A year after Mlue Jay dropped his top-performing jingle Shisa Shisa he has again pulled the trigger with Shooter which is his latest video.
Shooter is a hip hop track that gives an immediate impression of the rapper which will be further revealed by the details below.
Mlingisi Dombo Moyo also known as MLUE JAY, is a Rap artist & founder of YeahWeLit Entertainment.
He was born and raised in Magwegwe West a suburb in Bulawayo. Mlue Jay was introduced to Rap Music in 2008 and he started recording in 2010.
Mlue Jay is a sound engineer and music producer by profession.
Cal Vin is the only local act who adds to the list of many rappers who have inspired MlueJay’s journey.
The emcee who is yet to record an album has so far released 3 solid projects, THE COME UP (Mix Tape) 2015 – PICTURE PAINT (Mix Tape) 2017 – THEY NEED ME (EP) 2019.
In a fair short space of time, he has performed alongside big names in the music industry such as Kwesta, Sjava, and Emtee.
Mlue Jay celebrates Six (6) nominations and 1 award (best diaspora at the Changamire Festival Awards).
The rapper chronicles his life struggles in the track Uyakhumbula and indeed shooter reflects the undying ambition to be at the top.
He is currently based in South Africa where he has been for the last 6 years and he hopes to make it beyond the African borders.
He boasts of success on his tracks Shisa Shisa and Thula ft Cal Vin which have more than 20k plays on Spotify.
This coming Monday 1 June 20202, local film Cook Off will make history by becoming the first local production to show on popular streaming service Netflix.
Written and directed by Tomas Brickhill and produced by Joe Njagu the hilarious comedy stars Zimbabwean talents including Tendaiishe Chitima, hip hop artist Tendai Nguni formerly known as Tehn Diamond and Jesesi Mungoshi, among several others.
One of the stars of the film is Eugene Zimbudzi who was only 11 years old at the time of filming, making his screen debut as Tapiwa, Anesu’s cheeky and doting son.
Cook-Off follows the journey of Anesu, a down-on-her-luck single mother from Harare’s Budiriro township who becomes a national sensation after she qualifies for Zimbabwe’s top reality TV cooking show, but then finds herself out of her depth battling against professional chefs.
Eugene is the son to one of Zimbabwe’s most successful Model Agency owners Mercy Mushaninga.
Popularly known as Catwalk, Mushaninga is former model and Zim Gossip Models agency founder.
Zimbuzz caught up with her to find out how she and her son are taking in this exciting news.
“I am so happy, and still in shock, I thought we are just going to watch it on our local TV but Joe and Tomas worked so hard and I am grateful that my son was part of a movie that has a team that worked so hard to make things happen,” she told Zimbuzz.
For young Eugene, although an academically gifted child, the ‘big’ news had to be broken down for him to understand the magnitude of the success.
Eugene Zimbudzi and her mother Mercy Mushaninga
“He now does after receiving a video call conference from Tom (Tomas Brickhill) and Joe (Joe Njagu) when the news about Netflix acquiring the movie was revealed,” she said of her son.
The gig was Eugene’s first acting role and her mum said she was shocked at the audition seeing how good he was.
“He was given a script by Tom and he only read it 3 times and he mastered it in that short time that even Tom was impressed,” said Mercy Mushaninga.
Her mother said he discovered her son’s talent when she used to give him poems to recite and perform and said that his ability to read and understand made it easy for him to land and execute the role in Cook Off
Some of Eugene Zimbudzi’s acting idols include Antony Anderson, Will Smith, and Calia Marsai Martin an American actress known for her role as Diane Johnson in the ABC comedy series Black-ish.
It’s not quite clear yet what the artist meant by a dark place, but the socials are just great their favourite singer has found his voice again.
He has been bashed by erstwhile colleague DJ Towers over the last year or so but in Takura-class, he has been nonchalant about the whole ordeal.
Takura also teased a new release, posting a picture together with the glamourous ZTN presenter Charmaine Chasweka who has found fame during the Passion Java-powered ‘Gara Mumba Iwe shows’
The tweet contains a hint on the release date of a song ‘03/06/20′ and judging this Instagram teaser the song will be accompanied by a video.
In a story carried by Zimbuzz in February, the trap soul singer said he was working on the Relationship Goals 2 album.
