Christian Hip Hop or CHH as it is known in the music circles has come a long way. The current crop of Christian rappers is very good and this has definitely raised the standard and quality of music we are now hearing and experiencing. In the past CHH was considered to be dull and boring. The music was not exciting, captivating and gripping. Most rappers would turn to CHH when they are in the twilight of their careers and in some cases trying to make a comeback and as well as make a name and create a buzz for themselves. Well this notion no longer holds merit. Right now CHH listeners and fans are spoiled for choice and all I can this is perfect the time to be ALIVE! The bars, delivery and flow are on point and the beats are too dope. No more boring Christian beats and lame hooks. It was like drinking coke zero with no coke, all you are getting is zero. The music was watered down and putting it in lame man terms whack.

Some say hip hip is not dead it has simply gone Christian, I can believe that (I should print a t-shirt with that saying I just might be able to make a few extra bucks). Even the concerts and album launches are sometimes better than their counter parts who do hip hop or zim hip hop. For instance Luminous the young rapper from Nkulumane had a massive year last year and he capped the year off in style with his Nkulumane Drive Concert which I happened to attend and all I can say if his stage presence, delivery and flow is anything to go by the young man has a very bright and prosperous musical career in front of him as long as he stays committed and is not distracted. Also the turnout at the concert was very good. All in all the event was very well marketed and adequate time was invested in planning and hyping up the event, tickets were being sold at 3 bucks and 5 bucks VIP and the crowd who came out to support were not disappointed. They got their money’s worth plus a little extra.

Luminous is a one of the few new CHH artist to be on the lookout for. Hailing from the City of Kings he is definitely a young king in the making. Enough about Luminous before his bigger brother who somewhat paved the way for him gets jealous. T1nder or T1 as he is known in some circles can be considered to be an OG when it comes to CHH. He has been doing it for quite a while now and over the years he has got better and better like fine wine. As far back as I can remember he has always been preaching the gospel through his music and he strives to live a righteous and true life serving the Lord in everything he does. So he is not only about making Christian music he is more concerned about saving souls and leading an exemplary life.

Some of the other heavy hitters include Courtney Antipas former Ill Cee. Courtney which is his real name by the way used to slay emcees viciously before he answered his calling and turned to God and now all he does is rep for the Lord and he pushes the gospel through clever wordplay and punchlines. He is based in SA at the moment but he is very well known when it comes to CHH. He plans on doing more preaching and ministerial work this year as he puts the music thing on the back burner but I hope he doesn’t stay away from the mic too long because he is so real and he is considered to be one of the best lyrical emcees be it CHH or zim hip hop it doesn’t matters. He definitely has my vote and support. He is also the man behind the Live Wise Die Ready Movement.

Another relevant voice when it comes to CHH and zim hip hop as a whole is Shingirayi former Mau Mau fame. Yes the man who inspired some of old school cats has turned to CHH and he is now doing his thing for the Lord. Shingirayi whose still has bars for days made a conscious effort to rap in Shona his native tongue as opposed to rapping in English. He is considered to be a pioneer when it comes to rap music in Zim and he is one of the guys who inspired many cats and paved the way for some. He is revered and respected in most circles and rightfully so. He has done a lot for hip hop movement and music as a whole for Zimbos.

Flabba aka Jesus Positive Music is also slowly but surely growing his fan base and very soon he will become a house hold name. He has been fighting the good fight for a couple of years now and he has definitely matured and come into his own element in the past years. Whistle inspires is another shining light and ray of hope. He is also based in the capital and whistle is living proof that hard work pays off in the end. His music is vastly improved over the years and he has managed to remain humble and down for the cause. J Barz and St Toots at some point were both forces to reckon with when it came to music but I’ll be honest they have both been very quiet of late I think someone should track them down and find out what’s good and what’s going on with them. J Barz has featured on a couple CHH cyphers here and there plus a few tracks but in my book that is not nearly enough nor acceptable. As for St Toots he has been quiet and off the radar for a bit.

