 | This article needs additional citations for verification .(August 2024) |
| Zimbabwean hip hop | |
|---|---|
| Stylistic origins | Hip hop |
| Cultural origins | Early 1980s, Zimbabwe |
| Fusion genres | |
| Mbira Dze hip hop | |
| Regional scenes | |
| |
| Local scenes | |
| Emganwini | |
| Other topics | |
| Roil Bulawayo Arts Awards | |
Zimbabwean hip hop is a variety of hip hop music that is popular in Zimbabwe. It emerged in the early 1990s. Prominent artists include Holy Ten, Tehn Diamond, and T3rry Tempo. [1]
After 10 years of independence, hip hop hit the streets of Zimbabwe. The youth of Zimbabwe embraced it. The earliest recordings were mostly on vinyl and tapes. The low income earners could not afford high quality equipment. The mainstream acts of the time were Piece of Ebony, Fortune Muparutsa [with rap verses on songs like "Rumors" (1991)], and Midnight Magic with songs like "Blackness" featuring Mau Mau. Since most vinyl records and cassette tapes are no longer playable, Zimbabwe lost much of its earlier catalog, from which later generations could have drawn inspiration.
This also limits the opportunities to sample from predecessors. During the 3rd and 4th quarter of this period, initiative and leadership influence of Innocent Tshuma (then known as the Millennium Man), saw the youths developing the genre. The lifestyle and culture began to adopt American Hip hop trends, leaning less on the stagnant local Mbira Hip hop - exported globally by groups like Zimbabwe Legit, hip hop remained universal to other genres such as Museve, Reggae, Kwaito, Jazz, Choral, Sungura, Maskandi and South African mouse music. In 2016, rappers like Takura gathered a following. Becoming one of the first to be recognized during stiff competition with Zimdancehall.
Since 2001 rappers and project managers have branched out to form their own brands, record labels, and radio stations. The need for the voice drove their grip on the industry and diluted their power in distribution, influence, airplay, and the ability to predict the next big rapper. Rappers began selling CDs in the streets, the value of a rapper in Zimbabwe was the same as a good laugh joke. Events witnessed projects such as Mashoko and the circle in Harare uplifting and popularizing hip hop rappers and emcees. Other rappers implemented politics into their music design and started movements such as House of Hunger.
Mashoko became a success to a once-a-month festival known as Shoko Fest, which included international acts like Akala, among others who have staged in Zimbabwe. Many Zimbabwean emcees perform at these events, ongoing since 2010. The same year, the Zim Hip Hop Awards began.
With developments to the Havard Project Manager, rappers have used online platforms to adopt digital distribution channels such as Distrokid and Amazon Music. Music videos and promotional Content are now used to secure commissions. Prolific artists are now hiring or being approached by private sector to handle their affairs in a more professional manner.
Hip hop's use of high tech equipment, kept it fresh and relevant, re-birthed with each technological advancement like the Harvard Project Manager. America continued to exert the greatest influence. Many local acts use the same flow and drum kits used by their favorite American rappers and hip hop Producers.
A few acts are now moving away from the influence of American hip hop, branding themselves as kings, queens and faces of the generation. Some have resorted to remakes and remixes of old hit tracks, whereas others emphasize sampling traditional or folk songs and collaborating with each other rappers and more established names from other genres. New acts have seen a wide use of traditional languages like (Shona and Ndebele), among 16 more Spoken languages in Zimbabwe and incorporate native instruments such as Mbira, Marimba, traditional drums or Hosho (shaker) which makes the new era sound named Amapiano, with leading acts like Shumayela. [2] from the Amapiano Capital Movement in Bulawayo to celebrate local music, While RnB star Kyla Blac [3] and Boy Nino [4] proved that influencing, inspiring, or impressing International musicians is possible as their tracks were sampled or recognized by South African rapper Emtee, supporting the argument to establish distinct identities.
Radio has boosted the genre, in part by broadcasting and implementing podcasts and shows to promote local content. Radio catalogs and podcasts are now a vital source of entertainment for the generation Z who connect with the genre. Apart from airplay, some radio stations have segments dedicated to the genre.
A few shows dedicated to hip hop on Zimbabwe's local broadcaster.
Blogs are predominantly the drivers of Zimbabwean hip hop. One of the most influential writers was the late Donald "Dodger" Marindire whose work documented the culture for the past decade, inspiring many artists.
Major platforms include:
Rapping is an artistic form of vocal delivery and emotive expression that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and [commonly] street vernacular". It is usually performed over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The components of rap include "content", "flow", and "delivery". Rap differs from spoken-word poetry in that it is usually performed off-time to musical accompaniment. It also differs from singing, which varies in pitch and does not always include words. Because they do not rely on pitch inflection, some rap artists may play with timbre or other vocal qualities. Rap is a primary ingredient of hip-hop music, and so commonly associated with the genre that it is sometimes called "rap music".