“We did the first one two years ago, the one with the song Mai Mwana, so we ranare doing a second one and it’s going to have five songs.
It’s going be a whole new side of me, something that people have never even imagined that they could ever see from me. So I’m pretty excited about that,” he told Zimbuzz then.
Earlier in the year, Takura joined forces with the organisers of Old Mutual Amazing Voices to be one of the selectors, identifying the most suitable candidates to take part in the show, which ran on Zambezi Magic channel on DStv, in the 5pm time slot each Sunday.
King City Hip Hop Sessions is a series of monthly compilation of hip-hop songs from the city of kings – Bulawayo
The platform was created by hip-hop heads in an attempt to bridge the gap and spread hip-hop from Bulawayo to a wider audience.
King City Hip Hop Sessions is curated by some of the longest-serving hip-hop heads in the City of Bulawayo
This month’s edition features seasoned rappers Benny jones, Navy seal, CAL_VIN, k_tox,c.t.l, Tamuka (UK based) and the cipher drop is taken from a 2010 release #mic a blaze’s finest still sounding fresh which had the likes of Nafuna CEO Enqore, Tonelakeside, Prozac, Icey, orthodox six among others
Listen to KingCity Hip-hop Sessions Vol. 2 by KingCity-TV on #SoundCloud
As Africa Month comes to a close MultiChoice Zimbabwe will be hosting a ‘watch party’ that will feature multi-award-winning dancer and choreographer John Cole together with spinner DJ Smith.
The purpose of the Watch Party is to give Zimbabweans an entertainment selection of the varied music of Africa in their own homes.
The Celebrate Africa Watch Party will be broadcast on Facebook from 3pm to 4pm on Saturday May 30, hosted on the DStvZimbabwe page by MultiChoice Zimbabwe.
“Popular DJ Smith will bring the music to viewers and award-winning choreographer and dancer John Cole will add some slick moves to the fun event,” said Liz Dziva, publicity and public relations manager of MultiChoice Zimbabwe.
The pair will be based at The Venue, a leading banqueting and events centre in Avondale, Harare.
The Venue will provide a prize of a dinner for two for a lucky viewer, while MultiChoice adds to the excitement with a prize of a brand new decoder.
“It’s all about music, dance, home entertainment and fun, all centred around the fascinating and vibrant music of Africa,” said Ms Dziva.
“And even more fun, it is open to everyone and we look forward to the sharing of images of people celebrating the music in their homes as we move through an exciting hour of joy.”
Multi-Award winning rapper Stunner and DJ Towers are some of the few individuals that are preventing Zim Hip Hop from growing, said new rapper Senaboy.
The young artist said this in a video where he was responding to some of the questions that were posed to him.
On DJ Tower, Senaboy said the ‘DJ’ tried too hard to be the face of the new school but his actions ridicule the genre.
He explained that DJ Towers dances in his underwear on Instagram and that causes people to look at hip hop in a negative way.
DJ Towers was also accused of what Senaboy termed “Favour of a Favour System.”
He explained that DJ Towers only hypes up people that do favours for him and promotes them as the Faces of Zim Hip Hop which is a “misrepresentation of the data”
Another serious allegation was levelled against DJ Towers.
“If you refuse to work with him he cyberbullies you, something we don’t want our genre to be associated with because people have committed suicide over cyberbullying,” claims Senaboy.
Senaboy was referring to Towers’ incessant attacks on Takura that began sometime last year.
Senaboy said Stunner is needed in hip hop but he has been behaving like a child.
Stunner got the stick for his 2018 song ‘Maindiitisa’ in which he bemoaned the impracticality of the education system.
However, Senaboy’s interpretation was that Stunner was decampaigning education, again he said such lyrics paint a bad picture of a genre that discourages young kids from going to school.
Stunner and DJ Towers have been given what he said ‘2hrs to respond with a reasonable response and failure to do that ‘there’s danger awaiting,’
Watch the video below
Update: Senaboy has dropped a diss track titled ‘Kupindura Matadza’ (Dj Towers and Stunner Diss)
Universal Music Group (UMG), the world leader in music-based entertainment, today announced the launch of Def Jam Africa, a new label division within the continent dedicated to representing the best hip-hop, Afrobeats and trap talent in Africa.
Def Jam Africa will follow the blueprint of the iconic Def Jam Recordings label, which has led and influenced the cutting-edge in hip-hop and urban culture for more than 35 years.