Dope Art Society which is made up of Dr MTK and Creezy are another dynamic duo to be on the lookout for. Both guys are established artists in their own right but once they link up it’s like they form a CHH Voltron or something like that. Creezy is a fervent emcee and MTK is a clever and witty one. They complement it each other nicely and they are a solid unit. They dropped an album last year which was littered with dope tracks, sick beats and ill punchlines all in the name of Jesus. Pastor Rudy and El Chits are also very passionate about Jesus Christ and they are heavily involved in being socially responsible as well as spreading the word through mumhanzi.

GGB which stands for God’s Greatest Blessing is another young artist on the rise. He dropped his album last year and it was very well received. GGB is based in SA and he hopes to make it big in the region. Brythreesixty was also considered to be a big dawg in the CHH circles but he has switched it up recently and now he simply makes good music (he is still a Christian though). He is no longer focusing on making Christian music only but he has decided to venture out and experiment with different sounds, styles and genres.  A few other cats who are bubbling under and maybe the next break out artists when it comes CHH include Good News Ambassadors and Tony Lyas just to name a few.  

Pane imwe nyaya iri kundinesta with regards to CHH  and that is the fair sex are not represented enough and there are not enough ladies doing their thang and repping for the Lord on the mic. The only female emcee of note is Temple aka Black Bird. Yes she has changed her name and now she is doing her thing for GOD. Hopefully in a few months’ time these talented rappers will get their rightful dues and garner the respect and accolades they deserve and hopefully more female emcees will heed the calling and pick up the mic and rep for a worthy cause. Until then sithi Salute!!!

Miss Nust was crowned over the weekend and as usual there was a solid line-up of acts billed to perform at the event. NUST SRC where the main organizers of the event and some of the acts that were expected to grace the stage and do their thing include Takura, Boom Beto, Vinnie King, Senko, Antivirus (Boys who gave you the Pokello dance) yeah they are back together again after a short stint in SA and they are doing their thing in the musical circles minus Vinnie King aka Ricco has left the group to try and establish himself as a solo artist. Upperklass, the foursome with gave us the hit track Shagga Mandela which seems to be doing relatively well on the radio and is on heavy rotation were also billed to perform. Megatronz, Rags To Swag, II Duce, Burning Bush, Last Tribe and few other notable artists we also tipped to bless the mic. Unfortunately this was not the case.

Even though there were many challenges on the night it was not all doom and gloom. There were definitely some positive things that took place on the night. For instance the show was very well organized on the modelling end, models were well dressed and presented. The turnout was very good. People definitely came out to support the ladies and artists. The stage and set up was very nicely done. There was no in-crowd fighting and bickering. Judges had a hard time choosing who was the best model on the night but in the end they managed to pull it off and balance their votes.

It seems politics once again reared its ugly head with regards to performance slots and stage time. Most of the local acts (by local I mean Byo and surrounding area) did not get a chance to showcase their skills and appease their fans. Only the main or should I say big acts like Takura, Boom Beto and NUST students (who happen to be artists) got an opportunity to perform. I can understand Takura performing since he had travelled all the way from H-town and since was being considered to be the main or headlining act and the NUST Students since they are part of the establishment but performance slots and time should be based upon merit. Local Artists need such platforms to help build their fan base and garner support. If they are going to be side-lined every time then we need to seriously look into addressing this problem. I know for certain Takura and Boom Beto got paid for their performance but the local artist where either given transport money and told they are getting exposure and that they should not complain and that they must be happy to be there. This old line is slowly but surely getting played out and our local artists are really getting a raw deal.

How do we expect the music scene and industry to grow this side of the country when our “local heroes” never get a chance to shine. This incident at NUST is just a drop in the ocean and this happens on a regular basis. I long for the day when more of the local and upcoming artists headline events in, around and outside of the country and we stop importing talent but instead promote local talent. Name calling and pointing fingers will not solve the problems but engaging one another and coming up with realistic and practical solutions is the only way we will all win. Until next time Sithi Salute and God Bless!

