Our #MCM is King Isaac, born Isaac Gabriel Kalumbu, is a 2010 Grammy nominated Zimbabwean reggae and afro-jazz singer, songwriter, and professor of ethnomusicology. He is based in the United States, but his music carries the vibrant sounds and social commentary of his homeland.
King Isaac recently released the single “Usatore Mutoriro,” which bemoans the rampant use of drugs especially amongst the youth.
King Isaac was born Isaac Gabriel Kalumbu in the high-density suburb of Mufakose, in Harare, [Zimbabwe] in 1965.
His family moved to Gweru when he was six years old. He started writing poems at the age of 14. At about the same time, the censorship of reggae was lifted in Zimbabwe when the nation attained independence in 1980. Subsequent visits to Zimbabwe by reggae stars such as Bob Marley, Jimmy Cliff, Gregory Isaacs and Dennis Brown helped to fuel King Isaac’s love for reggae music.
He has explained that “At around that time, Bob Marley came to Zimbabwe, and he was followed by many other reggae acts including Jimmy Cliff, Gregory Isaacs, Aswad, UB40, Dennis Brown, Culture, I Jah Man, Eric Donaldson, Don Carlos and many others. Reggae was the in-thing when I was young and impressionable. Singers like Peter Tosh, Sugar Minott, and Bunny Wailer were played on the radio. We heard the best reggae, so it was natural to be drawn to this ‘new’ music.”
The young poet soon turned to writing lyrics for songs, and by the mid to late 1980’s, he was singing in local reggae bands. In 1986 he recorded his first song, “Simuka,” a reggae piece about the liberation struggle in South Africa. At the same time he was studying at the University of Zimbabwe and in 1987, earned a bachelor’s degree in Economic History and History. In January 1991, King Isaac left Zimbabwe to study at [Indiana University] in Bloomington, USA.
Although he was interested in an academic career, King Isaac also knew that a move to the USA would bring him closer to Jamaica and to the reggae world at large.
Upon arrival in the US, he immediately formed a reggae band named Zimbeggae (Zimbabwe + reggae). The group performed in many venues in Indiana, focusing on both original and cover material, and King Isaac wrote and recorded several more original songs. Later, in 1993, he received an MA in ethnomusicology from Indiana University. In 1997 he was appointed to the faculty at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan. His continuing graduate education culminated in his earning a Ph.D. in Folklore/Ethnomusicology in 1999 from Indiana University. In the meantime, King Isaac reached a milestone in his singing career when reggae music promoter Gwen Clemens introduced him to Leroy Sibbles, for whom he opened up shows in 1998 in Detroit, Michigan, USA. That same year he embarked on his first pilgrimage to reggae’s Mecca, Kingston, Jamaica to make his first recordings there, thus fulfilling a long-held dream. Since then, King Isaac has visited Jamaica at least once a year
King Isaac released his seventh album entitled Makuwerere (King Isaac’s Coat of Many Colours) in 2019, which reflects on his musical journey. Recorded in three countries – Jamaica, USA and Zimbabwe – King Isaac’s offering is also a celebration of the singer/crooner’s achievements as a musician, pastor and mentor. Leroy Sibbles, as well as Zimbabwean music producer, composer, and multi-instrumentalist Mono Mukundu and King Isaac are the three producers behind this project.
Early in 2021, King Isaac released two singles. The first one, ‘Mugore Wangye’, is an afrobeat tune that blends Kinyarwanda, Swahili, Shona, Ndebele/Zulu, and English. The video for the song was shot in Uganda. The second single,”Ida Inini”, is a collaboration with veteran Zimbabwean dancehall chanter, Edwin ‘Potato’ Mbatatisi. Later that year, he released the single and video, ‘Chimhandara/Partner for Life.” Both ‘Chimhandara/Partner for Life” and ‘Mugore Wangye’ featured on the Classic 263 End of Year Top 50 charts for 2021, coming in at 44 and 26 respectively.
In 2022, King Isaac released three singles: “The Score”, a January release on which he collaborated with Jamaican chanter Chaka Demus, and was produced by Leroy Sibbles;’Uye Uye’, a love song released on Valentine’s Day; and “Rova Ngoma”, a Jiti song released in October. On that year’s Classic 263 End of Year Top 50 Chart, three songs from King Isaac charted. “The Score” came first on the annual chart, while “Uye Uye” was number four.In addition, “Chimhandara/Partner for Life”, which had been released and also charted the previous year, came in at number 35. With three songs, King Isaac had the most songs on the year-end chart.
In February 2023, King Isaac released his eight studio album, ‘Love Talk’, with previously released singles “The Score” and “Uye Uye” among the 12 album songs. In July 2023, King Isaac released the anti-drug anthem and video ‘Usatore Mutoriro.’
