Lady Vogue and Jedi - Rum and Juice

Latest single from Lady Vogue and Jedi Featuring T-low on Rum and Juice. Produced by reverb, a proper dancehall tune

Listen to Rum and Juice here

Chile - (Zambia - Ukraine)

Featuring on IZUMB is Chileshe Kasuba, (born 31 October 1990) ,widely known as Chile is a Zambian rapper/singer/producer and sound engineer based in Ukraine.He was introduced to hip hop music through his cousins in the late 90's and ever since then has the loved and practiced the art.Growing up on the Copperbelt region of Zambia (Mufulira),which is dubbed the HQ of hip hop in Zambia,Chile learnt a handful of things about the art of music and hip hop in particular.
Chile's sound is predominantly influnced by west coast rap,a touch of R&B/Pop and his love for house music also makes its way into some of his music.A recording artist since 2005,Chile has been recording music for a while,but just recently got into the production aspect of the art in 2013,after a move to Ukraine to further his studies he deemed it necessary to learn and acquire extensive knowledge in production and sound engineering.Ever since then he has been nominted for several awards in Ukraine and is currently signed to an indie label he co-owns called AZM.inc.
He hopes to oneday share his stories,experinces,love and hope to the world through music,Shine a light on Africa,a place he holds dear to his heart.Currently working on a his second mixtape titled Dreamer's Avenue 2.0,Chile is that one artist that many that have listened to his music say he does have a unique sound and the world should look out for him.

Follow Chile on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/AZMTernopil/

Enest Daka

On IZUMB this week we feature Enest Daka, an upcoming gospel artist based in Lusaka. All about preaching the good word Enest Daka's makes is heart warming music and in this particular instance a wonderful praise song in Nikutokozani.

Get Nikutokozani here

RC Dream Sounds

IZUMB is happy to see a whole new generation of musicians and artists coming up and owning the stage, we spoke to Rc of Dream Sounds, a very capable and talented producer.

Q: When did u first start production

A: I first started music production in 2007 and I called my studio Dream Shaper Studios.  I developed interest because I used to play keyboard and bass guitar already, and having being bought a computer in the home; I installed all kinds of music software on the computer and was greatly helped by Josphat Charles Million Tembo A.K.A Josi-Beats who tutored me through the music production software.  Other notable producers that taught me music production and studio sound engineering are the Mangwato brothers B-shop and Jerry Dee of Kabin Studios and Arron Sakati of G-sounds Studios. Between 2007 and 2010, I spent a lot of my time with B-shop and Jerry Dee at Kabin studios and I consider these as years I spent, learning the art of music production and studio sound engineering. From 2010 to 2011, I spent more time at my studio which I had later renamed Dream Sounds Studios. During this period, I worked at fine tuning what I had learnt from different producers and applying my creativity, musical talent and skill, with the sole purpose of developing a complete identity for Dream Sounds as a studio as well as the music that was going to be produced out of it. It was at this time that I started meeting and working with the big and established artistes in the Zambian Music Industry such as Petersen Zagaze, Matthew Tembo, Organized Family, Mumba Yachi, T-Sean, etc. And now my professional music production career is set and running.

Q: What did your family do to encourage you

A: Throughout this time, my family has been so supportive to an extent that each time we moved from one rented house to another, they always considered a house that would accommodate my studio setup and had electricity supply not only for our studying but my studio too was prioritized. Their complete support was also evident when I was given money to buy another computer specifically for the studio and the funding for the printing of my first CDs to my debut album. Trust me, my family’s support towards my music, studio and music production has been great and cannot be itemized. However my music story will always be incomplete without acknowledging Kalelwa Makasa, a cousin of mine who has always been instrumental in seeing that the Dream Stands to date.

Q: Does anyone in your family sing

A: Well, I love to joke and laugh at my mother as being so un-musical. She is the only one in the family that hardly expresses musical traits however; she is talented at sawing and knitting. I am always proud to mention that my father (R.I.P) played acoustic folk guitar and sung pretty well, and now when I go through my box of memories of him, I realize how extremely musical he was even though music for him was mainly for passing time as he was a medical personnel. All my sisters can sing and are very musical to an extent that they even help in providing musical analysis at times. However music for them is not a professional calling as they have all pursued their passions in different disciplines yet those that are in employment once in a while manage to save and pay for recording. Right now I am working on a song called VICTORY, written and sung by my sister Cindy and her friend Dunda. It is a sweet multi-cultural piece of music and I hope they will decide to release it to the public as it is too good to be confined to only family and friends.

