Without a doubt Cottage 47 is the hardest working crew in town and by town I mean the whole country. The creative hub is not all hype but constant hardwork. You could almost describe them as a music production machine. Bholato comes as the latest project from the hub and it's probably project number 4/5 from them this year alone. The EP is a collaboration between Prolific and Larry The Nomad, both good artists in their own regard so I was interested in seeing what the duo would come up with together.
Cottage 47 as a hub has had the new school Zimbabwean sound on their back. When I checked out their second project as a group, VIBES: The long game Vol.1 I was reasonably impressed. A little rough around the edges but as artists they're not afraid to express themselves. Bholato as an EP embraces the new school hiphop sound, it's a Trap Music project in identity. And just like the projects they've released before, Bholato is not shy on pushing the boundaries of the typical Zimhiphop sound.
The EP has 6 tracks, which are all centred around urban life, the grind and the hustle. The sound is vibrant and energetic but I admit it didn't strike me quite so much at first. As usual the project is available across all social media platforms and Cottage 47's #Proud2Pay platform where you can buy the project via Ecocash. The production work on Bholato is the work of Area 51, one of Cottage 47's in house producers who has been raking up the credits with his good work.
Used to opens with an easy trap beat and smooth vocals. It's all of those new school vibes with zero humility but it's not abrasive at all. The chorus goes, "Wait a sec been holding down the new school to be honest we the guys you ain't used to... we the kings of the kings of course." From the get go I loved the cadence of both Prolific and Larry, there's an ease with which they flow which makes their music a vibe.
Destiny carries on the same intensity set by Used to. It's a track that blends the subjects of hopes, dreams and the grind/hustle. It's that Monday morning theme music and it has instrumental that switches dynamic quite a lot. Bholato the title track has the coolest opening sequence on the instrumental, punctuated with an evil laugh just before Prolific jumps in with chorus. Prolific kills me when he goes, "Tauya nemagumbeze bro, because we're here to stay."
Mamero is one for the haters, well it's more for us who are on the grind to be in a space without negative energy. Mamba is by far my favourite track on this body of work though. It has a more subdued sound, different from every other track on the EP and this sets it apart. The chorus had me hooked instantly. Prolific's delivery of it was perfect. "Toguta nesadza, torohwa nechamba, like Kobe black mamba, hatifambi tomhanya..."
Bag talk comes through to complete the project and yes it's about that bag, money, mari, imali, tchelete... It has that rap cockiness and it's great sound. All around I would say the project gave me mixed feelings. The parts I vibed to were really good but then the parts that didn't hit me really didn't. I could also be biased because of the hype Bholato arrived with. When social media is loud, you expect something special. For now I'll say it's good, my appreciation might change over time.
Greedysouth rating: 6.1/10