GZE on ZTN Weekend StartUP with Erica Ndoro
Watch GZE's interview on ZTN Prime’s Weekend Start-UP show with Erica Ndoro. During the conversation, he spoke to Erica Ndoro about his new single Ka That So, his upcoming album Chekera and the state of Zim Hip Hop in 2022
Watch GZE's interview on ZTN Prime’s Weekend Start-UP show with Erica Ndoro. During the conversation, he spoke to Erica Ndoro about his new single Ka That So, his upcoming album Chekera and the state of Zim Hip Hop in 2022
About the Artist
Resilience Chekera is undoubtedly one of Zimbabwe’s longest-running and most respected lyricists. Going by his more popular moniker - GZE his career has spanned 2 decades that have seen him win multiple awards and rise to the top as both a solo and group artist. His deep raspy voice and impressive penchant for using Zimbabwean street language and marrying it with complex metaphors have earned him a dedicated cult following amongst a wide swathe of Hip Hop fans.
His career began in the early 2000s as part of the Urban Grooves trio aptly titled 3rinity (Trinity). The group comprised of GZE, Vito and Andrew Msonzah. Melding Hip Hop with a number of genres such as R&B, Rock and the burgeoning Urban Grooves sound, they quickly captured the attention of culture. This culminated in the group’s song Jesa being featured on the cult classic Chamhembe Plus compilation album. This song was also part of their critically acclaimed debut album Ini Iye, Naye that also featured hits such as Wadiwa Wepamoyo and Nditore.
After this, GZE took a break from the limelight to focus on his education and career, but music remained an integral part of his life as he built a home studio where he would record. In 2013 he officially came out of retirement with the release of the star-studded single Vroom Vroom. It featured Zim Hip Hop pioneer Jnr Brown and was produced by one of the founders of the Urban Groove movement - Take 5ive. The song went on to achieve number 1 status across all Zimbabwean radio stations and was followed up by Imnhandu, John Bhuru, and Stabhai Kupratta which all achieved incredible radio and popular reception. This was cemented when Imhandu won Verse of The Year at the Zim Hip Hop Awards and Stabhai Kupratta won Song Of The Year at the StarFM Awards.
As a savvy businessman GZE released these singles and various mixtapes independently, they sold thousands of copies via a mobile money platform.
In 2021 he released the single and video for Muchinjikwa which speaks to the social issues plaguing Zimbabwe today. Now in 2022 GZE is preparing for the release of his debut solo album Chekera via his new management and label Point Black Africa.
GZE Cements His Comeback with Freestyle Fridays Compilation
Over the past 3 months, veteran wordsmith GZE has been dusting off the rust that accumulated during his forced 2 year rap hiatus due to a life threatening accident. As he termed it in a recent StarFM interview, the freestyles he dropped every Friday acted as form of therapy for him as the pain from his injuries and fatigue from his rehabilitation seeped through from his pen into his lyrical delivery.
Over the past 3 months, veteran wordsmith GZE has been dusting off the rust that accumulated during his forced 2 year rap hiatus due to a life threatening accident. As he termed it in a recent StarFM interview, the freestyles he dropped every Friday acted as form of therapy for him as the pain from his injuries and fatigue from his rehabilitation seeped through from his pen into his lyrical delivery.
The Freestyler Fridays series of songs are now available as one compilation project on all streaming platforms. The 3 month run up of releases acted ads the precursor to the release of the first 2 official singles from GZE’s highly anticipated solo offering Chekera.
““I named my project Chekera because that is my family name. That is why I do this, for my family’s name. So that my name leaves a legacy that my children can enjoy.” ”
The first 2 singles off his self titled project have been Hondo NeRudo and Ka That So . Both have been well received with Ka That So proving to be GZE’s biggest single as a solo artist. The song is rapidly approaching 100,00 views just over a week after its release
About the Artist
Resilience Chekera is undoubtedly one of Zimbabwe’s longest-running and most respected lyricists. Going by his more popular moniker - GZE his career has spanned 2 decades that have seen him win multiple awards and rise to the top as both a solo and group artist. His deep raspy voice and impressive penchant for using Zimbabwean street language and marrying it with complex metaphors have earned him a dedicated cult following amongst a wide swathe of Hip Hop fans.