Q: Who are your musical inspirations

A: I am inspired by so many people both locally and internationally. On the international scene, I get my inspiration for music production from Quincy Jones an American music producer. Locally, I am inspired by the works of Ben Kalulu A.K.A Ben Blezar, Jerry Fingers, TK and many more. On the other hand, my singing and song writing is inspired by Exile-Izrael.

Q: What kind of music do you listen to today

A: When it comes to music, I can site one specific genre because I listen to any kind of music for as long as the song is good, though I have a huge inclination towards Pop-Reggae. Most importantly, I love to listen to gospel music during my devotion times.


Q: What embarrassing songs will I find on your mp3 player

A: Fortunately or otherwise, you will not find any embarrassing song on my mp3 player. I am very selective when it comes to the music I listen to especially on a daily basis. Imagine I only have 63 songs on my player.

Q: Do you play any instruments

A: I graduated in 2015 from Evelyn Hone College as a “piano major” and “guitar minor”. I play quite a number of musical instruments. My first instrument is piano, then bass guitar, followed by acoustic guitar and then drums. I also play percussions and because I sing, consider my voice as one of the musical instruments that I play.

Q: What hidden talents do you have

A: Of course I can only mention the talents that I know I have yet never displayed to the public, and these include soccer, stand-up comedy and acting. I guess for some of my hidden talents, it’s just a matter of time, they will get exposed.

Q: If you were not producing, what would you be doing?

A: If I wasn’t producing music,? I was still going to be producing music!!!!!! LOL. Rather on a serious note now; if I wasn’t producing I was going to be a footballer, because my early childhood was characterized by a lot of soccer and if not soccer, then I think I would have been working in a Human Resource Department of “God know what” organization. I say so because Human Resource Management is what I studied immediately after completing my high School.

       

Jobik Dj - Kwa George

Making waves in lusaka is Jobik Dj AKA DJ Fwenya Fwenya's "Kwa George", Featuring long time friend Birdwhite and J.O.B. A song celebrating life in the hood, namely George compound the centre of a lot of the xenophobic attacks we've witnessed in the country lately.

The former Oxygen Entertainment artist and now CEO of New generation Music is slowly coming into his own on the scene with his particular brand of music called Chidantampuno Music. "I am happy to announce the opening of New Generation Music Studio" he said on social media. Jobik is all about insightful music with a lot of creativity as he explains the ups and downs of the hood with clever and somewhat raw lyrics that some might term offensive, but thats what makes his music powerful, the fearlessness the ability to say it like it is.

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

5 Things to Know: Music Technology Careers

Technological advances in the last 10 to 15 years have given everyone greater power to manipulate music, from professionals in state-of-the-art studios to kids with laptops.

1. Make some music. To be successful in music technology, you need to be active musicians. 

2. Know the latest programs. Using computer software is an increasingly important part of making music. 

3. Get firsthand experience. Mastering the best equipment requires access to the technology, of course. 

4. Know the job market. 

5. Network, network, network. As with any career field, connections count in music technology. 

CUBASE PRO 8

PROS - In-place rendering and VCA faders are major additions to this already powerful software.

CONS - With all the revamping, the 32-bit audio engine stayed the same. 

VERDICT - Cubase Pro 8 has many tools, features and capabilities to be one of the best DAWs available in today's marketplace. 

Cubase Pro 8 provides many features to get excited about. Steinberg didn't give this recording studio software a total facelift – instead it improved upon an already upstanding program. Steinberg added the necessary pieces to create a better workflow and to help you save time processing your audio so you can stay in the mind-set of producing, recording and mixing.

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

5 Tips Every Artist Must Know Before Signing Their First Record Deal

1. Watch out for contracts with an initial term lasting more than one year

Typically, the initial length of a recording contract is one year. This one year term is generally followed by several option periods, where the record label is free to renew your contract for additional time periods if they like the work you're producing. By limiting the length of your contract to one year, not including option periods, you prevent a record label from effectively controlling your life and creative work for an unreasonable amount of time.

2. Get a release commitment

Without a release commitment from the record label, you'll have no guarantees that the label will actually do the work to get your album produced, packaged, and distributed to the public for sale. A typical release commitment is a promise from the record label that it will release at least one album during your initial contract term. If you record the necessary tracks for a record and the label fails to release the record, you should then be allowed to walk away from the contract.

