Shoot the Works with the Lawless presents: The originator of, TrapAWAYO, NK Yiso as he answers Ten Questions About #ZimHipHopAwards2016

Zela the Lawless: There's a lot of Bulawayo musicians nominated this year, do you think Bulawayo will continue to rise or this is the best we can offer?

NK Yiso: In my opinion I think Bulawayo has only just broke the ice..and you're sure to see more of our artists  get nominated because we have a lot of talent out there but problem is most them struggle with getting themselves exposed but I asure your yet to see more.

Zela the Lawless: Best Hip Hop Hustle is a bit of a disputatious category, considering that there's no surefire method for measuring one's work ethic, but who is your favorite?

NK Yiso: This  one is kinda tricky because ive already seen 3 names and I ddnt know most of them at first but I saw them get their names out there , doing whatever they could to be in the game and and also make it work for them & trust me thats a hustle especially in our industry but I'd say Cal_vin is my favourite..I seen that nigga  go from "intwana  yaseLuveve" to "Loxion Obama" and we cant deny he's owned up to those names.

Zela the Lawless: Congratulations on Burg Boiz getting nominated. Now, why should I vote for Burg Boiz?

NK Yiso: Well here I'd probably  say because  we the best and we represent the burg (Byo) but thts  not the case its because we here to own the game and uplift it because  burgboiz is more than just us, its a growing hiphop movement in byo and we not talking musically only but also culturally

Zela the Lawless: Is Asaph a newcomer?

NK Yiso: The awards are directed at what we would consider to be Zimbabwe's mainstream. Asaph has been rapping and growing his following for years organically.
He was selected for the award because he's been newly introduced to the mainstream in Zimbabwe, which is a result of his recent performances in different cities across the country.

Zela the Lawless: Do you think #ZimHipHopAwards2016 is a good representation of Hip Hop as a culture?

NK Yiso: Yeah I think so because hiphop doesn't only evolve around music only but also covers different activities   and I think people pushing these different grinds in hiphop  should also get the credit and acknowledgement they deserve.

Zela the Lawless: Who'll walk away with most awards this year?

NK Yiso: My  bet is on Asaph or Cal_vin.

Zela the Lawless: Why do you think there's a Best Underground Award? What do you think separates the 'underground' from the mainstream in this country?
NK Yiso: I think underground rap plays an important role in the culture and was and still is one of foundations of hiphop   and most of the artists pushing it do it mostly  for the love  but it doesn't get enough exposure  but credit is still due.

Zela the Lawless: In the Best Verse category which verse would you remove and which one would you add.

NK Yiso: I haven't listened to all the verses so il get back to you
on that one.

Zela the Lawless: Which song from Cal_Vin should've been nominated for Song of the Year?

NK Yiso: Zandle Emoyeni though Zkhuphani will always be my favourite.

Zela the Lawless: What category would you like to see? And please add nominations.

NK Yiso: Best trap mixtape:  1. #TrapAWAYO
2. #TrapAWAYO
3. #TrapAWAYO
4. #TrapAWAYO
5. #TrapAWAYO

"I think Takura will walk away with more awards..." says Nib Crouch as, Shoot the Works with the Lawless presents: Ten Questions About #ZimHipHopAwards2016, answered.

Zela the Lawless: Is the nomination process fair or biased?

Nib Crouch: I dont think its biased at all, it's fair. Those are the people that applied right?

Zela the Lawless: Why is Stunner's name in the Best Male category?

Nib Crouch: I think it's because he released an album, few people released their albums in 2016. I am still to get it  and listen to it though. Only heard one two songs from his album.

Zela the Lawless: Blac Perl has had yet another good season, but who do you think is likely to topple her?

Nib Crouch: I think Missy can do it, that's the only female rapper I heard this year. Plus she is really good.

Zela the Lawless: What do you think you could've done to get nominated for, let's say, the Best Newcomer award?

Nib Crouch: Maybe a video for Maihwe or The Lotto,  release a full length project, and then apply.

Zela the Lawless: Do you think #ZimHipHopAwards2016 is a good representation of  Hip Hop as a culture, I mean, there's two elements, namely rapping and break dancing being included?
Nib Crouch: Yes its a good represantion of the culture . No doubt.