His career began in the early 2000s as part of the Urban Grooves trio aptly titled 3rinity (Trinity). The group comprised of GZE, Vito and Andrew Msonzah. Melding Hip Hop with a number of genres such as R&B, Rock and the burgeoning Urban Grooves sound, they quickly captured the attention of culture. This culminated in the group’s song Jesa being featured on the cult classic Chamhembe Plus compilation album. This song was also part of their critically acclaimed debut album Ini Iye, Naye that also featured hits such as Wadiwa Wepamoyo and Nditore.
After this, GZE took a break from the limelight to focus on his education and career, but music remained an integral part of his life as he built a home studio where he would record. In 2013 he officially came out of retirement with the release of the star-studded single Vroom Vroom. It featured Zim Hip Hop pioneer Jnr Brown and was produced by one of the founders of the Urban Groove movement - Take 5ive. The song went on to achieve number 1 status across all Zimbabwean radio stations and was followed up by Imnhandu, John Bhuru, and Stabhai Kupratta which all achieved incredible radio and popular reception. This was cemented when Imhandu won Verse of The Year at the Zim Hip Hop Awards and Stabhai Kupratta won Song Of The Year at the StarFM Awards.
As a savvy businessman GZE released these singles and various mixtapes independently, they sold thousands of copies via a mobile money platform.
In 2021 he released the single and video for Muchinjikwa which speaks to the social issues plaguing Zimbabwe today. Now in 2022 GZE is preparing for the release of his debut solo album Chekera via his new management and label Point Black Africa.
GZE enlists Takura on The Drill Hit - Ka That So
After 6 months of priming his fanbase and preparing for the release of his debut solo album titled Chekera, veteran wordsmith GZE has released his high energy drill-influenced single titled Ka That So featuring one of Zimbabwe’s hottest artists - Takura.
Song Title: Ka That So
Artists: GZE featuring Takura
Genre: Hip Hop/Rap
ISRC: ZA-56E-22-01360
Label: Point Black
After 6 months of priming his fanbase and preparing for the release of his debut solo album titled Chekera, veteran wordsmith GZE has released his high energy drill-influenced single titled Ka That So featuring one of Zimbabwe’s hottest artists - Takura.
On the GangstaMadeIt produced song which is set to be a surefire hit Takura and GZE trade bars laced in bombastic confidence such as
“Drip yakadira sugar
Kuita kujuja ndzimbe
Chero muDrought, hatina nyota
Totopeta masleeves tochera tsime" - GZE
“But wow, drip check, korobha,
Ndiri tap yeZINWA
Ndine action ya Schwarzenegger
Panozoda kamwe ka that so
Ka … that so
Panozoda kamwe ka chef so kumaHalf past 4" - Takura
Ka That So follows on from the release of Hondo Nerudo last week which was the first official release from GZE’s Chekera album.
The video directed by Simdoc matches the energy and creativity of the song featuring some truly impressive special effects that position GZE as the larger-than-life figure that matches his reputation.
In the build-up to this drop, GZE had dropped 9 freestyles which are part of his Freestyle Fridays mixtape
About the Artist
Resilience Chekera is undoubtedly one of Zimbabwe’s longest-running and most respected lyricists. Going by his more popular moniker - GZE his career has spanned 2 decades that have seen him win multiple awards and rise to the top as both a solo and group artist. His deep raspy voice and impressive penchant for using Zimbabwean street language and marrying it with complex metaphors have earned him a dedicated cult following amongst a wide swathe of Hip Hop fans.
His career began in the early 2000s as part of the Urban Grooves trio aptly titled 3rinity (Trinity). The group comprised of GZE, Vito and Andrew Msonzah. Melding Hip Hop with a number of genres such as R&B, Rock and the burgeoning Urban Grooves sound, they quickly captured the attention of culture. This culminated in the group’s song Jesa being featured on the cult classic Chamhembe Plus compilation album. This song was also part of their critically acclaimed debut album Ini Iye, Naye that also featured hits such as Wadiwa Wepamoyo and Nditore.
After this, GZE took a break from the limelight to focus on his education and career, but music remained an integral part of his life as he built a home studio where he would record. In 2013 he officially came out of retirement with the release of the star-studded single Vroom Vroom. It featured Zim Hip Hop pioneer Jnr Brown and was produced by one of the founders of the Urban Groove movement - Take 5ive. The song went on to achieve number 1 status across all Zimbabwean radio stations and was followed up by Imnhandu, John Bhuru, and Stabhai Kupratta which all achieved incredible radio and popular reception. This was cemented when Imhandu won Verse of The Year at the Zim Hip Hop Awards and Stabhai Kupratta won Song Of The Year at the StarFM Awards.
