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ASAPH

Bongani Ndlovu, Showbiz Correspondent
At the beginning of the year, rapper ASAPH said 2018 will be a great year.  Six months later, he bagged a Roil Bulawayo Arts Awards (RBAA) for the outstanding hip-hop act.

Not stopping there, he announced himself as the new king of hip-hop in Bulawayo through a song Mambo which he recently released.

The catchy song which features Tha Dawgg and Fish F McSwagg was produced by Rayobeats. It has an equally engrossing video accompanying it that was released last week and has been doing the rounds on social media.

ASAPH — Bulawayo’s hottest hip-hop property in 2018 — appears on the video dressed in all black, perhaps symbolising power and authority of a king.

The lyrics of the song basically talk about him being the best, celebrating being from Bulawayo and someone who has been at the top.

ASAPH is undeniably talented as he has the flow and “bars” (lyrics).

With an album, 25, that was released last year ASAPH (real name Takudzwa Tarukwana) said being crowned the Outstanding Hip hop act at the RBAAs meant it was time for him to do more.

“This means I have to work twice as hard to show everyone who’s watching that I actually do deserve the award. Winning is only the beginning and now that the eyes of the city are on me, all I want is to make business and corporate partnerships with companies and individuals who want to see Bulawayo arts move forward,” said ASAPH.

On stage, ASAPH is quite energetic as he brings the house down. At the Bulawayo arts awards, the highlight of the night was his performance as he left an indelible mark in people’s minds as the Large City Hall.

“The highlight of my night (RBAAs) was actually the performance and how Bulawayo reacted to me when I was on stage. It was the best performance I’d ever given and it was an amazing experience,” said ASAPH.

On being the new king of hip-hop in Bulawayo, ASAPH said: “If they’re calling me King because of my work, then it is what it is, but if it’s based on awards, then the people have a lot to understand about the type of artiste that I am.”

The song Mambo is a precursor to his EP Mambo set to be released next month.

“The EP is a seven track project. I’ve already shot a music video for the title track and it should be out in a few weeks. Also, I’m continuing the monthly shows I host at The Vista called the LIVExperience.