Rhyme Assassin
Micshariki Africa Mamtoni is a new segment that will focus on the Hip Hop Kulture from other parts of the world and their influence here in East Africa. Once in a while we shall link up with persons who are into the Kulture but not from this East African region and share their stories with our readers.
For the first episode we have linked up with Rhyme Assassin a UK Hip Hop artist who originally hails from Zimbabwe but is currently based in the United Kingdom so as to talk to him about his musical journey and his soon to be released collaborative project Rhyme Apostles that will feature Hip Hop heavy Canibus, Craig G, Keith Murray, Jadakiss, Crooked I, Reks, Ruste Juxx, K Solo, Chino XL, Canibus, AFRO, and Antlive Boombap.
Rhyme Assassin is coming of age after being in the Hip Hop music scene with more than 10 years of experience under his belt. Come join us as we talk to emcee Rhyme Assassin about his musical journey and his upcoming single.
Welcome to Micshariki Africa kaka Rhyme Assassin. What are your official names, what do you do and where are you based?
My given name is Tichaona Monera and I am a healthcare worker, working as an Accident and Emergency Practitioner in the NHS England, based in the London.
Take us through your musical career. How did it all begin for you and how has it been so far?
I started recording in 2012 in a group called Nameless 263 with my fellow friend and emcee T9yce and then progressed to pursuing a solo career. I managed to gain significant recognition and managed to get a few accolades including landing a number one song on national radio (Power FM) Party people feat T9yce in 2014. The song also made it into the annual Power FM top 100 sitting at number 54.
What’s the story behind your artistic name, how did it come about and what does it mean?
The artistic name Rhyme Assassin did not emerge from some deliberate brainstorming session or some such thing, but was rather a gradual, evolutionary process. When I began getting serious with my music, fans couldn’t help but take notice of the unique way I combined words to make smooth, flawless lyrics. Both in the composition and execution of the craft, the skilful and poetic lyrical expression of my music quickly earned me a spot among some of the most creative artists locally. I was killing it, so to speak. With a streak of creativity, I combined the two unrelated words, rhyme and assassin, to come up with a stage name that encapsulates all I was offering in the Hip Hop music genre.
What about your musical catalogue, what projects have you previously released be they EPs, Mixtapes or Albums, their names, release dates and where can our readers find them?
My official previous releases are.
Albums
Singles Collections - 2013
Street Anthems - 2014
Kombi Edition – 2014
Singles
Party People - 2014
Beautiful feat. Alaina Pullen - 2014
Tsiva - 2015
Tsiva Remix feat Sharky, Pmdee, Jungle Kid, Mc Potar and Ti Gonzi - 2015
Pick Up My Life feat T9yce – 2018
There are many more that are out and all the above can be found in all major stores including Spotify, iTunes, YouTube, Amazon Music, Apple Music and more. I am also in the process of rebranding some old material that might not be accessible. More information can be reached on my website www.rhymeassassin.com
As an emcee from the motherland, how is the situation of Hip Hop in Zimbambwe first and the rest of Africa? Are we progressing?
Hip Hop is gaining more ground on the continent as a whole. I strongly feel that the time is ripe and has now come for us to up the game and seek to get more exposure both locally and nationally. Recently we have been witnessing increasing numbers of Hip Hop artists from across Africa getting booked for shows and gaining more visibility in the market. I am a Boom Bap head and I feel like we always had dope lyricists but what we have always lacked is more exposure but I feel like we are making good progress.
What about the UK Hip Hop scene how is it now considering that Drill music has been getting a lot of attention of late?
True, Drill has been making a big buzz in the UK. However, I have not paid much attention to this trend as my focus as a Boom Bap. The UK has a lot of dope emceez like Lowkey, Iron Braydz, Kano and more who keep excelling in their own fields.
Even though you moved to the UK you continued with your musical career. What pushed you to pursue your emceeing calling and what challenges did you face in your new environment as you tried to make a name for yourself in the UK Hip Hop scene?
The UK provided just the right kind of environment to nurture and develop my music career. While Zimbabwe is the birthplace of my musical career, the place of discovering my potential, England was to be the place where the talent would be developed into a thriving musical career. It is here in the UK that I started recording my music professionally. Since moving to England, my goal and vision was monetising my musical gift and a decade later my vision was realised.
It is here in the UK that I met a UK based Zimbabwean rapper by the name Silva King. Silva King inspired me immensely and was instrumental in my decision to go professional with my music. Back then I was working for a charity dealing with young people from vulnerable backgrounds such as homelessness, domestic violence, and poverty and involved in gang related crimes. This presented an opportunity for me to use my musical gift to constructively engage with these young people. I had studio sessions with those young people who wanted to develop their talents in music. This gave me a sense of purpose and gave my music a missional sort of direction. It was here that I had my first opportunity to record my first professional track. I got instant feedback from my local fanbase. This buoyed me and gave me confidence to do more.
