Exclusive: Darryl Nyamutsamba Gives The Lowdown On The Zim Hip-Hop Summit

Zim Hip Hop for the longest time has been a cause for conversation within the country. While to the common man, hip-hop is a genre, to heads and music industry stakeholders, hip-hop is a culture. In mainstream media in Zimbabwe, hip-hop has faced a lot of challenges both inwardly and from the fans. On the African continent, hip-hop has grown and even found its commercial footing in entertainment. In South Africa, hip-hop has made a number of artists within the genre become millionaires and commercial brands. In Zimbabwe, the narrative is very different and there’s been a need to address the issue. Well, Shoko Festival 2017 will be hosting the first Zim Hip Hop Summit to open the discussion about Zim hip-hop. Steered by hip-hop promoter, Plot Mhako, hip-hop journalist and artist Darryl Nyamustsamba and female rapper Awa Khiwe, the Zim Hip-Hop Summit is a platform that’s been a long time coming. To share more about the summit is an individual who is no stranger to hip-hop. Darryl Nyamutsamba has shared his thoughts and articles as an editor for SA Hip Hop magazine. He is also a contributor to the hip-hop community both in South Africa and back at home as an artist. With his passion to see a growing industry, his collaboration with Plot Mhako and Awa alongside Shoko Festival see to this vision. Find out more about the Zim Hip-Hop Summit from Darryl in the interview below.

Hi Darryl and thank you for your time. Most of our readers would like to know what the Zim Hip-Hop Summit is about?

Darryl: The Zim Hip Hop Summit is a one-day convention that seeks to bring together artists and other stakeholders to share knowledge, have a dialogue. The Zim Hip Hop Summit is about building bridges on a myriad of levels. The conference aims to bring local and some international hip hop players to exchange information and explore ways of ensuring growth and sustainability.

How did you all link up with Plot Mhako and Awa Khiwe to organize such an event?

Darryl: We had been having conversations about the Hip Hop industry in Zim and we felt that it didn’t make sense to have so much great Hip Hop music being churned out from our country but barely see any artists making a living off their art!

We later decided to have the summit as a way of taking the conversation a step further and have experts speak on our industry and how we can create lucrative businesses within the fraternity.

How did you come up with Shoko Festival as the platform to debut the summit?

Darryl: Shoko Festival has done a lot for the Hip Hop culture in Zimbabwe so we decided to collaborate with them because we figured we could add value to their platform while learning so much from them! They have an amazing team that has managed to make sure that Hip Hop artists better themselves in all aspects!

Which of your past projects most resemble the work that needs to be done for this event?

Darryl: I think this event is the first of its kind in the entertainment industry! The way the event is set up is very different and the administrative work we have had to deal with is very new to me at this point! Working on this project has challenged me in ways I had never been challenged before and it’s safe to say that I have learnt a lot from the experience!

Why did you pick the specific selected topics for the three-panel discussions during the summit?

Darryl: We picked these topics because these are the same conversations we have been hearing in the industry! A lot of people believe in Zim Hip Hop the music that is being churned out (State of Zim Hip Hop) but it’s pretty clear that the artists need to learn the business side of things for them to be able to take their careers to the heights they want to be at (Business of Zim Hip Hop) and the #FixTheFixx movement has proven that we need to discuss Lyricism, Conflict & Free Expression.

What criteria did you use to select your panelists?

Darryl: We were looking at industry experts with great track records who are willing to share their experiences in the industry with the hopes that young artists in the crowd could grow from their opinion on certain things.

As the organizers you have years of contributing to the Zim Hip Hop fraternity, why have you chosen this particular time to hold such a summit?

Darryl: Zim Hip Hop has been around for a very long time and the genre has been bubbling under for a while now so we decided to take the conversation a step further and discuss how we can better the genre & help it reach its full potential.

Who do you think should attend the summit apart from hip-hop artists?

Darryl: I think promoters, Radio DJ’s, Club DJ’s, Bloggers, Journalists and everyone who is directly or indirectly involved with the genre.

What do you hope to achieve from the first Zim Hip Hop Summit?

Darryl: We just hope to spark the minds that will change the face & state of Zim Hip Hop. We hope that all stake holders learn something they can apply to their hustle and I’ll be very happy if one artist makes it big because of the stuff they learnt at the summit.

Will the Zim Hip-Hop Summit continue to be an event every year?

Darryl: The Zim Hip Hop Summit will definitely be an annual thing.

If there’s anything you’d like to add, say, please do:

Darryl: I’d like to tell the youth to find something they are passionate about and work on it! Beat on your craft!

Where can people find you?

Instagram: @Darrly_Nyamz

Twitter: @Darrly_Nyamz

Facebook: Darrly Nyamz