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Bongani Ndlovu, Showbiz Reporter
Two years ago, Asaph rocked the stage at the Bulawayo Shutdown, a yearend gig that was attended by music label, Def Jam Africa.

Asaph at that time had been rocking the nation through various tracks that included Mambo and Vibe is Correct.
He performed at Queens Sports Club alongside South Africa’s Nasty C, De Mthuda, Killer Kau Mafikizolo and Zimbabwe’s Winky D and the late Cal Vin.

The show was organised by Skyz Metro FM who had partnered with Universal Music Africa, Def Jam Africa’s parent company. Unknown to Asaph was the fact that a team from Universal Music Africa had been sent to the show to scout for local talent.

Asaph, real name Tafadzwa Tarukwana, made the cut, a development that has seen him get signed by Def Jam Africa, a label dedicated to representing the best hip-hop, Afro-beats and trap talent in Africa.

The rapper who announced his deal last week said he had been in contact with Def Jam representatives since the Shutdown Bulawayo gig.

“I performed at the Shutdown Bulawayo gig back in 2019 and there were scouts from Universal Music who were watching the performances.

I later discovered that I’d been on their radar since I released Mambo and Vibe is Correct so when they saw my set, they were impressed. That’s when the talks started,” said Asaph.

He said as part of the deal, Def Jam will be managing his career from now on.

“Basically, I’m officially a Def Jam artiste now so all my recordings, videos and shows will be handled by the label and the team that they’ve built around me. It’s like putting a jetpack on my back shooting me straight to the stars,” said Asaph.

This development, the artiste said was a win for Zimbabwe and Bulawayo in particular as he did not have to leave the country in order to get signed by a renowned label.

“I feel it’s putting hip-hop in this country on the map because now the world will get a taste of what hip-hop from Zimbabwe feels like and they’ll start to look for more artists. This way, they’ll finally find all the hidden talent we have here.

“For Bulawayo, it’s a hope thing. For years, a lot of musicians here, not only rappers, felt they had to leave the city or the country to get some sort of recognition but this signing has just proved that you can be signed by an international music label from right here.

If I could do it from here, it confirms that more  artists can do it too.”
Asaph said his parents now understand why he has been working so hard.

“My family was so proud when they first heard the news because they now appreciated why I was putting so much effort into my music and career.

“Even the times that we didn’t see eye to eye on certain decisions made so much sense when they heard the news confirming my hard work was finally beginning to pay off,” said Asaph.