When MuGaratia first burst onto the scene it was on the back of the track "Ndeyekwavo." Created out of the simple notion of leaving someone out of your plans because they don't know how to act, the song gave the artist his breakout moment. A few months later it was followed by MuGaratia's debut project, Galatian EP, which earned it's name from his moniker at the time "Galatian Boy."
While no doubt talented, it would take his debut album Pemurai Dzose, and the genre bending hit song "Sunday" (which really should've been named "Gangsta Musalad") to give him crossover success. Again it was driven by a simple notion: "I'm not as good a person as I should be." As the track spread like wildfire, the "Galatian Boy" transcended his previous identity and on the back of the success of "Sunday," the idea of the Saladic Gangsta EP was born.
What MuGaratia has always showcased is an uncanny ability to find inspiration in the simple and turn it into captivating melodies, while adapting his sound and identity as he goes. Although the underlying ideas behind the music have been simple, his songwriting has been a brilliantly expressed microcosm of the ongoing zeitgeist, wrapped in a sheen of humour that makes easily palatable.
This artistic alchemy is once again at the heart of Saladic Gangsta, an EP that doesn't quite match the heights of it's predecessor but there's more than enough to appreciate about it. In it's brief runtime, the project touches on love, relationships, religion, life, the similarities between King Solomon and Bob Marley, and even fashion. What it lacks in depth it makes up for in musicality and entertainment value.
MuGaratia is at his most confident, referring to himself as the "Gen Z Tuku" on the ballad "Jet" and embracing a fashion forward identity on "Wawiwhy." The EP's production drifts from the classical, to the percussive and the gritty. The project's most brilliant moments are "Mambo Solomon" and "Prayer & Push Ups," two tracks driven by Afropop sensibilities and not shy about celebrating marijuana's better qualities.
As it often is with his music, MuGaratia is just being himself. When "Sunday" went viral, people wondered what sort of person would be characterised as "gangsta musalad"? In the short thesis on the subject that is this EP, the answer is a Zimbabwean youth trying to chart their own cultural path while taking on the country's socioeconomic struggles.
It's not revolutionary or an epiphany that inspires widespread clarity but simple everyday experiences and cultural conflicts expressed well in music. Next to Pemurai Dzose it feels forgettable and it very well might be (because good will always be overshadowed by great), but it's a decent addition to MuGaratia's growing catalogue.
Greedysouth rating: 6.8/10
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