The label will initially be based in Johannesburg, South Africa and Lagos, Nigeria, but will identify and sign artist talent from across the entire continent.
It will be supported by dedicated A&R, marketing, creative and digital teams from the UMG teams in both Nigeria and South Africa and will report to Sipho Dlamini, MD, Universal Music Sub-Saharan Africa & South Africa.
The label launches with a flagship roster, that includes some of the most influential, successful and followed African talent including: Boity (South Africa), Cassper Nyovest (South Africa), Larry Gaaga (Nigeria) Nadia Nakai (South Africa),
Nasty C (South Africa), Tshego (South Africa), Tellaman (South Africa), Ricky Tyler (South Africa) and Vector (Nigeria).
In making the announcement, Sipho Dlamini said, “Many of us in Africa grew up on music from legendary labels under the UMG umbrella. From Blue Note for jazz fans, to Mercury Records, which was Hugh Masekela’s first US label and Uptown Records, the home of Jodeci and Mary J Blige and many more.
For those into hip-hop, no label has such cultural and historic relevance as Def Jam. From Run DMC, to LL Cool J, Disturbing tha Peace, Jay-Z, Big Sean and Kanye West, Def Jam has always been the ultimate destination for hip-hop and urban culture worldwide.
It is a historic achievement that we’re now able to bring this iconic label to Africa, to create an authentic and trusted home for those who aspire to be the best in hip-hop, Afrobeats and trap.
Together, we will build a new community of artists, that will push the boundaries of hip-hop from Africa, to reach new audiences globally.
Earlier this year it was announced that South African rapper Nasty C will release his forthcoming album Zulu Man with Some Power in partnership with Def Jam Recordings in the U.S., during Summer, 2020.
Other forthcoming releases on Def Jam Africa include singles from: Ricky Tyler, Boity, Nasty C, Tellaman feat. Alpha P, Vector, Cassper Nyovest and Tshego.
With 2020 already a fruitful year for Zim Hip Hop there has been a remarkable rise of fresh blood on the scene.
Dough Major has effectively established himself as a force to reckon with taking into consideration his unique approach to rap.
The youthful rapper is pushing a new sound that’s more relatable called Shebeen Rap.
He released an EP called Shebeen Rap back in 2016 and he has promised to release the Shebeen Volume 2 this year.
The emcee comes with him a new style of hip hop which fun-loving Zimbabweans can easily bounce to because of his comic skills.
Tatenda Keith Maguta of the moniker Dough Major is a Zimbabwean rapper, singer, songwriter and record executive.
He was born and raised in Tynwald, Harare and gained recognition as a rapper after his first project Sheeben Rap Papa EP.
In 2016 he also co-founded the record label Roman Rap Studios together with Lloyd Soul and Boy Tricky.
With top-performing collaborations Hazvidi Dzungu, Changu chepa jecha and Wakuketa Staira as well as featuring on a 2020 Star FM awards nominated hit single, La Vida Loca by Lloyd Soul the journey has indeed been promising.
He came second in the inaugural Bata Mic Rap Battles at Moto Republik represent
In an interview with Zimbuzz, Dough Major revealed, “Alright, I started loving rap when I was 9 because of my big brother and back then if a rapper was good he had to be the king of the streets and that meant dominating rap battles… So when I heard about Bata Mic, I thought to myself this is the chance to prove myself and I registered”.
He continued, “When I heard about the second edition, virtual battles, I thought to myself this is the chance to prove myself for once and for all. The battle master advised me we were only free-styling and flexing in our own right without outright attacking anyone and that’s what I did then people voted me as the best.
“It felt good to win a battle I had lost before but I realized it’s not anything else but fans that matter the most because they are the people that decide an entertainer’s fate.
“Right now I plan on proving to the nation that hip-hop they can relate to exists, I wanna speak and inspire greatness to my people in the best language I understand which is rap.
“It really doesn’t matter if the lockdown continues or ends, I’m going to release music continuously until people can hear their voice in my music. I am good at what I do yes and I am a really versatile artist!”
His latest work features an old time friend Boy tricky with Mitch Uta, Masimba and Tidech. The track is called Harare Garden Blues.
