The Sunday News
RENOWNED dub poet and musician Albert Nyathi is set to take his collaboration with established South African musician Maqhinga Radebe, a member of the reputable Maskandi group, Shabalala Rhythm a step further when they meet to do videos of the songs they did together.
The two are seasoned musicians whose reputation is not in doubt and nothing short of a masterpiece is expected from them.
Although Bulawayo is no stranger to collaborations of young artistes with big names in South Africa most of which do not really take shape, the one that Nyathi has ventured into is a purely mature one and is not of seeking fame and glory but a mere fusion of culture and artistic talent.
The two are going to shoot a music video of the songs they collaborated on in South Africa. Radebe, who is riding solo but still a member of Shabalala Rhythm, featured Nyathi in two songs called Iseluleko and Badli Mali in his debut album, Facebook, which has been nominated as one of the best male albums in the South African Traditional Music Awards (SATMA) to be held next month. The mere mention that the album has been nominated for the SATMA awards is a clear indication that the two are not in the music industry because they have voices like anyone else or for fun but to excel.
The song, Iseluleko is a version of Nyathi’s anthology, My Daughter. To seal the deal, Nyathi will meet Radebe in South Africa this week for the music video shoots, to continue reflecting the unity that South Africa and Zimbabwe share.
Speaking to Sunday Leisure, Radebe narrated his journey with Nyathi in the music industry.
He also highlighted how Nyathi added a unique and classy poetry touch to the album which is going platinum in South Africa.
“Nyathi and I have been friends since time immemorial but it was only recently that we decided to work on something together. He is a good man and I love working with him. He is also very good at what he does, which is poetry. Nyathi has given an upbeat to the album which is yielding good results, it was nominated for the best album in the South African Traditional Music Awards,” he said.
He also confirmed that he was set to meet Nyathi for the music video shoots and after the shoots are complete he plans to travel to America. “I am expecting Nyathi next week so that we do the music videos. It will be videos to the songs Iseluleko and Badli Mali in which he features and after these are done, I will be flying to America where I will meet members of the music ensemble, Black Mambazo for music business,” said Radebe.
Preferring to remain behind the scenes and let his music partner do all the talking, Nyathi simply mentioned that he did feature in Radebe’s music album and he would be in South Africa for the video shoots. “Now that Radebe has done the talking, I can confirm all that he mentioned. I did two songs with him and I will be with him in South Africa. His album is doing well and he is a good friend of mine, he is easy to work with,” he said.
Kanti Wena Wenzani, Akuzon’ ezesoka, Hlonipha, Uthando Luyawavala Amehlo Omuntu are some of Shabalala Rhythm’s traditional smash hits that rocked the southern region back in the day and Radebe was the lead singer in the song, Akuzon’ ezesoka.
