Chronicle Editor
Mbulelo Mpofu, Showbiz Reporter
ART is for entertainment, culture preservation, therapy, praise, and education, the latter being musician King Rodney’s weapon in rapper Scarrah’s latest song Lobhengula.
In legend, the last king of the Ndebele nation, Lobhengula is said to have disappeared into thin air, but his legacy has lived on and been brought to life by rappers Scarrah, King Rodney, Obbey Mwanakomana and Chuck The Lunatic.
King Rodney who lays claim to the title of greatest IsiNdebele rapper that Bulawayo has ever produced told Chronicle Showbiz that the song is full of praise and adoration for the Ndebele culture.
“Lobhengula is a song meant to remind people that we are Ndebele and proud. We are Nguni and proud. This is because most of the youth today have lost touch with their history, culture and tradition and that’s the reason why many are lost and misinformed about a lot of things. Our social and moral fabric has suffered because of that,” he said.
“It’s a song outlining the lineage of the Ndebele kingdom with the focal point being Lobhengula. We’re nothing without our history.”
The song that is on Scarrah’s debut EP, Insewula is enjoying rotation on local radio stations.
Asked on what he has in store for his fans this year, the IsiNdebele lyricist said: “The idea is to teach IsiNdebele in every song so as to preserve our language. More beautiful music with great artistes, both old and new, is on the way as we (Killemol) love to fuse new sounds. We’ll also be grooming new talent from our hood, Emganwini,” he said.
Together with Obby Mwanakomana, King Rodney has produced music that has shaken the hip-hop sector, ruffling feathers in a quest for change as the pair believe other rappers have been “whack” and the music production “mediocre”.
Killemol, as the duo is known, has carved a niche, talking smack along the way and challenging conventions within the local hip-hop sector. -@MbuleloMpofu
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