Use the link below to listen to the track and tell us what you think
“I’m not cocky my nigga I’m confident’ is one of the lines in Verse Of The Year, the recent freestyle installment by Ganyaz and it’s a line he says lives up to.
The emcee has been consistently putting out work despite the quarantine challenge. Ganyaz JR is straight up down to earth rapper who is spirited to run hip hop and the elegance in his raps is worth your ears.
Below are excerpts from the interview by Takudzwa Kadzura and Takudzwa Larry Chiwanza
Q – Music fans been so curious to know who Ganyaz is, Can you tell us?
Ganyaz Jr – Yoh warrup man, My name is Ganyaz Jr. I’m a hip hop artist from Bulawayo, I was born in Luveve, that’s the kasi I represent, my roots are in Chinhoyi though and I got mad flows. My real name is Takudzwa Ganyanhewe I’m all about the vibes, good things and motivation.
Q – What inspires your music and who is the biggest inspiration to you as a rapper?
Ganyaz jr – I’m inspired by my life, things around me and everybody has got a story to tell but when it comes to the technical part of it it’s just the beat. When I just hear the beat I formulate the flows and whatever topic I’m going to talk about is inspired by the beat. My biggest inspiration as a rapper is DMX, the first rapper I listened to, actually owned an original tape of Flesh of My Flesh, the DMX first album.
Q – When did you start rapping and tell us a bit of how you started linking up with Asaph, it’s been a long journey between the two of you?
Ganyaz jr – I started rapping in 2007 and made my first real song the following year. I met with Asaph through a mutual friend Qazi. We have been friends ever since then, made a few songs and formed a group I.L Kings, had an album and 3 mixtapes. We have been rocking for a decade now. ( Ganyaz features on Ginimbi Rich off The People’s Rapper EP)
Q – You started installing weekly freestyles this year and why do you prefer freestyles?
Ganyaz – They are just like an outlet from me. I don’t like music without a plan. For now it sharpens my skill like every week I am consistently dropping something just to give the fans something you know. I am working on an EP even people who didn’t know about me can know me through the freestyles because it’s just content while I prep for the EP but it’s obviously gonna roll out with a plan. With this lockdown we’ll see how to get about it.
Q – What’s basically the message you wish to put out in your music?
Ganyaz – I just wanna promote good vibes, positive message, spit bars and I just wanna do what a rapper does. I want to encourage people especially Zimbabweans, we tend to look down on ourselves because of what has been happening in our country but we are talented. I wanna uplift Zimbabwe on the world map. Most of all I want you guys to have fun.
Q – Let’s touch a hot area a bit, what exactly do you think is the reason why there is tension between Bulawayo and Harare rappers?
Ganyaz – In my opinion, first of all its competition and it’s hip hop bro, everyone wanna show Zimbabwe who’s got the best rappers Harare or Bulawayo. It’s healthy competition. Some cats feel like there is no equal opportunity in terms of platforms but as of late the game is opening up we are having nice unity. There is always gonna be competition even when hip hop starts flourishing. Right now the main objective is to put Zim Hip Hop on the map all over Africa.
Q – What’s your suggestion to break that barrier?
Ganyaz – They can be avoided through more collaborations. Enjoy each other’s vibes. More shows in Harare with Bulawayo rappers lets unite and grow the culture.
Q – Is our local hip hop ready for international market?
Ganyaz – We been ready forever. We have got Kamera making beats for international artists like Patoranking, Davido and Lady Zamar. We are behind the scenes though there isn’t like a face of a Zim artist on international market. Look at the great Dr Tuku and Mapfumo. Listen to the quality of our works, the bars, if you are not careful you might think it’s a rapper from the states. The question should be when are we going to be on the international market. ZimHipHop is ready for the whole world.
Q – Just for interest sake, Ganyaz is definitely a ladies man. Which female celebrity does it for you in Zim?
Ganyaz – That’s a spicy topic (laughs) I don’t know about that. I’d say Ammara Brown. She poppin, beautiful, complexion that I like, beauty, brains, talent, confidence what more can I say, spicy and personality, everything is there bro.
Q – Can you randomly pick 5 upcoming rappers you think will break out in the next few years?
