager – Group Marketing CBZ holdings) among others