Hip hop music has been popular in Africa since the early 1980s due to widespread African American influence. In 1985, hip hop reached Senegal, a French-speaking country in West Africa. Some of the first Senegalese rappers were Munyaradzi Nhidza Lida, M.C. Solaar, and Positive Black Soul.
Jazz rap is a fusion of jazz and hip hop music, as well as an alternative hip hop subgenre, that developed in the late 1980s and early 1990s. AllMusic writes that the genre "was an attempt to fuse African-American music of the past with a newly dominant form of the present, paying tribute to and reinvigorating the former while expanding the horizons of the latter." The rhythm was rooted in hip hop over which were placed repetitive phrases of jazz instrumentation: trumpet, double bass, etc. Groups involved in the formation of jazz rap included A Tribe Called Quest, Digable Planets, De La Soul, Gang Starr, and Jungle Brothers.
Zimbabwean music is heavily reliant on the use of instruments such as the mbira, Ngoma drums and hosho. Their music symbolizes much more than a simple rhythm, as the folk and pop style styled music was used as a symbol of hope for Zimbabweans looking to gain independence from Rhodesia. Music has played a significant role in the history of Zimbabwe, from a vital role in the traditional Bira ceremony used to call on ancestral spirits, to protest songs during the struggle for independence. The community in Zimbabwe used music to voice their resistance to their oppression, as one of the only weapons they had available to fight back with. In the eighties, the Music of Zimbabwe was at the center of the African Music scene thanks to genres such as Sungura and Jit. However, several performers were banned by state TV and radio leading to the closing of several music venues.
Pinoy hip hop or Filipino hip-hop is a style of hip hop music performed by musicians of Filipino descent, especially Filipino-Americans.
UK rap, also known as British hip hop or UK hip hop, is a music genre and culture that covers a variety of styles of hip hop music made in the United Kingdom. It is generally classified as one of a number of styles of R&B/hip-hop. British hip hop can also be referred to as Brit-hop, a term coined and popularised mainly by British Vogue magazine and the BBC. British hip hop was originally influenced by the dub/toasting introduced to the United Kingdom by Jamaican migrants in the 1950s–70s, who eventually developed uniquely influenced rapping in order to match the rhythm of the ever-increasing pace and aggression of Jamaican-influenced dub in the UK. Toasting and soundsystem cultures were also influential in genres outside of hip hop that still included rapping – such as grime, jungle, and UK garage.
New Zealand hip hop derives from the wider hip hop cultural movement originating amongst African Americans in the United States. Like the parent movement, New Zealand hip hop consists of four parts: rapping, DJing, graffiti art and breakdancing. The first element of hip hop to reach New Zealand was breakdancing, which gained notoriety after the release of the 1979 movie The Warriors. The first hip hop hit single, "Rapper's Delight" by the Sugarhill Gang, became a hit in New Zealand when it was released there in 1980, a year after it was released in the United States. By the middle of the 1980s, breakdancing and graffiti art were established in urban areas like Wellington and Christchurch. By the early 1990s, hip hop became a part of mainstream New Zealand culture.
The Zulu people are a South African ethnic group. Many Zulu musicians have become a major part of South African music, creating a huge influence in the music industry. A number of Zulu-folk derived styles have become well known across South Africa and abroad. Zulu music has dominated many genres in South Africa, especially house music, folk music, acapella, choral music and gospel. In fact, some of the most popular songs from South Africa are in isiZulu.
Popular Hungarian hip hop is popular among the inner city/urban population in Hungary. Performers include a gangsta rap pioneer, Ganxsta Zolee, his local fellow Dopeman, L.L. Junior and Sub Bass Monster.
Celtic fusion is an umbrella term for any modern music which incorporates influences considered "Celtic", or Celtic music which incorporates modern music. It is a syncretic musical tradition which borrows freely from the perceived "Celtic" musical traditions of all the Celtic nations, as well as from all styles of popular music, it is thus sometimes associated with the Pan-Celtic movement. Celtic fusion may or may not include authentic traditional music from any one tradition under the Celtic umbrella, but its common characteristic is the inspiration by Celtic identity.
Kenyan hip hop is a genre of music and a culture that covers various forms and sub-genres of hip hop and rap originating from Kenya. It is most commonly a combination of Swahili and English as well as Sheng and a variety of tribal languages.