I will be entirely honest and say Zimbos sure have come a long way when it comes to music videos. Now days you see a music video on TV and think nothing of it, but trust me when it comes to music videos there are a lot of things involved from planning, shooting, editing, props, concepts, extras, re-takes, cuts, crew, equipment, cast, locations, styling, effects and so on. The list is endless. In 1995 if I am not mistaken The King of Pop Michael Jackson spent an estimated $7 million dollars (yes US dollars) on his music video entitled “Scream”. I guess to the King of Pop it was money well spent but nowadays no one spends that kind of money on videos. Worse for Zimbos it’s simply a non-starter. A music video can be seen as an investment but at the end of the day it’s all about exposure. You don’t really make any money off videos. Hell I am not sure if any TV channel actually pays to you to play your music video on their channel maybe one or two but I doubt. The music industry has not evolved and progressed to that stage maybe one day it will.

Anyway back to the Michael Jackson Video, so the video was premiered on MTV and the world watched it and that was that I am sure the King of Pop got a few endorsement deals and solidified his status as the king but like I said that was that. A couple of years later David Bowie shot a video for his track entitled “Love is Lost” and it cost him a couple of bucks. Once again the world watched it and that was that. I hope you get the point I am making. Music videos have become more and more important whether it’s all about exposure or making a statement or solidifying your position in the industry they are an integral part of any musical career. Human beings are visual creatures and we all know the saying a picture is worth a thousand words.

The relevance of music videos is hard to quantify but we all know YouTube. YouTube is the number one music streaming site and if you do not have a YouTube channel or if your videos are not on YouTube then it simply means you are not serious and you are yet to get out of the blocks and into the race. VEVO is also another popular music video streaming service but YouTube seems to be the popular one amongst Zimbos. Music videos have influenced the way we dress, walk, talk and act over the past few decades and they will continue to do so for many years.

So the million dollar question is how do we make the most out of a music video so that we gain maximize marketing power? Uploading your video on YouTube and sharing the link on WhatsApp or Facebook is simply not enough. There are several things that one must take into consideration in order to get the most views and have a lasting impact on his or her audience. These include but are not limited to:

Ø  Music Video Targets

Ø  Premieres

Ø  YouTube Optimization

Ø  VEVO

Ø  Blog Promotion

Ø  Video Distribution Networks

Ø  Additional Video Content

Ø  Music Video Promotion Services

A lot can be said about these points but that is whole another article in itself.

I know there are a few well known and established names when it comes to videos and video production and there are some who are not well known and are still trying to find their way in this place we call Dzimba dzemabwe. Ill mention a few, we have Creative Pot, Cutta Films, Lesra Films, Blaqs, Backlight Pictures, Studio Art Pictures (SAP), Pink Unicorn, Artline Films, Mkhonto Productions and so on. Its seems music videos is relatively big business as more and more artists are now seeing the importance of having one and not just having some low budget video but something that can compete with international videos. I know on average some of the music production stables charge 500 to 1000 bucks per video and this not cheap when you come to think of it especially when a loaf of bread costs $1.00 per loaf and studio time ranges from 15 bucks to 50 bucks per session. Most artists cannot afford to shoot such videos but there are other companies that charge much less and are much more affordable like $80 to $150 bucks per video. Some of these music stables even go on to promise if you shoot a video with them they can almost guarantee it will be played on Channel O’s and them. I don’t know how true this is but I guess we will have to put this to the test one day.

Nowadays the video has to be HD and in some cases 4k to even be considered to be aired on some TV channels but that is a story for another day. I know just across the border there are some production houses who charge no less than R55 000 for the entry level video. The projected budget for the video will relate to the concept, treatment and expectation behind it. In the past music videos where shot using an iPhone or iPad since the cameras on these devices is very good and crystal clear but now everyone has a HD camera. In some instance drones are also hired out to give the video that overhead visual and feel.

Getting your video aired on ZBC also seems to be a tedious task when it really should be straight forward. You would think with the promise of these new and improved TV channels that they would be clamouring for our music videos but that doesn’t seem to be the case. The same goes for MTV Base, Channel O and Trace TV. A few Zim artists have managed to meet the requirements and get their videos aired on Zambezi Magic and the like but in this day and age of digitization and all these competitors vying for the consumer’s attention he with quality content becomes king. As they used to say during Prof Moyo’s reign of 100 percent local “Rambai Makashinga” and keep on keeping on!” One day we will get there. The more we do the better we become that is the 10, 000 hour rule. Until next time sithi Salute!