No Mukoko without me : Tytan

Bruce Ndlovu
Most fans would be forgiven for thinking that the smash hit song Mukoko, is an anthem straight out of the vaults of fast rising songbird Ammara Brown.

Ammara, who sang the songa��s infectious and catchy chorus, is dominant on the song and video as her voice and looks seem to point to an artiste on the cusp of superstardom, especially as it follows the award winning success of the Jah Prayzah-assisted Kure.

However, despite not being as popular as her counterpart on the song, the brains behind the song is Njabulo a�?Tytana�? Nkomo, a self-described a�?Ndebele Rappera�? and artiste brand manager who was born and bred in the capital.

As a brand manager, Tytan has been the force behind the scenes powering the rise of Cynthia Mare.

Now with his own career seemingly also on the path to stardom with the viral hit Mukoko, Tytan is at pains to emphasise that without his input, Mukoko would not have seen the light of day.

a�?What people dona��t realise is that Mukoko would not exist without me and not the other way round. It was a collaborative effort but unfortunately we have bred the culture that if a person is working with a more famous artiste then that person is the one that is being featured on the song when that is not the case,a�? he said.

Tytan, who says he is equally at home whether singing or rapping, said that the video had also helped to put things in a better perspective. By Tuesday this week the viral video was sitting on 120 000 views on YouTube.

a�?It was important to make the video because people pay more attention to visuals. Now wherever the video goes around the world my name also goes with it. At the end of the day I stand to gain a lot because I get 80 percent of the royalties. I was the executive producer and no one can take that away,a�? he said.

Tytan, who did his primary school education in Waterfalls before progressing to Nyanga High and Kutama College, said shooting the video in Mbare might have also contributed to its runaway success.

a�?Sometimes we complicate these videos based on love songs and end up taking them away from the people,a�? he said.

Tytan, who has a background in IT and quit his job as a Network Programmer at ZB Bank to pursue his dream of being a household musician, also said that the music industry was not for the faint hearted as it required sacrifice. He added that making the decision to quit his own job had petrified him and his family at first.

a�?It was a very scary in the beginning. Ita��s very comfortable to get a salary at the end of the month because no matter what happens you get your money unlike in the music industry where things are turbulent.

a�?However, I also didna��t want to be like our parents who had to hustle to put food on the table. Because no matter what they did they still had to hustle to make ends meet. Even with an assured salary. I would rather suffer now and enjoy later than watch the opposite happen,a�? he said.