Holy Ten charms Nasty C

Langalakhe Mabena

EMINENT South African rapper Nasty C’s “Lift as you rise” project has landed Zimbabwe-born rapper Mukudzeyi Chidzama otherwise known as Holy Ten in the music circles a collaboration with the South African.

The project which aims at unearthing and breaking new ground for talented young African rappers gave birth to a promising hit single titled Come Outside.

The single also features another South African rapper Tellaman, completing the three-man collabo.

Holy Ten who is currently based in Turkey pursuing a degree in Law, revealed that the collaboration has opened many doors for him in the African Hip Hop scene.

“After being given a beat by the Red Bull music studio which is the one pushing Nasty C’s Lift as you rise project, I became one of the top rappers who pulled well and connected with the beat they gave me. This then led to my collaboration with Nasty C and Tellaman on the song Come Outside.

“The collaboration has opened many doors for me in Zimbabwe and around Africa as it announced my arrival. In Zimbabwe, I have managed to work with comedian Comic Pastor on a music video called Kante which is going to be released soon. I am also doing a collaboration with South African rapper A-Reece on a single which will be out in June,” said Holy Ten.

However, the 20-year-old rapper admitted that his music is not going to have an impact locally as most hip-hop fanatics prefer vernacular rap more than English rap, something he said was the reason why Zimbabwean rappers were not competitive on the African scene.

“If you realise I am doing projects with South African artistes because English hip-hop is much appreciated that side and people buy music, unlike in Zimbabwe where I have to struggle to be known as an English rapper.

“The mentality of fans supporting vernacular rappers has caused the Zim hip-hop industry to be weak as it can’t meet the global standards of the genre,” said Holy Ten.

The “Lift as you rise” project is a Nasty C initiative in collaboration with Red Bull Music and Tall Racks Records where they discover talented hip-hop artistes and give them wings through unpaid collaborations.

Those who impress the initiators of the project will be given a platform to do a song with artistes including Nasty C himself, Tellaman, Gemini Major, Rowlene, Lastee and Zino D.