Zela the Lawless: Who do you think will walk away with the most awards?
Nib Crouch: I think Takura,  will walk away with more awards. He is definitely the man of the year.

Zela the Lawless: Who's your pick for Best Underground?

Nib Crouch: Honestly man,  I dont know, I guess these guys are really underground because I didn't hear anything from them this year. But I have heard Meyniak's works from the previous years, he is really . Would be happy  it if he wins

Zela the Lawless: In the Best Verse category which verse would you remove and which verse would you add?

Nib Crouch: I wouldn't remove any verse,  they were all dope .

Zela the Lawless: Which Cal_Vin song should've been nominated for Song of the Year?

Nib Crouch: I only know,  used to run it . And I think it doesn't qualify to be on the best song nominees.

Zela Lawless: What category would you like to see? And who would be the nominees?

Nib Crouch: Best original content and the nominees Jnr Brown - Tongogara,  Nargee- The Lotto ft Me,  G.I.L - Yahwe

"And the 'she don't need any make-up' hits the spot with naturalists... " Song review of Nib Crouch's Maihwe by Zela Lawless

These days there's a lot of talent out here. It's getting harder and harder to do a unique song review, especially when the genre is Trap, but I've done a Nib Crouch song before and I think it might be my only advantage in this case.

I usually dissect the instrumental first or tell y'all how the flow dovetails the beat but in this case I'll just pick highlights from the song structure that struck a cord in me. The intro and the conclusion, of both the instrumental and vocals are rather abrupt, it gives it a proper studio feel which is fascinating to digitally oriented producers. I know people are like, "Zela GTFOH what did you just say?"
Well, most music back in the day was a live band, just going at it on one go, so there was not much creativity at the beginning of the song, but with a digital audio workstation you can easily do 3/4 of a bar or 3 counts and get straight into the song, like the producers did in this case. Just to mention, I'm a bit old school and a fanatic of organic music and actually think a band could replicate the intro, but it wouldn't be easy. Some may say I'm petty but I say it's tolerance to small changes that make our music beautiful. The conclusion is good in itself, the song doesn't unnecessarily drag on, and you can't ever go wrong with that seductive voice at the end.

If the verses are a 4/5 then the chorus is a definite 5/5 cuz it was replaying in my head for days after playing it just twice. By the way that's a trick I do so I'm honest with myself. If I'm to review your song, I play it once or twice then I go on with my daily schedule, if it sticks it sticks if it don't then you might not like my review. Back to the chorus, some musicians write a chorus as a summary of their verses and some write it as some sort of 'expanded-heading' if there's something like that, and 7/10 times I can tell which technique the musician uses, this time the odds are against me, I'll have to ask him. Humbled LOL. But what we all sure of is that the girl Nib is talking about in this case steals the show everywhere she goes, and she's the center of attraction apparently and she don't pay no attention to nobody. Such women are hard to ignore, and a few sips of your favorite poison will make you say something to her or about her. OK, I need more than a few sips to talk to a self absorbed woman but hey, I'm not talking on behalf of the 'Mack League'.

There's not much separating the hook from the verses but the claps on beat, and the snare rolls, and the exclusion of the 808 kick and the hi hat. Is that a lot? Nah it's not, and it's such subtleness that gives music that extra oomph.

I'll work with one verse, the song doesn't drag on, so neither should I. Let's fast forward to the second verse where the artist talks about the woman being a superwoman which is appreciated I assume by feminists and ladies in general who want their strengths appreciated. And the 'she don't need any make-up' hits the spot with naturalists and Afro-centric sisters. I'm not so sure about the prenuptial agreement line though, anything to do with marriage and property scares the crap out of me, but let me know in comments what you think of the musician's lines and the whole song in general, who knows? You might review it better than me. Before I leave the verse alone I need to mention I'll interviewing Nib in the coming days so I'll ask about the Noble Styles scheme he spit.

That's my two cents, folks. Maihwe is a yet another great number by Nib Crouch and his team for us to vibe to. In concluding I need to point out that there's some white noise tucked behind the rest of the instruments, I feel it gives things a steampunk feel and as a steampunk enthusiast I'm I'm honored. That's it for now, buh bye!