{mp3remote}http://www.ghettoradio.nl/media/musicblog/zubz_time_to_remix.mp3{/mp3remote}Track: Time To Heal
Album: Cochlea: One Last Letta
Genre: Hip hop
Country: Zambia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa
Released: Feb. 2009
Zubz ... The Last Letta
In a world where *“Stack that cheese” can become an ironic hit it's always refreshing when an emcee determined to make sure his words mean something comes along, particularly when he has the ability to craft great songs to tell his stories. When a rapper tells you his definition of hip hop is "true, lyrical, brave and wholly Zubz", it's worth taking notice.
Zubz The Last Letta, was born in Zambia, raised in Zimbabwe, and now lives in South Africa.
His rap sheet is to be envied. Besides being nominated for SAMAs (South African Music Awards) every time he releases an album, Zubz has graced the stage alongside, Talib Kweli, Black Thought, and Dead Prez.
Hip hop and beyond
Zubz truly breaks boundaries in terms of his writing, stepping with ease into non-hip-hop music fields and community initiatives, and spreading his wings way beyond south Africa.
He as the chief mentor at the British Council’s project “Power In The Voice”, and also part of a Dutch-initiated project called the Virus-Free Generation Campaign.
Most recently he has collaborated with a South African musical legend Sibongile Khumalo (a jazz and opera singer), heading an initiative to heal the nation following the 2009 general election in South Africa. Some of South Africa’s greatest musical legends, Sipho ‘Hotstix’ Mabuse, Simphiwe Dana, Yvonne Chaka Chaka, the princess of Africa, to name a few, are also involved.
But hip hop is his zone, where the dream began, and Zubz now has three albums under his belt, Listeners Digest, Headphone Music in a Parallel World, and his latest offering, Cochlea: One Last Letta.
Zubz quotes
"I don’t care if only a few people come to my show as long as they all leave with something”.
“If my music makes people want to read the dictionary then that’s good”.
Zubz is part of what I call the new school of rappers, those who understand that 'smart' is the new gangsta.
"Time To Heal”, the track you're listening to, is the first single off his latest project, and it features Pedro of 340ml (a band from Mozambique).
Interesting Fact: Zubz started rapping in church, and once opened for Lost Boyz.
*"Stack that Cheese" was only a joke. Lupe riffed on his own track "Hip hop Saved My Life" to make a point about artists getting famous off the back of ridiculous hooks.
Zubz on the web
MySpace
Facebook
Reverbnation
Time To Heal – A New Era (feat Pedro of 340ml)
Chino chikamu chitsva (This Is A New Era)
Chikamu cherudo (The Era Of Love)
Chino chikamu chitsva (This Is A New Era)
Chikamu chekuyanana nokubatana (The Era of Oneness and Unity)
Chino chikamu chitsva (This Is A New Era)
Chikamu chekuphedza marwadzo (The Era of Healing)
VERSE 1
While you push this way, I push that
While you’re pushing forward, man, I push back
You go up, I go down; you’re west, I’m east
You’re apple, I’m orange; you’re pear I’m peach
We’re taught to see an opposite as that we oppose
And not a Balance Counterpoint; the path that we chose
Is full of so much hurting and shame
Trapped in a cycle of misery; a circular pain
Instead of an eye for an eye it’s time to see eye to eye
So we can see the wrong, realize the lie
And live the Truth; both you and I align
We need to choose to redefine the times
This is the age where the rift is erased
We connect and engage to uplift and to raise
This is it! Let the waves of change sweep the shore
And heal the sores so we can weep no more
CHORUS
If you let I
I will dry out all your tears
If you let I
I will chase away your fears
If you let I
I will show you why we’re here
Time to Heal; Time to Heal
VERSE 2
See, ignorance is like a fertilizer for fear
Cultivating misconception, certifying for years
The notion that essentially, we’re different
Separate but equal; tell me that you see the inference
There’s no ‘Border Lines’; there’s no ‘Yours’ and ‘Mine’
There’s just ‘Us’! What could be more divine?
Science has fortified this, they sing the tune too
Quantum Convergence? We call it ‘Ubuntu’!
CHORUS
PEDRO
I see common sense in the common senses
Tear down the wire fences
Lead with the good intentions
Lead with social intervention
A new dawn; a new day
A New Life; a New Way
A time to make a contribution
Time to make a change
CHORUS
VERSE3
So
No more damages
No more bandages
It’s time we see just how connected our planet is
And understand it is only if we Love
You and I can be just ‘YOU’ or I’ and rise above
Stitch away the gash
Let’s embrace the scab
That announces that the wounds are in the past
This is the final chapter of our history
A unified Africa FREE! Officially!
CHORUS