I sent a copy of my first track to one of Hip Hop legends Metaphysics who is based in Zimbabwe. His feedback was positive and quite encouraging. He also gave me some useful pointers and areas of improvement. Most of the songs released in my early music career were created during this nascent period. These early recordings made me. This is where Rhyme Assassin aka Uncle Rhymes got the most recognition. Back then my recordings were collaborative ventures with DJ Prometheus from Harare and P2daoh from Bulawayo.
The pursuit of my calling has not been without its challenges. Chief among these was and still is, the challenge of doing something that I love to do while working for a livelihood. Holding these two in tension is not easy. Sometimes my music career would present me with opportunities that often clash with my work and career obligations. I had to live with this, but I am now quickly moving to a situation where I am gaining financial independence which allows me to focus more and more on my calling and music career.
What are some of your learning experiences that you can share with our East African Hip Hop community about music and the business side of it from the perspective of an African emcee based in the UK? What can we improve on when it comes to matters music production and marketing?
Integrity, honesty and networking is vitally important in this business. Collaborative ventures are the way to progress faster and get recognition that would otherwise take ages to build. This is probably the most valuable lesson I learned since coming to and doing music the UK. By networking with the right people, I have gotten to a place where I have done some collaborative music projects with Hip Hop artists that I had idolised and regarded as distant celebrities. I have been in the same room, same gigs and rubbed shoulders with Hip Hop artists that I had never dreamt I could meet. As they say, the power and extent of your networks determines your net worth. It is through networking with the already established artists that affords upcoming artists with the much-needed visibility they need to make it in this industry. I have had situations where I did not have to pay my way or to put a down payment to get service or artistic contribution from an established artist. My word was good. And that is credibility.
The music business is an industry that I still have a lot to learn. This is the first time ever that I am talking business in different media and forums. I have had so much exposure and opportunities to learn more about the industry. The learning curve has been quite steep but with perseverance and determination I have developed and matured in several ways. The feedback has been encouraging. For Africa as a whole, I think we need to learn the business side of music so we can live off music. We must handle the writing, publishing, and clear sample so that in case a song blows up we have everything in check. For marketing to work we need extensive interlinking so that your product reaches further.
You have an upcoming project Rhyme Apostles that features some of the best Hip Hop emcees to have ever rocked the mic. Here I’m taking about Canibus, Craig G, Keith Murray, Jadakiss, Crooked I, Reks, Ruste Juxx, K Solo, Chino XL, Canibus, AFRO, and Antlive Boombap. First of all how this idea come about and how did you make this happen and what challenges did you face in your pursuit of making this this dream project come to fruition?
The initial idea was for Rhyme Apostles to have 4 artists. Later, drawing inspiration from the Bible, the thought of the 12 apostles of Jesus dawned on my mind and this became the womb that gave birth to Rhyme Assassin’s 12 apostles on the track. The new single is based on an idea that had been in for quite a while. My vision was to bring together some of the greatest lyricists and recognizable names in Hip Hop. Being on the same record with the likes of Crooked I, Canibus, Craig G, Keith Murray and a host of other renowned Hip Hop legends is an incredible personal triumph. A point to note is that Jada Kiss is only on the introduction.
Achieving this was monumental. The journey was not a straightforward one. It was long and challenging, but an enjoyable one. The one thing that made it worthwhile is the calibre of people that I was targeting. These were real Hip Hop heads, with a genuine love for true Hip Hop Kulture. I was truly humbled by these guys’ acceptance and willingness to embrace me and work with me to bring my vision to fruition.
Every single one of them exhibited high levels of professionalism with such amazing humility. Each demonstrated a love and a passion to collaborate with emcees with roots in Africa. The emcees that made it on the record are those that I reached out to and they were magnanimous enough to accept the invitation.
Shout out to those emcees who believed in me and were keen to be part of the project but could not make the financial commitment in time and were unable to be featured. There will always be scope to do collaborative projects with them soon. Another noteworthy artist who made an enormous contribution to this project is Deep Voice, a UK producer who created the best used in the debut single. He created the beat some seven years ago along with other beats that I subsequently used. This beat was archived until now and it is just the right beat for the project. The bear will be mixed and mastered by yet another creative, P2doah, a Zimbabwean-based producer. We are also currently working on the video for the song.
Tell us about the production of this song who are involved from beat making, mixing, and mastering? What should we expect from the song and where will our readers be able to listen to get it? Is this song part of a bigger project, maybe an album?
The song was produced by Deep Voice, a UK producer who also produced a few songs on my upcoming album. The single greatest desired outcome for this project is a greater realization by both artists and music lovers of the incredible power of collaborative music ventures across the industry. The single, Rhyme Apostles, is a clear and powerful demonstration of the synergy resulting from such collaboration. My wish for this single is that it will be timeless in its appeal and not just for a season. I am a firm believer in the need for the conservation of the truest essence of Hip Hop Kulture expressed through lyricism. The calibre of emcees on the track have mastered this art and they are an inspiration to me as I climb to my place of significance in the game.
