Hiphop Rapper Macky 2 calls on President Lungu

Hiphop Rapper Macky 2 bemoans the lack of Government involvement in the Zambian music industry. Inspired by the recent Protests in Kenya, the rapper took to Facebook to air he's views and directly address President Lungu. He had this to say

"In Kenya Right now Musicians Are On The Streets Asking The President To Intervene In The Way Music Royalties Are Handled.In Zambia Musicians Dont Care.. We Are Just Chilling..Bakateka Besu Ndelombako 5 Minutes Of Your Time.. Napapata Mboneniko". Macky2 Umupondo.

Robby Zhe - Njazi

Making waves in  Lusaka right now is Robert Banda AKA Robby Zhe, a predominantly Tumbuka rapper who's slowly gaining a following in the country, Robert makes killing EDM look effortless. We love the music he is currently pumping out in his Currently association with TNC his crew, Robert is dead set  on putting Lundazi on the Map

Chuulu Ackres - Kuma Njenje

Kuma Njenje symbolises the fun places we go to, the chills, chum lila gnoma and in this song i’m telling the woman i love to take me to her hearts equivalent of “Kuma Njenje”

Indie Zed had a chat with Chuulu and we were happy to met the young singer. The 5th born out of a family of six, Chuulu’s music is well received by every one regardless of age. With smooth vocals and  mature demeanour, he looks destined for greatness. (See Bio Here). His latest Kuma Njenje Is a Bass driven party song about love, joy, and heartache, it makes for great listening.  

Follow Chulu Ackres on Facebook

Listen to Kuma Njenje Here

Chuulu Ackress Biography

Born:September 14th

Genres:R&b Dancehall,Soul,Funk,Jazz,Blues,Rock,Pop,Reggae

Occupation:singer,song writer,record producer,musician

Instruments:vocals,d­rums,guitar,keyboard,base,piano,harmonic,beat box

Chuulu Mudenda (born September 14)known by stage name Chulu Ackres,is a Zambian singer songwriter and record producer.Raised in Ndola,Mkushi,i began making music at a young age and performed in various musical venues when i was at school throughout my childhold.I graduated from a high school at Mumbwa High School then moved to Lusaka to pursue a musical career,while have had successful stints with all the record rebels that have worked with(game on exclusive,keibin records which was my first record rebel in 2008,Visual FX, and Major Sounds.

In 2012 i began recognized at major sounds after lending my vocals and co writing the hooks for the songs at the studio.

2013 to 2015 decide to major my career at a college here in Lusaka and was accepted at national institute of public administration were i persuaded my course in business administration as a diploma holder,while at school i did a few writings with tracks in the likes of the famous Kuma Njnje featuring J.O.B and was produced at Dasim Music. To all my fans who have been waiting look out for my album which will be released 2016 with the video for the song Kuma Njenje which should be launched soon.

Lyrically this is obviously a mismatch. - Krytic

We recently caught up with Rapper/ Mc and ZMA nominee Krytic of So Good Entertainment, we asked him a couple of questions about the nomination and what it meant to him.

IZUMB: Do you think you and bobby East are equally matched for the award you're competing for?

Krytic: Lyrically this is obviously a mismatch. But I can't take away from the fact that he has a great team working with him and he has handled his brand really well since his legal woes. He is a populist artist and that is obviously an advantage over an elitist artist such as myself.

IZUMB: What does it mean to you to have your album nominated. Does this mean will hear more urban oriented Hip hop

Krytic: Having my album nominated is quite huge for me. It's the first fully english Hip Hop album to be nominated and I think that in itself is quite a win already. I hope to see a lot of other artists growing a set and sticking to their guns as opposed to going with the herd.

Is ZAMCOPS Effective?

A question that has been plaguing us here at IZUMB concerns the operations of our beloved copyright society ZAMCOPS. The Zambia Music Copyright Protection Society (ZAMCOPS) located at Anchor House, 9th FloorLusaka, Zambia is registered as a Society with the Registrar of Societies and as a Collecting Society by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in line with the Copyright and Performance Rights Act No. 44 of 1994.
It was formed by Composers, Authors and Publishers of music. Since inception, the organization has been managing Performing Rights of Composers and Publishers of music. The Society started collecting music royalties in Zambia in 1996 and started distribution of royalties to owners in 1998. The society has been growing steadily since then.

How does ZAMCOPS track radio spins in Zambia, and if they do are they effectively implementing the procedure? Are they transparent, do they let artists audit their books?

