You’re surprised why people choose 2 Chains, Kanye west, Jay Z, <insert dope rapper here> and J.Cole over most of our Zimbabwean hip-hop music? Well because most rappers are just carbon copies of the above. There is lack of innovation in the game and imitation is our limitation.
Now I will not lie that you can push several downloads while being someone else. You may even get a better fan base than an original emcee. There are actually big names that have gotten to the top through imitation. A whole football team of them have done so. Don’t worry I will not point out who they are but you’ve already seen them flash in your mind. I said it, “Rappers nowadays sound the same like when dogs are barking.” You cannot tell who’s who, because they are swagger jacking the same Yeezy and the same Cole.
If Rapper A and Rapper B are both stealing Wiz Khalifa rhyme schemes, they are bound to sound the same. Of course they will not sound exactly like Wiz but a carbon copy will always be faint. A photocopy will always have impurities and distortions. The disease is even in the producers, they are also carbon copying a lot of American Producers, whatever is trending.
Have you ever listened to a song and thought of how the beat resemble an American hip-hop song you know? Maybe you brushed the thought aside, but you were probably right. They imitated that song and thought no one would notice, but I guess maybe 1 in every 7 people pays attention to detail. Krimz Beatz has told me to listen to a lot of Zim hip-hop hits and also handed me the tracks they copied. He has a great ear, and I lost respect for many producers and artists. I myself notice stolen rhyme schemes no matter what beat you put them on.
There are also quite a number of carbon copies of Stunner and Junior Brown. Yes, a lot of Shona rappers are trying to be these guys, while these guys are still well and alive. They must feel very proud of themselves. If you’re an artist reading this and you are feeling offended, I’m probably talking about people like you. The motive is not to offend you; it’s to make you see how I as a fan view it. The only names being dropped in this post are on the positive, so don’t worry, your name is not coming up soon.
Then there’s a breed of teenagers that will do a full mixtape on copied rhyme schemes, and titles. I am not talking about cover songs. I am talking about inserting your words into a Jay Z, Moment Of Clarity verse and riding it on a different beat. Yes, we noticed that Kanye rhyme scheme in your rap and no we ain’t bumping to that. We prefer the real song. These are the same dudes that blast at original ghetto local Hip-hop sound as being urban grooves. But maybe the reason that “urban grooves” sound is widespread than yours is because it’s more original.
Synik taught us, you can be original in Zimbabwean Hip-hop and get recognition from the crowd that rocks to Hip-hop. Begotten Sun and FTR showed us in the same album, that you can be original and Zimbo in your sound and still not be classified under urban grooves. The thing is, people just don’t like fake stuff. Don’t be fooled by props from your little Facebook circle that sugar coats your fake image. Numbers are not politicians, they don’t lie. The public isn’t bumping to the Cesare Borgia of Zim Hip hop, so spare our data bundles.
Mcpotar is a very opinionated Hip-hop Reviewer (and many other things). To get a dose of his propaganda follow him on @Mcpotar on twitter. Also like his page Mcpotar.