Hip hop production is the creation of hip hop music in a recording studio. While the term encompasses all aspects of hip hop music creation, including recording the rapping of an MC, a turntablist or DJ providing a beat, playing samples and "scratching" using record players and the creation of a rhythmic backing track, using a drum machine or sequencer, it is most commonly used to refer to recording the instrumental, non-lyrical and non-vocal aspects of hip hop.
Arabic hip-hop is a segment of hip hop music performed in the Arabic-speaking world. Due to variety of dialects and local genres which exist in the localities, Arabic hip-hop music may appear very diverse depending on the country of the song. Like most artists of the genre, the hip-hop artists from the Arabic-speaking world are highly influenced by American hip-hop.
European hip hop refers to hip hop music and culture originating from Europe. Emerging in the 1980s following the genre's popularity in the United States, European hip hop has evolved into a diverse and influential musical movement. It encompasses a wide range of styles and subgenres, reflecting the continent's varied cultural landscapes and the experiences of both ethnic nationals and immigrant communities. Notable regional scenes include British hip hop and grime, German hip hop featuring both ethnic German and Turkish artists, and French hip hop, which has undergone several distinct eras of development. Other countries such as the Netherlands, Italy, Poland, and Romania have also produced significant hip hop scenes, each with its own unique characteristics and prominent artists.
Pakistani hip hop is a music genre in Pakistan, influenced heavily from merging American hip hop style beats with Pakistani poetry. The genre was initially dominated in English and Punjabi, but in recent years has expanded to Urdu, Sindhi, Pashto, and Balochi.
Hip-hop or hip hop, formerly known as disco rap, is a genre of popular music, that emerged in the late 1960s and early 1970s primarily from African American, Afro-Latin, and Afro-Caribbean musical aesthetics practiced by youth in the South Bronx. Hip-hop music originated as an anti-drug and anti-violence social movement led by the Afrika Bambaataa and the Universal Zulu Nation. The genre is characterized by stylized rhythmic sounds—often built around disco grooves, electronic drum beats, and rapping, a percussive vocal delivery of rhymed poetic speech as consciousness-raising expression. The music developed as part of the broader hip-hop culture, a subculture defined by four key stylistic elements: MCing/rapping, DJing/scratching with turntables, breakdancing, and graffiti art or writing. Knowledge is sometimes described as a fifth element, underscoring its role in shaping the values and promoting empowerment and consciousness-raising through music. In 1999, emcee KRS-One, often referred to as "The Teacher," elaborated on this framework in a Harvard lecture, identifying additional elements that extend beyond the basic four. These include self-expression, street fashion, street language, street knowledge, and street entrepreneurialism, which remain integral to hip-hop's musical expression, entertainment business, and sound production. Girls’ double-dutch was also recognized as a key stylistic component of breakdancing, according to KRS. While often used to refer solely to rapping and rap music, "hip-hop" more properly denotes the practice(s) of the entire subculture. The term hip-hop music is sometimes used synonymously with the term rap music, though rapping may not be the focus of hip-hop music. The genre also centers DJing, turntablism, scratching, beatboxing, and instrumental tracks.
Tendai Ryan Nguni, better known by his stage name Tehn Diamond or Tehn, is a Zimbabwean rapper, singer, and songwriter. He is a member of the hip-hop collective Few Kings, with whom he has released one album. On January 1, 2017, Tehn Diamond made his debut in the music industry with the release of his first album A Few Good Poems. Later that year, he released the sequel to The Feeling Ain't Fair titled The Feeling Ain't Fair or #TFAF2, in collaboration with Jnr Brown and Take Fizzo. Diamond also starred in the movie Cook Off, Zimbabwe's first feature film to be released on Netflix.
Progressive rap is a broad subgenre of hip hop music that aims to progress the genre thematically with socially transformative ideas and musically with stylistic experimentation. Developing through the works of innovative US hip hop acts during the 1980s and 1990s, it has also been known at various points as conscious, underground, and alternative hip hop.
Gqom, gqom tech, sgubhu, 3-step or G.Q.O.M) is an African electronic dance music genre and subgenre of house music, that emerged in the early 2010s from Durban, South Africa, pioneered and innovated by music producers Naked Boyz, Rudeboyz, Sbucardo, Griffit Vigo, Nasty Boyz, DJ Lag, Menzi Shabane, Distruction Boyz and Citizen Boy.
Zim Hip Hop Awards also known as Zimbabwe Hip Hop Awards is an annual awards event created to recognise outstanding Zimbabwean hip hop artists in Zimbabwe as well as diaspora based hip hop artists. The awards are presented in December each year.
| Culture | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| History | |||||||||||||||
| Subgenres |
| ||||||||||||||
| Fusion genres |
| ||||||||||||||
| Derivatives |
| ||||||||||||||
| Regional scenes |
| ||||||||||||||
| Other topics | |||||||||||||||
