At the dawn of the millennium, Zimbabwe not only experienced the birth of the 2000s but the cockrow of a new movement in music. Urban Grooves. A cocoon that encapsulated hip hop, dancehall, RnB, pop and soul.
Refined at the end of the 90s by labels such as Country Boy Records and Shamiso Music, the genre took the country by storm, on the back of Jonathan Moyo's 75% local content policy. A key figure in this rise being David Chifunyise.
While the land reform program was underway, Robert Mugabe was winning the lottery and Morgan Tsvangirai's MDC was participating in it's first elections, the Harare born rapper was releasing his debut album, Tauya Naye. At a time when Nokia's 3310 had just been released, while many had started immigrating from the country as economic refugees and the healthcare sector was reeling from the effects of HIV/AIDS pandemic, David Chifunyise's conscious rap lyrics and relatable storytelling, captured hearts and propelled him into a household name.
Tauya Naye earned its from the rapper's hit song on Shamiso Music's The Future compilation from a year earlier. Telling the story of welcoming a bride home, the song was a fast favourite across Zimbabwe and became the unannounced official song for traditional weddings across the country. Ahead of it's time, the song also advocated women to only pursue marriage after putting their education first.
Although hip hop was still very much a niche genre, the track was an exception to pre-existing music tastes, and it's namesake (the album) performed just as well.
David Chifunyise's debut album had 7 tracks and almost each one had a great reception from the public. A clever wit and great storytelling were combined with great melodies on the hooks, for the creation of a Zimbabwean classic.
"Sarudzai" was dedicated to those who had loved ones overseas, capturing the strain of distance on love. "Kwayedza," the meeting of a Shona gospel hymn with hip hop, which featured talented vocalist Plaxedes Wenyika, was a tale about finding the light at the end of the tunnel, a religious dawn that led to peace through finding God.
"Ruva Rangu" was a heartfelt love song adorned with beautiful melodies that showcased David Chifunyise's amazing talent with instrumentation as he performed the soprano saxophone at the heart of the song.
There was the "Yo! Yo! Yo!" counting in to the beginning of a verse, the scribbling of vinyl on DJ decks to announce a track was actually a remix and the groovy thumps on production that gave hip hop it's Zimbabwean nickname - Madhudhucha. As an album Taura Naye was not only quintessential hip hop but forward looking in the bridges hip hop could build with other genres, such as jazz, RnB and soul.
"Stress" was a song of HIV/AIDS awareness, with a call for sexual discipline, a call directed at an entire generation. The "Taura Naye - Remix" was just as brilliant as the original version, with a cast of brilliant collaborators that included Tamara, Sniper and Iyanai. David Chifunyise's would however still standout on the song, with the iconic exchange between him and his father in law being the exclamation point, "Ko Pajero irikupi? - Ah Pajero futi! Makati cellular" - after all Nokia's 3310 had just been released.
Taura Naye achieved a success that wouldn't become common place for hip hop until the 2020s, and even it might be hard to say it's crossover success has been matched.
Greedysouth rating: 8.4/10
This is the second instalment in Greedysouth's "look back" series, which will be reflecting on past albums that have defined Zimbabwean music.
You can read our previous article on Chiwoniso Maraire's Ancient Voices here.
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