Whats in a name? DIMITRI & THE SCARECROW

At first glance, the name suggests a collective when in fact it represents a metaphor. Dimitri is the narrator of all things Scarecrow and the Scarecrow being the inanimate being brought to life by the tatters of injustice in which he finds himself. 

By EARGROUND

The Zimbabwean Hip-Hop musical concept created by Dimitri D. Kwenda (Rapper, Songwriter, Producer, Poet, and Singer) migrating through different cities in Africa. It is the juxtaposition of African Suburbia and it’s Scarecrow – The faceless bodies which are the fodder of human iniquity.

With an introspective vulnerability applied in the approach toward avarice, lust, pride, ignorance, flippancy and lies, Dimitri & The Scarecrow churns out perspectives based on observation and analysis. The concept born in 2008 is shadowed by years of exposure to Hip-Hop Culture from the age of 10 thanks to a primary school friend. 

Dimitri & The Scarecrow has been active on the African Hip-Hop scene since 2012 having its beginning at the now-closed Book Cafe in Harare. Dimitri & The Scarecrow has since released two 7 track EPs and a couple of singles with major performance credits/appearances at The Afrikan Hip-Hop Caravan, Grahams Town Counter Festival, Harare International Festival of The Arts, Shoko Festival and intimate venues in Dublin, Kampala & Cape Town.

Dimitri has just dropped new visuals titled I’ve got. The charged and loaded package reflects on the political landscape in the country.

In the new video, Dimitri & The Scarecrow blatantly embrace criticism of the political landscape of Africa. From a despondent resignation to engage with an immediate consequence, poetry is an attempt to capture the human feeling in an oppressive climate. Those who speak up are targeted with ruthless inhumane brutality that often, people recede into a quiet murmur of disgruntlement.

Dimitri spirals into an entrancing mantra which is an awakening of the buried sentiment of the Scarecrow (a symbol/metaphor for the layman) and conjures an articulate verse of lyrical and cynical satire. Confronting state-imposed fear by mocking the “old horse” whose lack of vitality has left him a cold and hardened tyrant as opposed to being the
Pan-African idealist he once was. Considering the rhythmic sense of time signature and syncopated rhyme patterns, this verse is a divisive means to separate or ironically segregate generations.

The youth are often viewed as more frivolous than sensible and the elders as wise and a sturdy hand to guide the future. So why are they firing bullets at concerned citizens, brutalizing them with police violence or blatantly killing them mercilessly?!

The second verse then alludes to the elders, in fact, being leaches with far more insidious agendas but remember, speaking up may just lead to one’s demise.

The superfluous nature of the chorus alludes to how the dream has withered into these intangible ideals to which one fails to attach reality. SO, can a young brother just live with a lot to give? Intimate War did pose the question: “Why must I die for ideals to live?!”