When we talk about Zimbabwean music, one of the most popular genres we will definitely talk about is Zimbabwean Hip Hop or just Zim Hip Hop which is embraced mostly by the youths.
Zim Hip Hop is a variety of Hip Hop that is popular in Zimbabwe, having emerged in the early 1990s in a period where Hip Hop was emerging globally. The mainstream acts of that time were Pierce of Ebony, Fortune Muparutsa and Midnight Magic, but most of their music was lost since most vinyls and cassettes are no longer playable.
Since 2001, many Zimbabwean artists and promoters started branching out to form their own brands, record labels anx radio stations, artists vegan selling their CDs in the streets. Shows such as Mashoko and the Circle at The Mannernburg in Harare helped popularize the genre.
Mashoko later developed into Shoko Festival, which included acts like Hired Gun(USA) and Akala, among others. Many Zim rappers perfomed at the festival ongoing since 2010, the same year Zim Hip Hop Awards began.
Since the beginning of the digital era, artists began putting their music to social networks such as YouTube and Music Clout. They started shooting their music videos with morden cameras and they started hiring video vixens to appear in their videos, some Urban Grooves musicians switched to hip hop like EXQ, Leornard Mapfumo, Mudiwa Hood among others.
Radio stations also helped the genre grow in part by broadcasting podcasts and segments dedicated to the genre such as School of Hip Hop and Zim Hip Hop Explosion, among a few. A few shows dedicated to the genre also broadcasted on television such as HipHop 263, Fresh Hip Hop ZW and HipHop ZW. Bloggers such as Zim Hip Hop Circles also helped the genre grow.
Over the years, the genre became popular even though it was shadowed by the ever popular Zimdancehall genre, new faces started to appear in the hip hop circles, new artists lik Takura, Trae Yung, MC Cheetah and Jnr Brown came with a bang. Right now Zim Hip Hop stands as one of the most popular music genres in Zimbabwe, if not the most popular. Over a hundred different faces from all parts of the nation.
The late Calvin from Bulawayo, Kikky Badass, Asaph, Holy Ten, Voltz JT, Natasha Muz, Holy Ten, Bagga we Ragga, Denim Woods, Young Gemini and Saintfloew are some of the artists making waves in Zim Hip Hop.
Some acts are now moving away from the influence of American Hip Hop, branding themselves as Kings and Queens of renown. Some have resorted to remakes and remixes of old tracks, whereas some are making more use of their traditional languages (Shona and Ndebele) and incorporate local instruments such as Mbira and Ngoma.
But the goal remains the same, to take Zim Hip Hop to the global stage, making it one of the best musical genres worldwide.
