Online Reporter
Langalakhe Mabena, Zimpapers Arts and Entertainment Hub
HIP Hop heads in Bulawayo are not happy.
They feel disrespected by the organisers of the Bulawayo Arts Awards (BAA), after creatives who are not doing Rap music were nominated under the Outstanding Hip Hop Act.
Those nominated and deserving to be in the category are Mlue Jay, Noluntu J and Boy Nino because they are strictly Hip Hop.
According to the sound she is pushing, nominee Lushi Shiki can be categorised as an Afro Pop artiste.
Considering the work he put in this year, Hip Hop heads believe that another nominee Tee X Tekie doesn’t deserve to be amongst nominees in the category, as he only released YouTube “skits”, which can’t be viewed as Hip Hop, despite his prowess in rhyme and flow.
Multi-award-winning rapper Asaph Africa, who boasts of three BAAs in the Outstanding Hip Hop category, had a lot of questions surrounding the Rap gong itself, as he questions the selection criteria used.
“I feel I am in a unique position of being both an artiste and a platformer through my work in artiste development with Kwela Initiative and my role hosting the Hip Hop show at a local radio station every Friday.
“In a lot of ways I’ve come to see myself as a custodian of Hip Hop culture, which is why I feel the need to share a few thoughts on this award because I feel like a few things need to be looked at carefully.
“What happened to calling the gong The Calvin Mgcini Nhliziyo Outstanding Hip Hop Award? That has to be fixed because Dat Luveve Boy is a pillar of Bulawayo Hip Hop and his name deserves to remain tied to that legacy,” he said.
Asaph said his sentiments are not coming from a jealousy perspective, but he is raising questions for the integrity of the genre and for the countless artistes who are making pure Hip Hop music in this city.
Controversial Hip Hop fanatic and blogger Langa Ndimande said there are way more Hip Hop artistes who are doing well with great numbers who deserved to have been nominated, like Briza who has 27 000 views on his song, Insimbi ZeKasi.
“To me, it doesn’t make sense that deserving creatives were not nominated, yet, someone doing Afro Pop with less than a thousand views on their single made the cut. Something has to be done because this is a disgrace to Hip Hop,” said Ndimande.
One of the organisers of the BAAs, Nkululeko Nkala, said they play according to the rules of the game.
“Hip hop is a huge part of the city’s culture, which is why we have it at the BAAs. May the genre live long. Every time before hosting these awards, we extend a call to submit their work, because those who do, have a possibility of being nominated,” said Nkala.