My next project is another collaborative music venture featuring some of the most notable original Hip Hop artists. I am working on an album project. Most prominent contributors on this album include Craig G, MOP, Ras Kass, Sticman, Masta Ace, G Mos Kee, Rock Monsta, Brevi, Metaphysics, Lincoln the Prez, T9yce, MC Chita, Afura, Ruste Juxx. Album has production from Deep Voice, True Master, Confidence, DJ Kingflow, Nohokai, Arcitype and more.
What did you learn as you were making this song that you never knew before?
Collaborative music ventures extend your reach and connect you to a new audience. Working with mature and more experiences artists stretches an artist, pushing them to greater heights in their musical potential and lyricism. On the Rhyme Apostle track I am the least experienced but working side by side with some of the best Hip Hop lyricists has unleashed a power that I did not know resided in me. I knew right from the start that I was the underdog but I did not look at it negatively.
Most of the artists that are featured on the track are quite seasoned, having been in the game for over 30 years. The beauty of collaborative ventures with such experienced and seasoned artists is the absence of competitiveness or rivalry. You are all working towards one goal – to produce an outstanding piece of musical art. And as such, you are learning from each other and fashioning each other as iron sharpens iron. The end game is that both individually and collectively you are better off than when you started out. This, to me, is the value of collaborative venture and this is where homegrown talent needs to embrace and capitalise on.
I have learned that to be at your best in the game, you cannot afford to be carbon-copy of another artist. You must be your original self. However, that does not mean you cannot learn from others, you do. Mimicry and imitation destroy originality and robs our audience and fanbase the gift we are to them in our uniqueness. Rhyme Assassin is an original and not a carbon copy of any other artist. It is this originality and unique expression of self that I constantly strive to achieve.
It was also good to see that you worked with a son of the soil Seth Skchr when it came to making the artwork for the single. Why did you choose him to design this cover for you? How did you guys link up and begin working together?
My attention was captured by the works of Seth Skchr a few years ago when I saw his designs for Craig G. The legendary Craig G tagged him on his social media page, and I started following him. His work is inspiring. The artwork is amazing and when I was scouting for talent to design the artwork for the single my mind immediately turned to Seth. He was quick to understand my vision and managed to bring it to life with such ease. He did a fantastic job. I received positive and affirmative feedback on his artistry and genius. This is also testimony of the fact that Africa is blessed, so rich in the arts. We need to scout around for such creative artists and get them to design our work in a way that lifts whole communities up.
Which emcees from East Africa are you familiar with and is there a possibility of working with emcees from not only Africa but East Africa in future?
I know some dope emceez from East Africa. The names that quickly come to mind are the likes of Khaligraph Jones, Abbas Kubaff, Katapilla, Darasa, AY, and Navio. I look to a future where we can do collaborative ventures with some or all of these artists. My dream and vision would be to bring all the great, legendary artists from the motherland together on a mega-collaborative musical venture and perhaps donate the bulk of the proceeds to charity. On a personal note, one artist that I had love to do a collabo with is the Kenyan artist, Khaligraph Jones. I love his creative energy and the quality output of his musical effort. I think he is a genius.
What more do you have in store for your fans across the globe?
2023 is loaded! The year will kickstart with Rhyme Apostles, the first single of first album entitled Dedicated To Self. The plan is to drop the album later in the year. Rhyme Apostles will pave the way for the album launch later in the year. I have pencilled a few dates for shows and tours mainly in Continental Europe and the US. I am also planning to shoot some videos. The first video, Rhyme Apostles is already in the process. I have already shot a video for a song I did with Antlive and Ras Kass.
Anyone that you would like to shoutout?
Shoutout to my daughter who is my number one fan. She sings along to most of my songs and can recite most of the lyrics. Shout out to all my fans for all the support. Without them the journey so far would have been tedious to say the least. I must say I have a very interactive and engaging fanbase. Shoutout to my uncle for his immeasurable support, and of course, to my beloved mother for believing in me. Shoutout also to my friend, Mr Cee, DJ Prometheus, P2daoh, T digit 9 to tha y to tha c e- T9yce.
Social media and streaming apps where we can get you?
Instagram: Rhyme Assassin
Twitter: Rhyme Assasin
YouTube: Rhyme Assassin
Facebook: Rhyme Assassin
TikTok: Rhyme Assassin
Spotify: Rhyme Assassin
Final thoughts?
It’s been great talking to you, and I appreciate the opportunity to get showcased in Kenya, Tanzania and East Africa at large as this assists me to broaden my horizons. Shout out to you and all the great work you are doing for the game.