Wednesday, 28 March 2012
Thursday, 22 March 2012
Wednesday, 21 March 2012
Saturday, 10 March 2012
Saturday, 3 March 2012
This Poster can save your Time, Money & ur LIFE!
When ever I get confused… start to believe shit I know is probably false… Think: Maybe… Just Maybe… I look at this poster and SLAP myself! These words I first heard as a 14-15 Yr old boy, as I was paying a new track of mine to the Legendary Bassist and Gutarist Mr Isaac Chirwa…
The words still ring in my mind… 18 years later...
Friday, 2 March 2012
My Personal review of @TehnDiamons #SOTG3: The Pursuit of Amazing 3.5/5
Personally lately I've thought that a lot of HIPHOP is general sucks... I'm not nearly as harsh on my fellow Zim rappers as some are, coz I understand Zim Hiphop is purely a microcosm of the bullshit happening world wide.
Lately I've been bumping a lot of the Kings (Jnr Brown & MC Chita) and their Kings Rendezvous, as I drive around. Since my young bro Karizzy came home, I've slowly become excited about Zim Hiphop again.
So yesterday Tehn Diamond came through to my crib to pick up Karizzy and WhatsApped me a link to his new Street Album/ Mixtape. ZOL was cooperating so 10 mins later, as I sat by my BBQ, in the warm night, started bumping it... and first reaction is WOW!
Now I am really excited about ZIM HIPHOP coz it may just SAVE hiphop worldwide... seriously!
1. Introducing 3
Samples Pursuit of Happiness "Never let anyone tell you, you can't do something... not even me..."
2. Forever Here
Tehn goes seriously introspective on this record. Lyrically he goes at it for damn near 200 bars non-stop. The beat starts with the soulful strings, and a subtly vocoded/autotuned Simba Tagz singing in the background. The production is solid and the bars will bring you to get to know the mind of this young man. He's dope, hard working, smart, confident yet very conflicted.
"Boys will be Boys, and Boys will make choices/
Choices to build up or destroy shit...
I'm just happen to be a Boy with a Voice, choiceness..."
3. Angels Say ft. MC Chita
Ok, forget everything you know or think about MC Chita. Here he's on some REAL SHIT! This actually makes me really anticipate "The Ambassadors Son" out later this month. Tehn handles both Singing and rapping duties. Tehn is a seriously good vocalist. He won't be able to run away from the Drake analogy, but i believe much better. The Piano laced track is really dope, bar the weird choice of Orchestral Stabs for the every 8 bar crescendo??? Anyways one of my favourites on the tape!
4. Be Amazing ft. S-Preme
Ok, beat starts like something Noah "40" Shebib, offered Drake and he said, "Nah..." The flat kicks and ticks as snares... hmmmmm... then the low choir comes in, then I get it! Then Tehn starts spitting, then I totally understand. DOPE track. STRONG lyrics. The fact Tehn says "I used to wanna be Hov" is ironic since his "to the Amazing" bridge is soooo Hovitto. Maimi's S-Preme sound like a cross between J-Cole & Nispy Hustle... very dope rapper, and adds value, which is a good thing.
5. H-Town Boy
Sounds like the bastard child of "Grown up Kid" and something out of an 80's Eddy Murphy movie. Tehn tries his hand at some vernacular in the second verse... here you can tell he's very Northern Suburbs... call it my old energy, but the abrasive synths and throw away hook makes this my first "Skip" track!
NB: Karizzy & Young Inno here in the studio and think its DOOOOPPPEE! but this is my Blog so... touché
6. Oleku Remix
No idea why this made the tape... Lyrically Tehn is dope on this... then he takes 2 mins shouting out his #Twimbos etc... I ain't mad at this track... but SKIP!
7. Hard Times ft. Ill-Ceey
Solid production, that just struggles to make sense after Oleku. Both MC hold their own, with sadly forgettable lyrics. Sounds like something our of NY when the West was on top. Don't really hear the "Hard Times in this Crazy Town" coming through really. However, Hard Times are relative.
8. Life Goes On ft. Davina Green
Only bad thing about this track is the very lazy hook... "Life goes on and on and on and on and on and on and oooon x 2..." seriously. I'm sure Davina Green is a good singer... but on this track, She can thank a very well thought set of verses and great delivery from Tehn for its listenability.
