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Rumbidzai Mhlanga, Sunday Life Reporter
THERE is something that makes artistes who love hip-hop music want to merge it with maskandi, either in singing or in sound.
A Tsholotsho-based trio, Amaganyane has come up with a new music genre called the skandi hop, which is a fusion of maskandi music and hip-hop.
Mvuzokababa Sibanda, warmly-known as Hlakaza Nhlanzi who is the founder of the group, Mthabisi Mlilo known as Sokhohlo and Nhlanhla Mzizi revealed that skandi hop was not a new thing but a “recreation and recooking” of what has always been there.
“We are a year-old skandi hop crew that started making music together in April 2018. The name Amaganyane is derived from very intelligent and dangerous wild dogs that live and share everything together and reflects who we are as we dwell on the wild dog kind of living to persevere to this kind of music.
“The group was created when Mzizi and I paired in South Africa back in 2010 when we started off with English rap and our first group was known as K Dash. We later moved to vernacular rap then skandi hop that was a way of reserving our roots despite the trending kind of music. We took a chance to try something new that is still modern yet has our roots,” said Sibanda.
Amaganyane’s manager Clarence Garura related to this publication how the trio was formed.
“Music is art, after having realised that most artistes are doing hip-hop we decided to be identified with our deep African roots as we simultaneously appeal to the youthful generations thus we planned of fusing maskandi and hip-hop hence skandi hop was birthed.
“In our African culture it is a norm to thank our kings backdating to years immemorial and it was done through poetry complemented by music and in some way in a rapping manner so we are not lost, we are still doing our traditional music.
“We launched our first album in Tsholotsho last November at a very colourful event that was graced by the Minister of State for Matabeleland North, Hon Richard Moyo as the guest of honour. The second album was released on 22 June 2019 which is an Extended Play titled Itshitshi lami with four tracks and we are busy shooting videos for the same album.
Since we launched the first album we have toured Midlands, Matabeleland South and our home area Matabeleland North and people are receiving us well and we have performed during the national clean-up day in Tsholotsho and we have even composed a clean-up song called Inhlanzeko,” said Garura.
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