In addition, you should think about negotiating a minimum marketing spend as a part of your release commitment. This gives the record label some "skin in the game" when producing your album, forcing them to actually spend money to market your creativity, making your hard work pay off.

3. Make sure your royalty rate is reasonable

Although royalty rates differ wildly based upon an artist's notoriety and past success, there's a general ballpark number for royalty rates that every artist should know. For new artists with little-to-no notoriety, a royalty rate of five to 10 percent is typical. Up-and-coming artists generally see between 10 and 14 percent royalty rates, while seasoned professionals can bring in as much as 18 percent in royalties.

Don't let a record label convince you that a one or two percent royalty rate is the industry standard. Some record labels prey upon unsuspecting artists by offering relatively large upfront signing bonuses, giving their artists an initial feeling of success. But in return, the contract gives the artist a paltry royalty rate, ensuring that the label – not the artist – will reap all the long-term rewards of artistic success.

4. Watch out for hidden royalty deductions

Even if your royalty rate is reasonable, keep your eyes peeled for hidden royalty deductions. Before paying you even one cent in royalties, the record label is typically allowed to recoup much of its expenses through so-called "deductions." Standard deductions include recording costs, video production costs, the cost of creating CD and DVD packaging, and other similar costs.

But some record labels sneak in abhorrent and enormous royalty deductions that all but guarantee you'll never receive a royalty check. Watch out for deductions based upon the record label's general costs of doing business, like the deduction of record label owners' salaries and benefits. You should also keep your eyes peeled for deductions that give the label a blank check, like unlimited deductions for travel, hotel stays, car rental, meals and entertainment, and other costs that a devious record label could use to rack up a lavish tab at your expense.

5. Make sure you can audit the record label on royalty payments

Artists often ask me how they can ensure the record label is being honest with them about the total number of albums or tracks sold. Without honest communication and detailed record keeping, the relationship between artist and label can quickly turn contentious. An audit provision is the best way to prevent this type of communication breakdown before it happens.

The typical audit provision gives the artist the ability to hire a third party auditor to go through the record label's books and records and make sure they're paying the artist what he or she is entitled to under the contract. Typically, the artist must pay for this type of audit. However, many audit clauses require that the record label pay for the audit if a large discrepancy is found.

Before signing a record deal, it’s always a good idea to hire qualified legal counsel to review the record label's proposed contract. But with the above tips in mind, you can now at least look at the contract and know whether the label is trying to squeeze every last penny out of your artistic abilities while hanging you out to dry.

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.

Pylot El chapo

Also debuting on the Indie Zed Music Blog is Pylot Elchapo. The mysterious South African based House Music artist is another independent artist making a name for himself in the country. With great production from top notch producers like TK of Romaside and Raydo of Digital X and good music like his "Basoke" Featuring rappers Macky 2 and Tommy D, the future is looking very bright for Pylot Elchapo, follow him on Twitter, Facebook. 

Listen to Pylot Elchapo's music here

9El3ven "Down Featuring Jae Cash"

Debuting on Indie Zed Urban Music scene and Blog is 9El3ven, a new hiphop group in the country. They're all about catchy hooks and witty punchlines. The group recently featured Rapper Jae Cash on a record and seem to be destined for the big time, You can follow them on Facebook 

Get Addictive By 9El3ven Featuring jam Cash here

Mic Burner

Also Debuting on the Indie Zed Music Blog is new kid on the block, Mic Burner. The Hip-Hop/ Dancehall artist from Ndola is at the forefront of urban Zambian music, his latest single “Thought Of You” has received a lot of support from music lovers in the country and has earned him a spot at the top of the latest crop of modern Zed musicians.

Follow Mic Burner on Facebook,

Listen To Mic Burner Here

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 

Flexville Marley

Making waves in Lusaka right now is Dancehall artist and rapper Alfred Msisha Aka Flexville Marley. Having been on the scene for some time now Marley is an urban legend on his own right. A prolific rapper and singer about good times and very active on social commentary in songs Like Respect featuring Shyman, Ben Blazer, Petersen, Karasa and Franciar, music seems to just ooze out of the rapper. All about the Dancehall and Currently signed with M-Beats Generation we see Flexville moving from strength to strength.

Follow him on Facebook, twitter