1 «« MaSimba’s Freestyle

“ We know more American politics than we know African politics, We post more American Content than we post African Content. When America has new problems we rush to solve them “. Just wait a moment and read that again. It’s like he is digging in deep, his verses are stuffed with overlapping bars. This freestyle is mesmerized with truth and punchlines.

By Tafadzwa Gambiza

2 «« Maybe Tomorrow EP

Released June 26 last year. This is a 4 track EP, it has tracks like SUNRISE , MIDDAY which featured Darrel, SUNSET and MIDNIGHT. Some people might ask what flow is, Well In rap, flow is just that, a very smooth, relaxing to listen to ‘stream’ of lines. A good rap flow gently glides over the rap beat without interfering with how the other instruments in the song are flowing. If you still don’t understand listen to his EP project “ MAYBE TOMORROW “
https://audiomack.com/masimba_zw/album/maybe-tomorrow-ep

3 «« Street Lights

To really listen to what he was saying you need to plug in your earphones, you get to understand, each line of words is powerful. This 8 minute song was released in 2018 at a time when our friends in other countries would ask if we are safe. You will get to dive into his inbox zerø of his thoughts.
https://music.apple.com/zw/album/street-lights-single/1471576634

We got a chance to speak to Masimba ««

Q :: As an artist what’s your end goal ? What will make you say “ right this is it “ ?

In one word: growth. I just can’t be in the same place this time next year. And that goes for all aspects of my music. My writing process, my audience size, my collaborations, my visuals, all of it. I don’t put too much pressure on myself by demanding myself to get one specific thing. It’s me vs me. As long as there’s growth and I’m not the same person I was yesterday, I’m winning.

Q :: A staple of your bars is the ability to weave in self-deprecation and self-awareness. Where do you find the energy to get personal in your raps?

To be honest, writing already comes to me naturally. I feel like everyone has passions and songwriting is mine. And I’ve noticed the best songwriters are able to have resonating lyrics by being vulnerable and authentic. So I guess, that energy comes from studying people who do what I love, well. So Jon Bellion, J Cole, Frank Ocean, Dave, etc.

Q :: In Zimbabwe some people have said let’s drop the prefix ‘ZIM ‘ on Hip Hop and some say let’s keep it there it will make us stand out. What’s your take on this issue?

I used to think that it should be removed, but at the end of the day, Denimwoods and HolyTen have overlapping fans. It’s not really important how we categorise things. I think people should just do what they enjoy doing. That goes for the audience and artists, as long as we can appreciate music right? As long as we can manage to create a market for hip hop in Zim and push the culture. So my opinion on it, is that I think at this point, it doesn’t really matter.

Q ::Do you think that we are accepting the western world to come in as our new normal and our way of life ?

Yeah definitely. Some more than others of course but globalisation has been going on for a minute. The world is slowly becoming monocultural with the development of tech. I saw zimcelebs post a meme about 6ix9ine and I found it wild that everyone in the comment section understood the reference. It’s shows that we’re connected with globe but it also shows that America is leading the culture. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it becomes problematic when we all aspire to be part of an American culture, instead of trying to build our own. That goes for awareness of political issues, supporting media and content creators, watching sports and even just developing pride within ourselves.

Q :: What’s next for Masimba ??

I’ve got a project dropping this year called There’s Only One Throne. The project is basically about self awareness and addressing my internal conflicts concerning love and heartbreak, joy and depression, forgiving others whilst learning to forgive self, and ultimately seeking my purpose in life and the point of us experiencing all these emotions in the first place. Writing this made me understand why people say that music is therapeutic. I have no doubt in my mind that these songs are going to help someone get through a tough time, help them see their situation from a different perspective or even teach them a thing or two about life. And I only believe that because that’s what writing these songs did for me.