XYZ is certainly one of the most successful music crews and music labels in Zambia. With members like Bobby East, Kan2, Jony C, Stevo and the chief Slap Dee, as well as many other highly talented young fellas, the clique has come to be one of the most happening crew in the Zambian music industry. With its rival kopala swag crew, they have propelled an evolution and dramatic transformation of Zambia music, and hiphop in particular, and have led hundreds of thousand Zambian young generation shift an orientation from western music to love of Local Music.
In 2014, Stevo aka rap guru, a crew member of XYZ rose rapidly to the scene after a 2013 signing of contract with Slap's XYZ. In 2014, he won the prestigious Born n Bred award with his hit rap song Nilipamutunda. This saw him rise to fame especially in Lusaka and other Nyanja speaking regions of the country. Since then, he has done quiet a number of hit tracks such as 'I made it, Situation part 1 and 2, Journey to West and Many more, which have had massive air play on radio stations in the country.
However, what i feel is looking at the way Stevo rose to fame and his potential to compete in the industry, his vision of being the most revered rapper in Zambia cannot be archived for as long as he is affiliated to XYZ. Stevo rose to fame without a famous artist featuring in his song like most upcoming do. He brought himself in the industry, regardless of having being noticed by Slap Dee. However, just like any other game, competition is necessary to be recognized the best. But for the fact that Stevo would not place himself above his founder, this will always affect him and his reputation as XYZ's best rapper.
Some zed hiphop funs have come to conclude that Stevo is so far the best rapper in XYZ, while Chef 187 is the best rapper in Zambia. Critics have come conclude that as Chef is the best, Stevo is the second and then others. This has been as a result of the rich and rhetoric lyrical content these two guys punch. Their next word is unknown and their lyrics is some sort of what someone would not use in everyday language. Slap's lyrics is definitely common as well as Macky 2's. This is what differentiates these two racers from other.
In my opinion in Rap, there has to be some initiative and mystery to take someone to go home and as themselves "Why the heck did he use such words". The combination of words and the sensibility of lyrics is what makes someone a good rapper. Slap Dee has been judged to be the best rapper and better than Stevo because he is his founder and the XYZ boss, and on the other hand, it is that he has been longer in the game than Stevo. But this shouldnt be the case. Stevo may be recent but he has evolved to be the best rapper in XYZ and one of the best in Zambia. I like his WhatsApp status that he said "To have more followers than me does not mean your better than me, Hitler had a million, Jesus had twelve". In itself this is a punchline that i personally can say is attributed to all these other rappers some people claim they are better than him such as Macky 2, Slap Dee, and so on.
Commanding more fame does not mean you are the best. Yes! when it comes to money and more funs at the shows you are the best, but that does not make you the best artiste in the game. Copperbelt based artist Muzo aka Alphonso realised this fact and dropped out of Kopala Swag crew and refuted Alpha's Macky 2's contract with the claim that MK delayed to release his album. But in the actual sense, in my opinion, it is the competition against Chef and Macky 2 that chased Muzo out of Alpha entertainment. He thought competing against these guys outside the crew will give him an advantage.
In this case it is in my view that if Stevo aka Rap Guru is to achieve his claim of being the best rapper in Zambia, he must pull outta XYZ and this will definitely keep him on top of the game because competition between him and all rappers including Slap and the crew will now be visible.
By Dj Advocate Zambia http://www.faceboook.com/djadvocatezambia
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