Entertainment Reporter

A multi-discipline hip-hop fest has been pencilled in for Saturday afternoon at Amakhosi Cultural Centre with various activities lined-up for a day dedicated to the genre.

POY, Kasi Lunatics and Hotness are some of the musicians set to grace the event’s stages. The show, titled “It’s Bigger than Hip-hop”, will be fusion of various elements of hip-hop culture which include music, dance and graffiti art.

National Arts Council representative William Nyondoro will be the guest of honour while Babongile Sikhonjwa and Fidelis Fengu will give speeches highlighting the pros and cons of the entertainment business.

In an interview, rapper and one of the organisers of the extravaganza POY, said they had taken hip-hop to the city’s ceremonial home of the performing arts because of the director of the cultural centre, Cont Mhlanga’s desire to take the genre to the people.

“Cont’s idea is to take hip-hop back to the masses by staging a show at the heart of Bulawayo. By doing this, principles of the performing arts will be imparted on hip-hop artistes and fans in a free and accommodating environment,” he said.

POY said that the purpose of the event was to teach young artistes and fans how to push the genre beyond its boundaries. He said that a workshop conducted by producer Polite Sithole would also run on the sidelines of the show.

“The show is being held with the intention of educating artistes on how to push the genre to the next level, hence the name “It’s Bigger than Hip-hop”. That is why we have invited Polite Sithole to conduct a music workshop while dancers will also have an opportunity to showcase their skills,” he said.

The rapper expressed gratitude at Amakhosi for giving them a platform to shine, saying this was also recognition of the genre’s continuing growth in the city.

“The people at Amakhosi have pushed the arts in Bulawayo for years and for me it’s just amazing that the genre is now welcome on such a historically important platform,” he said.