By Bongani Dube (@djtizalami)
By now you should have heard that the Prodigal Sonz, which some of us in the Swazi arts sector had considered to be the ‘Last Group Standing’, finally bowed down to the inevitable gravitational forces of disintegration, albeit amicably so – as they would like us to believe, marking perhaps the final straw that broke the camel’s back to (Swazi) Hip Hop groups that emerged and subsisted in the last decade from today.
Prodigal Sonz announced their proverbial hanging of boots, err mics in their case, in the cold month of June this year (2017), barely a year after celebrating their 10th anniversary as a group at an event that was held at the then Finesse Heights (now Venue AVVII). Made up of three members: Mimz, Smanga, and Suicide, the trio conceived the idea of a hip hop group back in high school in Nhlangano, Swaziland, in 2006; and broke into the mainstream in 2010 following the release of their debut single ‘Best clique’ (produced by M.Seth). Although today the song would be considered a bit laughable given advancements in sound, writing, delivery, and production in recent years, it made it to the local charts back then peaking at number three, a commendable effort given the then structure of the charts. (The chart show back then was dominated by American and South African music. Look out for a forthcoming blogpost on the history of the chart show in Swaziland).
The group went on to release a chain of other top ten singles; ‘Ngiyintfombi sibili’ (featuring C4), ‘Gcwala’, ‘I’m a star’, ‘Skippa’, and their sole number one hit ‘Siyabangena’. ‘Siyabangena’ featured Ngwane hop maestro Diba Diba as well as NR, and made it to the SBIS Top 40 Hits of the Year at the end of 2012. In 2013, the group released their debut and only studio album ‘Singumliba’, which presumably sold fairly well. Sadly, Swaziland is still yet to put in place formal album sales’ monitoring and certification systems which, hopefully, would be responsive to the new paradigm shift towards online music distribution. We only but pray that that happens in our lifetime.
Prodigal Sonz’ ultimate disbandment presents a new chapter to each member of the group, as they embark on solo projects. Although we are still to hear from Smanga and Suicide, Mimz has already hit the ground running releasing a new single under a new name, new sound, and new conviction. His new name is MimzKhulu, new sound – Gospel hip hop, and new conviction – gospel artist! Titled ‘Nasusindzile’, the song is produced by Mvilas of Eardrumzz Music, and is already on heavy rotation on both SBIS1 and SBIS2 radio stations. It will be made available for purchase on www.musicswaziland.com in August 2017.
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In their being defunct, Prodigal Sonz join a bandwagon of other erstwhile groups that left an indelible mark on the Swazi hip hop scene in the last decade from today. These are GEM, Forkast, and Earthquake, among others.
GEM were a three-member group that consisted of Mfanelo, Chris, and Vanlz; a group that redefined and set the tone for Swazi-centric hip hop in 2010. They first made their debut on the Swazi Rhythm and For The Love of Hip Hop shows presented by Lindelwa Mafa, Mozaik, and KrTC back then, with songs ‘Emaweni’ and ‘We gonna make it’. In 2011, they went on to unleash one of Swaziland’s classic tracks of all time titled ‘Swazi party’, amassing themselves legions of fans throughout the country. Laden with Swazi drums and rhythm, the song received rave reviews in the local media, only second to the biggest song of the time ‘Gwayimane‘ by Siyinqaba. Notwithstanding the fact that Swazi hip hop had been around already, thanks to the original pioneers (who we shall write about in detail on a separate blog post), the years 2010 – 2015 marked a tipping point for Swazi music, particularly the urban sound which we alternately refer to as ‘Swazi rhythm’ (inclusive of hip hop, R&B, dance, kwaito, kasi rap, and other variants). In fact, Siyinqaba’s album affirmed the notion that Swazi music had come of age and ready to conquer the world. Perhaps, Siyinqaba, who are among the pioneers, are the real ‘Last Group Standing’.
Gem, went on to release other equally huge tracks; ‘Ooh la la’, ‘Skippa’, and ‘Our Father’, all chart toppers in their respective rights. But what happened to GEM? Well, lead vocalist Vanlz went on to pursue a successful solo career, although he maintained that he was still part of the group. He dropped a single that changed the face of radio in 2013 titled ‘Friendship Zone’, becoming the song of the year in the same year. He followed it up with ‘But I’m not afraid’, as well as ‘Studio’ in years 2014 and 2015. Last year he featured in Llucid’s track titled ‘Not famous’ as well as collaborated with Joseph Alexandra Brown in a track titled ‘It’s alright’. Swaziland awaits with bated breath the release of Vanlz’ debut album which is hinted to be titled ‘Earthlings’. Mfanelo on the other hand went on to study music business and subsequently managed several artists. Currently, he manages Flameboy Universe – a sensational new kid on the block. Not much is known of what became of Chris, a very calm and talented artist.
Forkast, touted as ‘the academics’, were an extremely gifted foursome that consisted of Silent Bullet, 80 Script, Blue Print, and InFil, who brought a fresh feel to Swazi hip hop. Their debut single aptly titled ‘So fresh’, was produced by award-winning producer Sub Jamz, and dominated the airwaves in 2011. They were to make a follow up single titled ‘Who we are’, which silenced many a critic. It consolidated their title as the most lyrically gifted group at the time, as each member’s persona and intellect came out strongly. ‘Who we are’ was produced by award-winning producer Mozaik (now Mozaik The Producer).
However, the group officially disbanded around 2012/13 to pursue various callings within and outside music. Silent Bullet went on to do several collaborations with various artists, and released solo projects as well. He became part of Sexion8; an ensemble of prime rappers from Manzini and Matsapha (who included Kena and Ghetto Villah among others). Silent Bullet, without doubt, is among the fastest ‘spitters‘ locally. 80 Script, on the other hand, went on to re-invent himself as a force to reckon with in the Swazi hip hop fraternity, breaking new grounds within and beyond our borders. In 2015, he dropped a game-changing project titled ‘These are the basics’, a project which could have easily gone platinum had it been released in the United States of America or elsewhere. The project had runaway hits ‘Aristocrats’, ‘No more Mr Nice Guy’, ‘Profits’, ‘Godspeed’, among others. In 2016, he dropped yet another scorcher titled ‘You do the dishes’ which became a collector’s delight. Meanwhile, 80 Script is working on his debut album titled ‘That of Greatness’, and has already dropped the lead single ‘Yaya‘ (featuring Una Rams of ‘Monies’ fame).
Earthquake were originally a three member group, but the third member quit in the formative years, leaving Mcent and Bonkie as a duo. Mentored by Matsapha-based producer DeeFlava, the group shook up the industry when they collaborated with Princess Tebukhosi on a song called ‘It kills me’. They were to follow it up with one called ‘Carry on’ featuring Princess Tebu and Slotta in 2011. They also had their song ‘Run it’ (featuring DeeFlava) rocking the airwaves in 2012. However, although they did not formally announce the group’s demise, they have been pursuing solo projects while keeping their friendship intact. And this holds true to all groups discussed herein. They remain loyally committed to their friendship, and if that’s not maturity then nothing is. Mcent has been heavily involved in production under his Virtuosoul Music label, and has several singles out, with the latest one titled ‘Kiss you’. Bonkie is now a DJ and doubles as a graphic designer.
There are many other big groups that emerged during the era under review; TLP (formerly Cup n Lollipop), L.I.T, YnV, Young Envy, Three Streets, Killer Gees, Da Price, and they have all escalated to the next level of growth: that of solo projects.
We’d love to see re-union performances from time to time, wouldn’t we?
djtizalami 