UP CLOSE WITH ZAMBIA’S FEMALE RAPPER BOMBSHELL
“Rapping is very competitive, being involved in
the rap game is a full time job, it must be
your priority. If by the infinitely small chance
you actually end up being a famous rapper,
you will be required to constantly improve
your rapping skills or you will soon be
forgotten and lose everything that you worked
for.” -Bombshell
QUES: What are your real names and explain
your alias Bombshell?
ANS: My names are Bwalya Chibesakunda,
Well….there’s a trail of good memories from
where I got the name from, but I owe it all to
my family as a kid growing up, the way I
could role play Marilyn Monroe and dress my
hair like her, (chuckles) usually almost
everything I did was surprisingly shocking and
explosive, hence the name. Especially my
Uncles and Mum called me that, I hated it at
first, but you know…..as time went on I grew
in it and it stuck, couldn’t wash it off and I’ve
matured to embrace it into a Brand and a
House-Hold-Name.
QUES: Where did you grow up & how did you
come across hip hop?
ANS: Well….I grew up in various parts of the
Country,and I traveled cross borders due to my
folk’s occupations, but I owe it all to the Heart
of Lusaka City (Berg City)the place I Honor
and Embrace Dearly.
Hip-hop is no stranger in the Home I grew up
in,I was introduced to the culture by my
uncles, who embraced most of the elements
that make it complete like Rap, Break Dancing,
Graffiti Art, Beat boxing etc.on the Music side
rap is all I heard them play (Mostly), so it
became a part of me and am proud of it, can’t
picture what I’d be without it.
QUES: Describe the bombshell sound and what
drives you as an artist?
ANS: My sound is Unique,its Diverse,Authent
ic,Its extraordinary and to sum it up in one
word its…..EXPLOSIVE!!!
As an Artist am driven by the energy mother
nature offers,what life teaches,issues in my
day to day experiences and the Society we live
in as a whole,from the local aspect to the
global community
QUES: What artists have been the influences
that made you do hip hop?
ANS: Really I’ve been influenced by the Best
that ever did it,both Local and international..
…like Foxy Brown, Da Brat, Eve, Jay-Z, B.I.G,
Nas, Daddy Zemus, Queen Sheeba, the list
goes on.
QUES: Who’s your favourite female rapper of
all time?
ANS: FOXY BROWN
QUES: With the way the industry is now most
female rappers are using their sexual appeal
to help sell their music. Does having a sexy
image concern you as an artist?
ANS: In this day and age….sex appeal sells,
that goes for men or women. female sex
appeal is just more popular and predominant.
Music, television, the Internet and magazines
are full of sexual images of women. Women’s
sex appeal is used in a vulgarly manner by
the hip-hop industry to sell music and to
arouse fans.
The most vulgar representations of women are
viewed in Hip-Hop lyrics and videos. Rap
groups and artists such as NWA, Too $hort,
Uncle Luke and Lil’ Kim have escalated
women’s sexual representation since the
1990s.The music industry’s belief that sex
sells influences female artists. Many female
rap artists change their image or music style
to fit into the music world.so personally I
think it’s not right to use your sexy image to
sell music, if one is gifted with the art to make
music its fine, being sexy and sassy is just a
plus.
QUES: I first heard you on the track Bad
MothaF*&#a with Bulo man, TR &
5Four…how did that collaboration come
about and how was the experience?
ANS: Oh yeah that controversial joint(Laughs)
,it was a great experience coz I was just
starting out and trying to earn my spot in the
rap game at that time.5ive 4our and Bulo
Man were already my mates from back in the
day,it was actually Bulo’s idea and 5ive 4our
crowned it and hooked me up for a feature,TR
was a rapper from the Copperbelt that got a
slot on the Joint,that’s how I got to meet
him,being the female rapper on a same track
with three dope rappers was an honor. It was
amazing.
QUES: You left the music scene for a while
what caused that?
ANS: My debut appearance on the music
scene occurred when I was still in High school,
so when I graduated I left the country for
south Africa to an institution of higher
Learning to pursue a career in Retail business
management at C.P.U.T (Cape Peninsula
University of Technologies).I graduated and
came back, reconnected with my roots, got
back in the studio and ever since…..the fire
been burning.
QUES: You’re now back on the scene and
we’ve heard a couple of songs from you of
which some are collaborations. Which artist
have you had the most chemistry with so far?
ANS: Yeah Of course, umm…speaking of
chemistry, in the studio I usually brainstorm
with PROFYLE, K.R.Y.T.I.C and Jay Rox a lot
,but on a feminine level my very close friend
Cleo Ice Queen she has been the person I vibe
with in and outside music circles.
QUES: Which local rapper are you feeling right
now?
At the Moment am kinda feeling two
rappers,K.R.Y.T.I.C and a rapper called Zah
(a Zambian based in the UK).
QUES: With very few female emcees on the
Zambian hip hop scene what do you feel
female emcees need to do get more
recognition the local and international
market?
ANS: Rapping is very competitive, being
involved in the rap game is a full time job, it
must be your priority,If by the infinitely small
chance you actually end up being a famous
rapper, you will be required to constantly
improve your rapping skills or you will soon be
forgotten and lose everything that you worked
for. You must work on developing your
rapping talent, if you are unable to make
music that people will pay to hear then you
will be a guaranteed failure.
Start off by writing a lot of songs, keep in
mind that you are trying to make a song that
is special in some sort of way. Your goal is to
make something memorable so that when
someone listens to your song they will want to
go back and listen to it again later. And if
they really like it they will show it to their
friends too. This is how music spreads to
more people.
Tell a story with your song, this keeps the
listener engaged. It is easy for one to lose
interest in a song if it is focused on a bunch
of random generic topics.
Make it so your song includes a complex
rhyme scheme, its very impressive if a rapper
is able to get a point across while having
multi-syllable rhymes from line to line.
Be original, most artists talk about the same
things, so if you focus on something new then
your music will resonate in peoples’ minds.
The quality or your music will bring people in
to listen, but without a good image, you
yourself will not be memorable. Be of
relevance to the public,study and read books
to improve your vocabulary and brain
muscle.Utilize social media, perform at events
to gain recognition,bedroom rappers never
blossom, be open to criticism and most
importantly get an education first.
QUES: So what should we expect from you in
2016?
ANS: Musically,Am Currently working on my
debut LP Album,a highly anticipated project
which is due this summer 2016,I want to give
my fans what they deserve….On a BOMB
Level,so am in the studio every chance I get to
work towards it,expect more collabos with
your favorite artists and a lot of explosive
music videos. Apart from music am casting in
a local series titled “SEMBE” that will show on
Zambezi Magic channel. Also I will do some
live TV presenting, though I cannot disclose
everything at the moment, the rest are a
surprise to all my $hellz. watch the space. Am
nothing without my Fans(My $hellz) one love.
QUES: Any last words?
ANS: I wanna say Thanks To everyone that
has supported me since day one,believed in
me,and encouraged me to be strong enough to
reach this far.If I haven’t mentioned your name
it doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate you,its just
too many of you out there that matter in my
life.To all my $hellz GOD Richly Bless y’all
QUES: And how can people get hold of and
your music?
ANS: People can search and find my Music on
Youtube.zambiantunes,Aftofire.etc