With time, the Zambian Music Industry has evolved and we have seen it grow beyond our borders and getting recognition from big names like Marvel Studios on the International Entertainment Industry as the case of Sampa The Great’s “Never Forget” song which is the Official Track for The Black Panther Trailer set to be released in November 2022.
One thing that has remained stagnant for quite a long time is the Hip Hop Music and artist in that Genre.
From the time Hip Hop was introduced, during the times of CRISIS and later came the beef involving Slapdee and Macky 2. Zambians were starting to embrace that Genre of music. Then Came female rappers Brisky, Cleo Ice Queen, Bombshell n many others…
With Technology getting advanced everyday and the introduction of Social Platforms like YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and more, numbers determine how big an artist is.
So far the only Rapper who has gained the people’s love and attention is Chef 187 and he is the only one who has a Million Followers on his Facebook Account. Numbers don’t lie, he gained a name of “People’s Favorite Rapper” for himself.
Zambia’s big hip hop names include, Slapdee who is also referred to as the King Of Hip Hop but when you look at his social media accounts, non of them has a Million Followers not even any video with a million views on His YouTube Channel. Do you know that Slapdee has the most number of endorsements deals compared to any male artist on the Zambian Music Scene?
We have Cleo Ice Queen, she’s the baddest female rapper in the game with a number of hit songs and an AFRIMA to her name. Oh, did I also mention she’s also the only Zambian Artist signed to an international Record Label? Yep, Cleo is signed under Def Jam Records, the same Record Label were Nasty C is signed..
Jay Rox was part of Zone Fam, the most happening hip hop group to ever grace the Zambian Music Industry. He decided to go solo and he has done amazing things ever since. He now has a record Label of his own known as Head Phone Music.
Mic Burner was reported to be the first Zambian rapper to have shot the most expensive video of his song “Thought Of You“. When he first started many people even thought he was not Zambian because he brought a different kind of fusion. He was more of a Jamaican rapper.
Bombshell joined Cleo and everyone was amazed to see female rappers on the music scene dominating what was more of a male genre. Do you know that she also has an international Award to her name? Yes, Bombshell was awarded best Female Rapper Southern Africa At last Years AFRIMMA.
If you ask me, Tiye P is by far the best male hip hop artist and he is the most underrated rapper on the Zambian Music Scene. Its like he doesn’t even exist but when he hits the mic, gees those bars just flow like water in a stream..
When you look at the numbers, non of the rappers mentioned has reached a Million Follower on their social platforms, talk of views in YouTube. Which is disappointing looking at their works.
If they are able to get international collaborations or get nominated and win International Awards doesn’t that mean they are good? If they get recognized outside, why can’t they be recognized in their own Country? What could be the problem?
Slapdee, Cleo Ice Queen, Bombshell, Tiye P, Jay Rox, Mic Burner, Please Receive your flowers from us while you can still smell them. You are the epitome of Zambian Hip Hop. Continue doing what you are doing and Thank you for flying the Zambian Flag High using your talent.