As a savvy businessman GZE released these singles and various mixtapes independently, they sold thousands of copies via a mobile money platform.
In 2021 he released the single and video for Muchinjikwa which speaks to the social issues plaguing Zimbabwe today. Now in 2022 GZE is preparing for the release of his debut solo album Chekera via his new management and label Point Black Africa.
GZE Spotlights the Harsh Reality for Many Zimbabweans in Hondo NeRudo
Using his witty wordplay and skills as the street's disciple, GZE paints a vivid picture of the struggles that the average Zimbabwean confronts on a daily basis. The sobering and poignant Hondo Nerudo also features lines that discuss the mental health issues plaguing youths who are gravitating toward substance abuse in staggering amounts.
Song Details
Song Title: Hondo NeRudo
Artist: GZE
Genre: Hip Hop/Rap
ISRC: ZA-56E-22-01358
[Look at Borrowdale Brooke then look at Matapi flats - Mbare.
If you want to see the truth of our situation, cross the train tracks
Politics, religion, scare tactics
Mastering causing panic just to control the masses]
“Tarisa Brooke, hona Matapi
If you want to see the proof crossa njanji
Politics, religion, mascare tactics
Skiri yekukonzera panic zvitire controlla mamasses”
These are the sombre lines that veteran rapper GZE opens in his lead single from Chekera. Using his witty wordplay and skills as the street's disciple, GZE paints a vivid picture of the struggles that the average Zimbabwean confronts on a daily basis.
The sobering and poignant Hondo Nerudo also features lines that discuss the mental health issues plaguing youths who are gravitating toward substance abuse in staggering amounts.
[Hunger is the killer, looking for a grudge
A person doesn't have a job, he has epilepsy
Saying he has a demon, God send an angel
I feel like crying, like an orphan that's lonely]
“Nzara ndiyo mhondi, Kungotsvaga daka
Munhu haana mugoni, Anga aine pfari
Hanzi ane dhimoni, Mwari tumirai ngirozi
Ndirikunzwa kuchema, Kwenherera iri lonely”
Hondo NeRudo is the first single off GZE’s debut solo album Chekera. The video was directed by Sparkplug Media featuring first-hand accounts from the subjects of the song’s lyrics.
About the Artist
Resilience Chekera is undoubtedly one of Zimbabwe’s longest-running and most respected lyricists. Going by his more popular moniker - GZE his career has spanned 2 decades that have seen him win multiple awards and rise to the top as both a solo and group artist. His deep raspy voice and impressive penchant for using Zimbabwean street language and marrying it with complex metaphors have earned him a dedicated cult following amongst a wide swathe of Hip Hop fans.
His career began in the early 2000s as part of the Urban Grooves trio aptly titled 3rinity (Trinity). The group comprised of GZE, Vito and Andrew Msonzah. Melding Hip Hop with a number of genres such as R&B, Rock and the burgeoning Urban Grooves sound, they quickly captured the attention of culture. This culminated in the group’s song Jesa being featured on the cult classic Chamhembe Plus compilation album. This song was also part of their critically acclaimed debut album Ini Iye, Naye that also featured hits such as Wadiwa Wepamoyo and Nditore.
After this, GZE took a break from the limelight to focus on his education and career, but music remained an integral part of his life as he built a home studio where he would record. In 2013 he officially came out of retirement with the release of the star-studded single Vroom Vroom. It featured Zim Hip Hop pioneer Jnr Brown and was produced by one of the founders of the Urban Groove movement - Take 5ive. The song went on to achieve number 1 status across all Zimbabwean radio stations and was followed up by Imnhandu, John Bhuru, and Stabhai Kupratta which all achieved incredible radio and popular reception. This was cemented when Imhandu won Verse of The Year at the Zim Hip Hop Awards and Stabhai Kupratta won Song Of The Year at the StarFM Awards.
As a savvy businessman GZE released these singles and various mixtapes independently, they sold thousands of copies via a mobile money platform.
In 2021 he released the single and video for Muchinjikwa which speaks to the social issues plaguing Zimbabwe today. Now in 2022 GZE is preparing for the release of his debut solo album Chekera via his new management and label Point Black Africa.