Mthabisi Tshuma, Showbiz Correspondent
THREE-TIME Zim Hip Hop Awards winner Indigo Saint (born Mzwakhiwe Ngwenya), through his composed lyrical power, has gotten the nod of American radio personality, executive producer and rapper, Sway Calloway and South African musician Slikour.
The rapper recently released a freestyle track titled 93 In Infinity (Freestyle) where he dropped bars simultaneously in a jargon way. It is these rap skills that have attracted internationally acclaimed artistes.
Sway, who is the host of SiriusXM’s Shade 45 daily morning show, retweeted a video link of the track while Slikour also joined in by saying the track “sounds dope”, a sign that the production is out of this world.
Listening to the track, one is amazed by how such fine talent continues to go unnoticed yet given the right platforms, it has the potential to raise the Zimbabwean flag high on international platforms.
Speaking to Chronicle Showbiz, Indigo Saints said it was an honour to be given the nod by high-profile hip-hop figures.
“The retweet from one of hip-hop’s leading authorities in the world feels great and encouraging. It’s really good to be noticed from such a small local hip-hop scene and something to cherish,” said Indigo Saint.
Commenting on the freestyle, Indigo Saint said it was produced by the Souls Of Mischief, an American hip-hop group.
“I recorded the freestyle at Tarryn Tala Studios and the video was shot by an up-and-coming videographer, Lulu Blakk, a young female from Bulawayo.”
Indigo Saint said his musical journey started in 2010 in Bulawayo before he went to Pretoria to study at the University of Pretoria. It was during his stay there that he got influenced by the Pretoria Hip Hop scene.
“Constantly being in such spaces nurtured and influenced my hip-hop style. Since 2012, I’ve been releasing new projects and I’ve managed to use my influence to bring up the underground talent in Bulawayo through Cottage #47.
This is a hub that focuses on the development of artistes by providing them with opportunities to record and perform at the Hub’s events (Cottage Fortnights & Cottage Fest),” he said.
Off music, Indigo Saint is an avid advocate for mental health awareness and is the founder and developer of “Xoxa”, Zimbabwe’s first free online counselling platform. — @mthabisi_mthire



