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Bongani Ndlovu, Showbiz Correspondent
SKYZ Metro FM has responded swiftly to calls from the hip hop fraternity to include their genre at the radio station’s inaugural awards slated for December 21 in Bulawayo.

When the station released categories for the awards last Friday at The Vista in Bulawayo, hip hop artistes noticed that their genre had not been included on the 18 categories. This sparked a protracted debate and lobbying by some hip hop artistes who questioned the reasoning behind the decision.

Their argument was that the genre was key as it has produced a number of songs which are dominating the station’s top 20 chart show. The station also has a hip hop chart show – Rapperholix.

Skyz Metro FM station manager Godwin Phiri on Monday announced the station had heeded the artistes’ calls and decided to include a hip hop category for Best Hip Hop Song.

“There has been a heated and welcome debate concerning the absence of a specific Hip Hop Award from the upcoming Skyz Metro FM Awards.

“We wish to advise that after carefully listening to many voices from a diverse range of stakeholders and in keeping with our identity as Istitshi Sabantu, we’ve made the decision to add a Best Hip Hop Song award to the 18 already lined up. We hope that this will address valid concerns raised by many of the stakeholders that we interact with,” said Phiri.

He said the genre was not left out in the first place, but fell under the Urban Metro Song category.

“It (Hip Hop) hadn’t been excluded. We’d created an award called Best Metro Urban Song which basically catered for hip hop, Kasi Rap and Trap etc. There have been debates on what Hip Hop is and various offshoots so that award was meant to cater for all the different views.”

Other categories are Song of the Year, Best Male Artist, Best Female Artiste, Best Gospel Song, Best Dance Song, Best Tshibilika Song, Best Imbube Song, Best Metro-Urban Song, Best Urban fire Song, Best Afro Soul Song, Best Masgandi/Mbaqanga Song, Best House/Gqom Song, Best Collaborated Song, Best Song by a Group/Duo, Best Music Sound Production, Best Music Journalist, Best Break-Out Star and Most Outstanding Contribution to Music.

Entrants will be nominated by the public.