// Featuring Teck Zilla ; Dumi Right ; Synik ; Munetsi //
Wassup wassup fam. I hope that you've all been good, while washing your hands, practicing self distancing and staying at home. I got a lot of Hip Hop to update you on, so I hope that you're ready, because we're just gonna dive straight into it. First on the line up we got Teck Zilla who dropped the "Pre Summer Tape 89" on the 1st of May.
This is basically a 4 track beat tape with some really cool and smooth jams on it. My favorite beat has to be "1000 Lovely Summers", which you can listen to on Soundcloud here. Fam, this joint has already been play-listed on Coalmine record's Electric Relaxation, ChilL Hop Lofi Trap, Chillhop Beats and Lofi Study beats's Spotify playlists. So that must already tell you why it's my favorite. If you're an avid fan of Chillhop like me, then you might have come across this joint by now. Big ups to Teck Zilla for always bringing the dopeness with the beats. Purchase / listen to the tape here.
Before I move on to the next feature in this article, I gotta talk about a 3 track EP that Teck Zilla worked on with Psalmurai called "Enter The Double Dragon". The title is a homage to Bruce Lee’s classic flick and the vintage Japanese beat em up Double Dragon. On the 28th of Feb, they released a 2 part video which is basically the Kung Fu-inspired world of the Lagos City-based duo, with "slick animated touches, footage from classic Kung Fu cinema, and shots of Teck showing off his hand-to-hand techniques in his Wushu Kwan gi". The joint is dope, the visuals are dope, so make sure you do the right thing and check it out. Click on album cover below to purchase and listen to it (it's also available via Str8Buttah Productions), and you can click the image on the right to watch the 2 in 1 music video for “Soul Calibre / Samurai Dreams” on YouTube / click here.
Next up we got Dumi Right (of the legendary golden-era hip-hop group "Zimbabwe Legit"), who recently dropped the "Prosperity" feat. Sariyah Idan [Mobius Van Choc Straw] Remix. This track was released on the 1st of May 2020, and it's part of an upcoming remix album with the homie "Chops" (For some reason, I actually wanna meet this homie one day). You can listen / purchase the track here. Now we're not yet done with Dumi because we also gotta hook you up with another track he did with another golden era Hip Hop legend, "Chubb Rock". On the 7th of Feb they dropped a boom bap banger called 'We Don't Need'. The track addresses our turbulent times, as Dumi demands accountability while Chubb Rock declares, "Enough is enough!". I love the bars, the beat, and the chorus (Shout out to Nathaniel Star), so I'm sure you'll love the track too (Listen or purchase the track here).
I think let's just backtrack a bit to the remix of Dumi Right's "Prosperity" joint, because if you don't know the original song, then that means you might not have listened to his latest album "Doing It the Right Way". This project (released June 22, 2018) offers fresh, insightful and complex rhymes and wordplay over a gritty soundscape of intricate beats. It features Mike G (Jungle Brothers), YZ, Cadence, Mr. Lif, Toki Wright, MC Pep, Kane, Sol, Sariyah Idan and Nikki Giovanni. Dumi Right serves up social commentary on the angst and frustration of these times, while remaining positive, earnest, and at times even playful to avoid being trite and nihilistic. My top 3 favorite jams gotta be "Nitghfall", "Go Get that" & "Great Mindz - (80M- Remix)". The album title speaks to a balanced approach to highlight the best of the art of rap and hip hop culture as demonstrated by a certified hip hop thought leader and underground denizen. Heavy on the beats and lyrics, light on the BS, that is how he is Doing It The Right Way. Shout out to 80-M, Hen Boogie, Saint, Trnk Jwlz, Nagra Beats, Youngcee who were producers on the album. Listen / Purchase the album here. Do feel free to let me know what your favorite track on the album is in the comment section.
Alright. We're now gonna head over to Portugal (Lisbon to be exact), and catch up with Synik. The first time I attended a Hip hop album launch in Zimbabwe was about 7 to 8 years ago, and that was Synik's launch of "Syn City", and till this date, it's still one of my favorite album launches that I've attended (and albums that I've listened to). I'm a huge fan of consistency, especially when it comes to lyricism, and that's something that I have seen not only from Synik, but also Dumi Right and Munetsi over the past few years. I also did mention earlier in this article that Teck Zilla been-been dropping heat since day 1 with them beat tapes. On this note, I figured that I gotta share an EP that Synik released 6 months ago in collaboration with Austrian Producer, Phil Chronics, & not just the recent video that him & Aaron Isaak released.
"The Soulsteez EP" is a project combining soulful / jazzy beats with introspective lyrics touching on diverse themes. My top 3 favorite songs on the 6 track EP have to be "Sumn You Feel", "Writers Return (Write On) with Depth" and "Goodbye with Depth". If you know me very well, you'll know why these are my favorite. Actually, I remember this one time when I was in the capital city of Zim (Harare), and I was chilling with a group of 5 artists (Who I didn't know very well and had met for the 1st time). I proceeded to brag about the vocalist on some of synik's joints that I liked, only to realize that "Depth" was present in the group, and that was the first time I met him in person. lol So, I wasn't surprised that my favorite tracks featured him on it. Synik has definitely been able to consistently share narratives that I can relate to, especially to a greater extent (From "Syn City" to this EP), and what more could you want when you have wordsmiths like him doing justice to soulful instrumentals, again and again and again. Anyway, I hope you also enjoy the EP, which you can listen to on SoundCloud or purchase here.
Now to bring you up to speed, about 3 weeks ago Synik released the track "Let Love Lead", which is a lock-down piece compressing a number of things that he's been observing as this pandemic has been playing out. I believe you'll definitely be able to relate with with this track too. You can listen to the track here, and after you do that, THEN you can play the video below. lol I know you're probably not gonna listen to me, so do enjoy the video and song "The Rain (Mvura Naya Naya)" by Aaron Isaak and Synik , BUT don't forget to check out his EP.
Okay, we're almost at the end of another jam packed article. It would be really unfair for me not to share the latest Mu Sessions video with you. Mu Sessions is a smogasbord of visual performances, and Munetsi dropped the 13th Episode "The Suna Session - Apex Predator" about 20 hours ago. This session is dedicated to Begotten Sun (a.k.a Mr "Fresh in a box"), one of the dopest MCs to emerge from Zimbabwe. Feel free to SHARE, LIKE, FOLLOW and most importantly, ENJOY the culture in one of its most crystallized forms. Just to give you heads up, you might as well just subscribe to his channel if you're fan of bars, because eish, it seems like that's the only thing that this dude knows. lol It would also be advisable to watch the previous sessions: You can thank me later.
Aaaand that's about all we got for now. We got a few more articles lined up for you so do make sure yo subscribe and keep your eyes open for some more dope Hip Hop. To conclude this article, I'm gonna leave you 2 of my favorite online radio stations where you can find a lot of really dope international Hip hop music. Rap Radio Africa and PEPR (Planet Earth Planet Rap) are platforms that you need to keep tabs on if you're a Hip hop head, because they're always sharing some amazing rap music from around the world, consistently. You can also click on the images below to find out more information about both stations. With all that being said, stay blessed and safe fam. Don't forget to leave a comment about what you thought concerning the music shared in this article, and let's connect on Instagram / Twitter @2tukani
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