Zimbabwean Hip Hop - History

History

There are many Zimbabwean Hip hop acts, in and around the world, with varying degrees of success. The majority of them are heavily influenced by American East Coast hip hop, with the younger ones leaning more toward the new dominant American dirty south sound. On the other hand, there are a few acts that are now trying to move away from the American stereotype and reinvent themselves by building and branching off from the remnants of the "Urban grooves" era . "Urban Grooves" was an umbrella term (for lack of a better word) for all the urban genres of music that were popular in Zimbabwe at the time (Hip hop, R'n'B, Dancehall, Afro pop). The "Urban Grooves" movement and those within have been maturing, and at the same time, the laws have re-integrated International music according to the growth of the Zimbabwean local industry, what where the sub-genres of "Urban grooves" are now developing into whole and independent genres of their own. There seems to exist a visible effort on the part of a lot of current MC's to experiment in order to redefine and own a sound that could be recognised as Zimbabwean Hip hop. Some are doing this by making a more extensive use their own traditional languages (Shona and Ndebele), and local instruments such as Mbira, Marimba, Ngoma (traditional drums) or Hosho (traditional shaker).

Read more about this topic:  Zimbabwean Hip Hop

Famous quotes containing the word history:

    A country grows in history not only because of the heroism of its troops on the field of battle, it grows also when it turns to justice and to right for the conservation of its interests.
    Aristide Briand (1862–1932)

    Every generation rewrites the past. In easy times history is more or less of an ornamental art, but in times of danger we are driven to the written record by a pressing need to find answers to the riddles of today.... In times of change and danger when there is a quicksand of fear under men’s reasoning, a sense of continuity with generations gone before can stretch like a lifeline across the scary present and get us past that idiot delusion of the exceptional Now that blocks good thinking.
    John Dos Passos (1896–1970)

    I believe my ardour for invention springs from his loins. I can’t say that the brassiere will ever take as great a place in history as the steamboat, but I did invent it.
    Caresse Crosby (1892–1970)