I was there when Dzingi ran his first 10.4
then I saw him at the games chasing Usain Bolt
9. I Steal Dreams
Very Nice!
We don't wanna here that weak shit no more
with your fake gang-banging; treating queens like whores.
Your chain hang low huh, check it at the door...
coz ur chain don't change the fact that your lyrically poor!
I like very much
10. Lost Sons
Starts off like a spaceship has landed (in a very bad way)... then the chipmunk "soul sample" a la Kanye circa 2001. But the production is mad genius, with the beautiful Fender Rhodes keys, with subtle piano and dreary bass. Dirty Break beat and Tehn smoothly riding on top of it. one of the gems of the tape no doubt.
11. The Sign ft. Karizma & Teq-Neeq
Very ill production from Take 5! Very very ill. Lets the MC's shine. Tehn is a very brave man indeed to line up next to Karrizy (for obviously biased reasons) and Teq-Neeq, for obviously reasons you will hear:
"I'll be Taking 5, and giving Tehn a diamond shining,
like I'm mining on the ground from Mutare's where I reside" Teq-Neeq
Damn, seriously nearly forgot to listen to Tehns Verse, which is 3rd, wheeeeelooooping Teq-Neeq's verse... and Tehn and Karizzy are bar for bar some of the strongest MC's i've had the pleasure of knowing. But young TEQ is a BEAST. He did the same to Jnr Brown and MC Chita on the Kings joint. What more can I say.
12. From The Horse's Mouth ft. Hash (Not Brown)
Some how feels like Tehn on H-Town Boy, he wrote these track around the "Grown Up Kid" days and he didn't want to wast the bars. Don't know if this track was necessary... anyways. SKIP
13. Lord Knows, I'm Penless (Freestyle)
The "Lord Knows" beat jack works well. Very dope beat, dope lyrics, but should have been bundled with Oleku remix and left on SoundCloud. VERY listenable, in fact... its dope.
14. Distracted ft. Herby Dangerous
Tehn switched his flow up on this one. And feels very comfy. Then the dreaded moment comes... the Ja-faken hook. I met Herby a few times, don't mind him as a person. But he ruined MC Chita's performance at Zwagga the last friday. I don't get this dude. God bless him, but he was unnecessary on the hook.
15. U R Di Hottest ft. Stunner & Alkanemo
Ok so here a good way to make a shit sandwich. Take Zim greatest upcoming rap talent Tehn, Mix him with Zim's reigning Urban Grooves Shona Rap King Stunner, force him to rap in bad English. Then take Alka-Nemo, one of the arguably most gifted vocalists and rappers in Africa, make him sing with Auto-tune on a Jamaican drop beat... Then let Stunner break more english in a weird monologue soliloquy in the middle about shooorty & breakfast.
I mourned when I heard this track... immediately went to twitter...
I'll let Munetsi have the last word...
16. Fall Back ft. Junior Brown
I know when u saw "featuring Jnr Brown" you held your breath hoping it was "Happy"... no such luck. However; fallback shows the great chemistry between Breezy and Tehn. Breezy is undisputed CHAMP. He just brings a serious swag aura on everything he touches. Tehn brings his A game on the verses and Brown blesses the Chorus. U can almost forgive the weak production coz these MC hold up the track.
17 The Sweet Life ft. Simba Tags
Ok the production is very dope. Again pianos, orchestral, irregular beat pattern... Solid. Simba Tagz raps like a lower version of Magoo, so as a novelty, you can forgive him on one track. I think he should stick to singing, but that me hating I guess.
18 Hanzi (Where U At?) ft. Juan Take & LOCHnation
Don't know about this track... dope enough I guess... hmmmmm
19. Telescope
I think this is a great song for the closing of the Tape. Very Anthemic production and 2paccy chorus. But I'm tired...
like most 19 track tapes, listener fatigue has set in. Its seriously a solid release from NAMA winner Tehn Diamond. I love this tape. I will do my usual and remove what I don't like, and leave my 12 track classic on the iPod. In this 19 track form, I give is 3 & half Mbira's outta 5. For me thats seriously dope coz I rarely like ANYTHING!!! Well done Tehn and the Team.
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