The new face of hip-hop

anticipated new album entitled “Rap Resurrection”.

The upcoming rapper has a story to tell and his eight-track album title says it all.

“I believe hip-hop is not all about gangsters, swearing and rebellion. The true meaning of hip-hop has been distorted by artistes like Lil Wayne,” said the young rapper.

Timz Carter is indeed no ordinary rapper and he does not have an “edit” button. Like many artistes in hip-hop, he looks up to internationally acclaimed rapper Dwaine Carter (Lil Wayne) although he is also his biggest critic.

“Rap can be used to spread positive and clean messages that can change and transform people’s lives. Just like my kind of music, it is pure hip-hop which strives to influence other kids to lead positive clean lifestyles.

“Back in the days, Wizzy used to make really cool music and with deep meaning and that time I became his biggest fan. These days, the content of his music is all about swearing and sexually explicit stuff although his style is both creative and good,” he said.

In his latest album Timz Carter with spectacular flows, deep lyrics, aspires to resurrect hip-hop and give it its true meaning.

Born 17 years ago, the lad is the third born in a family of four. Music has been his love since he was doing his primary education at Chirodzo in Mbare. By the time he was in Grade Seven, he was not exploiting his musical prowess in the school’s percussion band but was already writing songs.

“I wrote music for the fun of it and my sister Cleopatra, who is now 16, would sing them. It was in Form One that I started writing for myself but I would put them on the side. This particular album, however, is a product that I started working on while I was in Form Three. It was released in February this year,” he said.

The teen spoke on the “Rap Resurrection” that he has taken to local radio stations including Star FM. He highlighted that once given airplay, the album will make waves as it is loaded with real-life stories that local people can relate to.

“The album is loaded with hit songs like ‘My Life’ that I wrote basing on my life experiences. I keep it real and talk about my life as it is so people are bound to relate to them,” he said.

Other outstanding tracks on the album include “Mic Pass”, “Summer Time” and “Street Party”. True to the teen’s declaration, the songs are a constant hit. His hip-hop style is one of a kind and he is bound to go far. Unlike many local rappers, he has made an effort to keep in touch with his local roots.

He spoke of his collaborations with local acts that have put their golden touch on his songs. Mbare-based Boss and Tash appear on “My Life”, Crack features on “Street Party”, XT is also featured on the song, “Mic Pass”.

“I seek the services of up and coming artistes to give life to some of the songs. I have local acts that I admire and these include Junior Brown and MC Chita. I hope to collaborate with them in the future,” he said.

Timz Carter’s album, which was produced at Iton Music Company, unfortunately does not have follow up videos. He is already working on incorporating local beats to his music before his sponsor, William Gondo finances his videos.

Besides music, Timz Carter is studying for his O-Levels at Tynwald. He wishes to pursue his education and work towards being a lawyer.

“I get support from my father who also helps to finance my music. Although he encourages me to follow my dreams, he wants me to have a profession to fall back on,” he said.

There is definitely no stopping for Mr Carter. According to him, the few who have heard the latest offering think so too. It is only a matter of time before his name is in lights.