Online Reporter
Mbulelo Mpofu
BULAWAYO’S very own hip-hop king, Guluva Se7en, has just scored a major cultural win. His iconic banger “City of Kings” has been officially named the theme song for this year’s Bulawayo Arts Festival (Baf).
Guluva Se7en, real name Nkanyiso Moyo, didn’t see it coming.
“This song was an impromptu one. I had no idea what I was going to record when I walked into the studio. But the vibe hit hard, and we laid it down in one session,” he told Zimpapers Arts and Entertainment Hub.
Produced by the late Cal_Vin and composed by beat maestro Creed, “City of Kings” is a decade-old anthem lifted from Guluva’s breakthrough 2014 album Colour of Dreams. The track oozes Bulawayo pride, paying lyrical homage to the city’s royal roots and cultural soul.
Though released over ten years ago, the track still slaps hard, and now it’s set to echo across stages, streets, and speakers as Bulawayo gears up for its biggest arts celebration.
Guluva Se7en burst into the mainstream with Colour of Dreams, bagging the Best Newcomer award at the 2015 Zimbabwe Hip Hop Awards and landing multiple nominations. Since then, he’s rocked stages with the likes of Jeys Marabini, Madlela Skhobokhobo, Winky D, and even continental legends like Wizkid, Cassper Nyovest, and the late AKA.
“To have this song become the Baf anthem means everything. It’s more than music. It’s a tribute to the city that made me,” he said.
From freestyle vibes to festival spotlight, “City of Kings” has officially taken its throne. Bulawayo, your anthem has arrived.
Mathew Masinge