Those are just a few questions that come to mind the moment you hear the acronym. The Zambian music industry has been riddled with problems from the very beginning and our fore runners did very little to fix an industry that has the greatest potential to thrive. The recent scandals in the past that have rocked the copyright regulating body are still very fresh in the minds of certain individuals and we all remember the lawsuits that were filed against certain corporations where artists claimed they had been taken advantage of concerning call-back tones and the like. But at the core of this our beloved ZAMCOPS.

WHERE IS ZAMCOPS AND WHAT ARE THEY DOING?

The failure to police and maintain copyright laws in our country has led to severe and detrimental results, with an industry that is growing quickly but lacking direction and purpose. The lack of sensitisation on Music law has led to a whole generation of musicians who have little or know knowledge about important aspects of the music like royalties, copyright law, publishing deals etc.

That begs the question, .. If media houses are paying royalties and you have a bunch of artists who don't collect them (they know nothing about it) where does the money go? It seems the the tend of pocketing other peoples money has not bypassed the copyright body but has actually planted its evil disgusting roots deep where we might need the intervention of God if we are to see a difference. The corruption is appealing.We understand that Zambian musicians would love to know how their marketing endeavours are going, by at least having an idea of how well your music is doing on air, Numbers don't lie.

Do radio stations provide an updated Monthly playlist to the body for proper monitoring?
We've noticed the latest shift in radio procedure where we see the Dj/ presenter follow a pre-prepared playlist without adding there own music, and the rules are strict about it. Is that how ZAMCOPS  monitors spins? ... Do they have an application that quantifies the playlist data and gives accurate results? So much has been left un answered by ZAMCOPS and Zambian musicians have the right to know whats going for them to respond accurately and progress with the times.

I Deserve To Be Here - Bobby East

IZUMB spoke to ZMA Nominee and XYZ rapper  Bobby East, and this is what he had to say when asked the following questions.

IZUMB: Do you think you're evenly matched?

Bobby: Do i think i've been evenly matched? mhh, good question Krytic is a dope rapper, i think our music can't be compared though, its like apples and oranges, totally different. On paper it might look like am the favourite but i honestly feel it is his award to lose, because my fans think I have won already and are reluctant to vote while his are determined to make him the winner. But will see how it goes on the actual night, at this point its anybody's game.

IZUMB: What dos it mean for your album to be nominated?

Bobby:

I am happy the album got nominated after more than 5 years in the game people have stopped pretending that i don't exist. I think i deserved a best album nomination as well, to be honest we put out 5 singles, all of them charted very well with 4 peaking at number one... I deserve to be here.

Follow Bobby East on Facebook, Twitter

J.O.B Drops Paradise Doldrums Mixtape

Producer/ Songwriter Job Mwanamwalye better known as J.O.B recently dropped his second mixtape entitled Paradise Doldrums. The former Blazer artist has released has been silent for the past few months and we're happy to know that his silence was not for nothing.

We love Paradise Doldrums its a mixtape one should literally own, its raw full of energy and well produced we know Hip Hop fans out there are enjoying this offering.Paradise Doldrums was produced at Dasim Music where J.O.B is currently signed as an Artist and producer. "Well i've been working on my Debut Album, as you know i dint have a commercial Album out yet and its been an incredible experience of self growth and learning. I believe this will be my best work yet" Said the Dreadlocked Artist when asked about what he's been unto, as for what  the Album would sound like he was tight lipped and wouldn't let us in on the juicy bits.

Follow J.O.B on Facebook, Twitter

Listen To Paradise Doldrums here

EDDIE BLaCK TO DROP HELIUM PRIME EP ON HIS BIRTHDAY

Rapper Nathaniel Edward Bangira Nchemba popularly known as Eddie Black "Duke Of Hazard", signed to Helium Prime Media is set to drop his anxiously awaited Helim Prime EP on 29th April which also is the rappers Birthday. 

Currently promoting his latest Single Soundtrack featuring Badman Shapi, we only have the best wishes for one our favourite rappers. Knock em dead we say.

Eddie Black had this to say on his Facebook Page

On my birthday April 29th, I'm dropping the Mr Helium Prime EP..... I have a song with Roberto and LET ME BE YOUR MAN on it, help me pick which one I should drop next...

I WOULD BE HAPPY TO PERFORM AT THE ZMA'S - C.R.I.S.I.S

Australian Based rapper Chisenga Katongo, popularly known  C.R.I.S.I.S says he hopes to be invited for the ZMA's. The Australian based artist has been blaming a trail through the game lately and we see no end in sight, gaining international recognition, collaborations and winning multiple awards does not seem to dull this versatile rappers edge.

