admin
Sydney Kawadza
There are some artistes who dominated the music industry but then disappeared and so are fortunate when they re-emerge and the public is interested. A colleague, Henry Makiwa of the United Kingdom-based The People’s Hub, has announced the resurrection of Shingirayi Sabeta known in Zimbabwe’s hip-hop scene as Mau Mau.
Describing Shingirayi’s latest single “Ndamutswa” as explosive, The People’s Hub could have drawn attention to the single expecting some controversial and hard-hitting from the lyricist.
According to Makiwa, Shingirayi is a “pioneer on the Zimbabwe rap landscape . . . famed for his mid-90s hits ‘Blackness’ with the late afro-pop star Prince Tendai, his debut self-entitled single ‘Mau Mau’ and the classic 2002 debut album, ‘M’fecane’.
He further describes “Ndamutswa” as a song with “a raw and bubbly Southern- esque beat fused with sungura and rock guitar riffs, courtesy of producer Xander”. This definitely was not enough for someone who rocked the airwaves around 1996-7 before he went literally “down”.
Many stories hit the hip-hop scene when Shingirayi took his sabbatical to concentrate on some other business. He is into marketing and advertising as a profession. And the artiste who now prefers to be known by his real name visited The Herald to discuss his latest offering “Ndamutswa”.
“The song is part of an album I am working on but it is basically a testimony to what I have gone through in the past 10 to 13 years. It is sort of a resurrection for reverting to my birth name.
“It also signifies my switching from Mau Mau to my birth name Shingirayi. Your name carries a lot and personally it is all about the perseverance that I went through in life and it is not a coincidence that I have that name.
“Most of my songs are personal but the latest project is different from what I used to produce since I am now a born-again Christian. The song ‘Ndamutswa’, loosely translated, means ‘resurrection’.”
The lyrics: Mau Mau zvakanzi afa, akafa asi’ akamutswa; Pa game ye’Life ndangandadzva; maihwe ndangandatsva; Satani angaandinyudza; mesoanguabatwa; Semombe ayinditinha – sembongoro kunditasva; Akandinyengetedza, chose chandada-ayindipa; Zvinhu zvose zvenyika, life ichindisparka; Mbatyadzakanakaaa – German vuzhi ndakaparka, hold special thoughts for the artiste whose previous songs were full of vile and swear words.
Hip-hop the world over is associated with violence but Shingirayi believes he is about to change that as a Christian.
“I am now a born again. My life and direction has changed and I am now targeting a new audience as I go back on the market with what I have experienced in life. It’s sort of a resurrection, a testimony chronicling the different aspects of my life. A project that would give testimony to my life. I am not interested in fame and people may be surprised by the changes but my music has been personal.
“I express my feeling and in this song I am talking of the period I lost my father, my grandmother and my uncle.”
Shingirayi believes that his life was in auto-drive without any direction.
“Losing people who were close to me was a lesson in itself. I lost my father who was my role model and his death thrust me into the wilderness and I survived by God’s grace.
“Whether I was not aware or not I learnt to humble myself before the Lord hence my decision to go into gospel music with a hip-hop tip.”
He, however, believes that nothing much has changed from his music except for the message.
“I believe in radical Christianity, that is, I will still remain bold. I will not be shy to serve God. People will judge me but even if the music has changed, it still carries the same values that are provocative to make people realize what is there for them to appreciate.
“I am not a party singer and I want to stay honesty, real and being true to myself,” the hip hop artist who attends the Renewal Fellowship Church in Harare said.
Shingirayi who was holed up in South Africa believes the hip-hop scene in Zimbabwe has failed to scale the heights reached by their counterparts in South Africa or the United States of America.
“The environment is not conducive for one to earn a living through hip-hop music and it is difficult to choose music as a career but we are always hopeful that it would pay the rent at the end of the day.
He bemoaned the small hip hop fan base in Zimbabwe.
Most of our followers are youths who do not have the disposable to buy hip hop music or attend our shows. We have also failed to grow like our counterparts in dancehall music who have lined up live bands and that is greatly appreciated. We are guilty and there is great need to work hard as artists to give the people quality entertainment.”
The single features upcoming female rapper Alvina while Xandr was the producer.
Shingirayi has also worked with other artists such as Pastor G, FTR and TakeFizzo on the upcoming album.
Online Reporter