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CONTROVERSIAL Bulawayo-based kwaito/hip hop musician, Lwazilwenkosi “Mcheznana” Skuza, has released three singles, which are part of his forth coming album titled, Misunderstood.In an interview, Mcheznana said he is using a marketing strategy different from many artistes and will be releasing three more singles from the album next year.
“What is the point of releasing a 10-track album, yet only one song will be played on air and waste nine good tracks? I will rather release three singles at a time, so that they all get a better chance on radio and afterwards release the other songs,” he said.
Mcheznana said he chose the name Mcheznana, which means a young genius who is good at his music.
“It is a disappointment that many people think that talent is only in Harare, because we have good talented musicians here and I am one of them. I am not boasting, but my ghetto fans can tell you that and they have told me,” he said.
Born 25 years ago, he is nephew to one of the best talents to emerge from the Matabeleland region, Solomon Skuza.
His first album a 10-track album, titled Off Topic, was released in 2008 and featured hit track Yokozuna, which topped the charts for three months.
In 2010, he released, Premier League and six tracks among them One Zimbabwe which became an anthem in Bulawayo, but did not receive any airplay on radio stations, as it was perceived as a tribal song.
Mcheznana said his second album, Premier League was a signal he was ready to match the best on the music scene. The six-track album addressed social issues in a comical and humorous way.
“I do not know why my song was banned, let alone the whole album. If they had banned one song, the other songs should have been played. It was wrong to assume the song was tribal because the song spoke of oneness and encouraged people to unite since we are one Zimbabwe,” said Mcheznana.
Premier League had songs such as Stereki, which urged people to desist from discriminating against albinos. He said the singles that have been released now are AmaDemon, KuWrong and Ingilosi and are available online where they have been well received.
“The album Misunderstood focuses on the negative things that happened to my music when it got banned. I am trying to show my fans that I was misunderstood, by some people who wanted to see my downfall and banned my music from air. Luckily I had a contract with Ingwe Studio and they protected me and helped me reach where I am today,” said Mcheznana.
The song KuWrong, takes a critical look at the levels people are reaching in order to get famous and seeks to remind people that what they are doing is wrong.
“We now have people shooting sex tapes and others doing shows where they insert bottles in places difficult to name. What these people are doing is so wrong. We are not Americans, we are Zimbabweans,” he said.
He called on local promoters, as well as the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe and Bulawayo Musicians Associations to wake up from their sleep and represent Bulawayo for the benefit of artistes.
“If you go to Harare, it is hard to get gigs, but here we allow shows to be held where six Harare artistes will come to Bulawayo and hold a gig with only one local artiste. The National Arts Council and Bulawayo Musicians Association should do something,” he said.
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