IZUMB would love to see Mr Swagger perform at the ZMA's, this will be testament to the forward motion of Zambian music because no one has fought harder for the urbanisation of our music through HipHop than C.R.I.S.I.S. Urban music has clearly dominated this years awards ceremony seeing rappers like Bobby East And Kritic go head to head for best hiphop album and having Mr Swagger grace this occasion would be just the push our music needs.

The rapper who's currently promoting his latest album The Quiet Don V1, which is receiving rave reviews will also be performing in the Perth Australia on the 26/05/2016.

He Had This to Say on his Facebook Page

 ‪#‎PerthCity‬ City of Perth stand up!
Excited to be announcing my return to ‪#‎RAWPerth‬
26/05/2016 at The Rosemount Hotel, Perth 
For ticket booking:
Please Click Here: https://www.rawartists.org/tickets/purchase/1974/211369

Lusaka Central Prison Service Supports Music

Indie Zed Urban Music Blog recently spoke to Abdulai Masisani AKA Abdul 148. Abdulai is a young man of Lozi decent, in his early twenties currently serving a 10 year term in the Lusaka Central Prison Service popularly known as Chimbokaila for aggravated robbery.

Abdulai is part of a crew called LUCEPART which stands of Lusaka Central Prison Arts, a HipHop crew from the correctional facility itself currently working hand in hand with the government sensitizing the youth on vices such as Drug Abuse, Alcohol Abuse, Violence, Theft etc.

"My music is about change and reformation says Abdulai" Says Abdulai, "My time here has made me rethink a lot of the choices i made on the outside, now i want to teach my fellow youths to stay away from the vices that plague our society, I believe music is a powerful tool for reaching out to the youth and it makes me happy to know that my music will help change lives" He says, '' We've got interesting music programs here that we're encouraged to pursue and i'd like to that the government for that, we feature on a christian show on a local TV station which is a great platform for many artists here in the prison, we have many groups including Church Choirs, Reggae Bands, HipHop groups and the Dunka genres too have artists representing them here" He further adds as an Officer stands nearby.

IZUMB: Why 148?

Abdullai: 148 is my case number, and it sort of stands as a representation of the day my life changed. Its a reminder of my duties and responsibilities to my fellow youths, when i was on the outside I used to make crazy music you know, like the Lil Waynes of this world, but now my music is different and has a deeper meaning.

Are Zambian Artists becoming more vulgar?

With the increase in demand for more urban music, Zambian musicians have reason to the challenge of satisfying the needs of their fans, leading to an upsurge of western (Inertnational) influenced music on the scene. Here at IZUMB we love Urban music to the core but also appreciate the fact that there are positive and negative results to everything including the urban music we love so much.

We talked to Dj's about the content artists are putting out in this era of Zambian music, the questions being "Do you think urban music in Zambia has had an impact on the content allowed to air on radio and are Zambian Artists becoming more Vulgar?"

Dj Mimi (Qfm) - Zambian Music has always been indirectly vulgar even from the old Artists. I don't believe they have become more vulgar no.

Dj Rex Cool (Metro 94.5fm) - You see the problem is that people are forgetting were we come from and they all want to sound international, in as much as we want to make it out there, Polite languages not a crime and we should not forget that we are in Zambia. We Used to censor International music, now we even censor Zed as well".

Dj Curtis - I think Zambian music has evolved, if we try to compare music of the olden days and today's, you'd certainly agree with me that Zambian music has really evolved to suit the 21'st century. Musicians of those days could try as much as possible to avoid using vulgar language in their songs by use of proverbs, "Abatoba amayanda bengi, bwana nga tulip ashlar aletoba". Ba shikulu ba P.K Chishala very carful enough.

But most Urban artists have gone vulgar and its obviously because of the mentality of that if you compose a song that is "to the nearest insult" will quickly attract the attention of fans.
In todays Urban music you will have to first take the song to the studio edit such words as b*tch, f**k etc. I don't know what generation we expect ahead of yours.

What do you think about it is Zed music becoming more vulgar?

Leave your comments below.

Reggea/ Dancehall Artist Cactus agony releases “Kiss Of Life”

Reggea/ Dancehall Artist Cactus agony releases “Kiss Of Life” Featuring Katongo (Miss KT) Temba Produced By Shom C (Zero Db Studio). Cactus has been very prominent in the industry, the success of his Bush Territory and African Dream projects has been varied across the country but the Albums have raceived massive acclaim from the many Cactus fans both young and old.

Follow Cactus on Twitter, Facebook

Listen to Cactus's music here