Ganyaz – CMK got bars, she’s got good beat selection. Tasha too, you niggas heard Bho Zvekuti. CTL the Lunatic he is versatile, content is crazy, just dropped an album. Fish F McSwagg the trap king, he is poppin and a force to be reckoned with (ndaramo king) he was on Mambo bro, he is a modern artist. Look out for Dawg the hook master, our version of Emtee, Chimoto is out and it’s lit. That’s my five.
Q – Should we expect a solid project from you in the future, Album or EP?
Ganyaz – I’m 2 songs away from completing the EP. I’m dropping more than one project this year but with one producer. If you guys are lucky we might drop a full project with Asaph, it’s gonna be wild. Don’t make the freestyles fool you, I can make songs. Check out She Likes Money. This EP is gonna be crazy. The first song is gonna destroy the whole country (laughs).
Q – Lastly a message on COVID-19 to the rest of Zimbabwe.
Ganyaz – Let’s practice good sanitary habits wash hands with soap, avoid touching your face. I need you guys to be alive for the Ep. Make sure you buy sanitizers and masks. Cough with a dab. Sneeze with a dab.
Shout out to you guys, it was nice, the questions are lit. It’s Ganyaz JR.
Hip Hop’s leading voices such as Soko Matemai, ASAPH, GZE and Michael Chiunda are among a host of talented artists on the latest Pungwe Sessions Vol. 2.
Some of the musicians featured include dancehall stars Boss Pumacol and Nutty O, talented producer Simba Tagz, Thaiwanda, songstresses Shashl and Chengeto,
Comedian King Kandoro, guitarist and songwriter Sylent Nqo, and Garry Mapanzure.
The project is a partnership between Point Black Africa – a digital content and marketing company and Goethe-Zentrum Harare/ Zimbabwe German Society set to promote Zimbabwean artists and change the landscape of Zimbabwean popular music.
The project was produced in full by platinum-selling producer Rymez (Hurtin, Me, Heatwave, Senseless) who worked with every artist in the studio providing the same invaluable guidance that he has offered to the numerous chart-topping superstars he has worked with.
Pungwe Sessions Vol. 2 is a follow up the 2014 offering that Rymez produced in partnership with Point Black’s Managing Director, Phil Chard.
The initial Pungwe Sessions was a revolutionary project for Zimbabwean Hip Hop that produced hits such as Phil Chiyangwa by Rymez and Jnr Brown.
The song immediately shot to the top of the radio charts and held the number one spots on ZiFMs charts for 10 weeks.
“When we made the first Pungwe Sessions the goal was for me to give back to my country. I was starting to find success in the United Kingdom, and I wanted to use that visibility to promote artists back home.
I think we were able to do that, but we also made some mistakes and this time around we wanted to use those lessons on this project” said Rymez
The superstar producer who is known for crafting chart topping hits for Stefflon Don, Wiley, Tinie Tempah and Sean Paul travelled to his birth country of Zimbabwe in late September 2019 to record the album during over an 8 day writing and recording camp that was attended by some of Zimbabwe’s most promising artists.
The roster paired established artists like Simba Tagz who has production credits with Mr. Eazi, Wande Coal and Wizkid with newcomers like Michael Chiunda, Nutty O ad Soko Matemai who gained invaluable knowledge and insights from the collaborations.
“I see working on this project as a blessing straight from God,” Boss Pumacol.
The camp was organized by Point Black with the assistance and support of Goethe-Zentrum Harare/ Zimbabwe German Society.
The recording process for the album was captured on video and will be shown in a documentary that will drop in tandem with the project.
“Zimbabwe has a wealth of talented artists who could benefit from investment and education.
“The goals of this album and the writing sessions were to facilitate a greater level of collaboration amongst our artists and to give artists one on one sessions with a globally acclaimed producer who would educate them on how to approach their craft as a brand.
There is empirical evidence that shows how much contemporary arts can contribute to the GDP of a country. Our goal with this project is to help create a platform that can educate and sustain artists for years to come. Thankfully, Goethe-Zentrum Harare/ Zimbabwe German Society understood the vision and partnered with us on this project to make it a reality,” said Phil Chard.
The album set for release on June 5 is set to be a marquee release that highlights the importance of collaboration amongst Zimbabwean creatives.
The first singles from the album are scheduled to drop on May 15 on all major streaming platforms.
Like the Shona word that the album borrows its name from Pungwe Sessions hopes to highlight Zimbabwean contemporary culture by keeping listeners up all night as they reach for the replay button.
