Like every other creation, this too started as a random idea. The year was 2015.
Fast-forward to 11 July 2019, Wicko and Glad Kay have just released a song titled ‘Adha’. Within the next few weeks, they will be releasing their joint EP titled Zone X. ‘Adha’, which is a promotional song for the EP, has been taken off Bantushi Riddim by the award winning producer DJ Sley, who also produced the track. It’s a song that talks about people who are always hating on others and spreading lies. The song, like a befitting description of the two artists, is a fusion of hip-hop and dancehall.
This certainly is a crescendo of an idea that until recently has been just that; an idea.
In 2015, Geoffrey Taumbe and Khwima Mchizi came up with an idea of a record label. The aim was to unleash and nurture ghetto talent, and use it to bring about positive social change amongst ghetto youth. As the idea metamorphosed into embryos of tangibility, they decided to call it Rolling Thunder Entertainment. Four years on, Geoffrey Taumbe and Khwima Mchizi sit, and probably with a feeling of satisfaction, reflect on how far their random idea has come. It is under this label that the two up-and-coming artists have released this song, and will soon be releasing their EP.
“Rolling Thunder Entertainment was established to help promote the talent of young people in the ghetto, who are most of time unable to realize their full potential due to lack of support. We want to use ghetto talent to magnify ghetto voices as a way of bringing about social change in the ghetto”, says Geoffrey, Co-Managing Director of the label.
Two talented young artists were identified as having the ideal profiles to spearhead the label. Glad Kay, whose real name is Gladson Kampenya is mostly a rapper, while Wicko, (Wezzie Chilenga) is a dancehall artist. This was a meticulous fusion of hip-hop and dancehall, genres that are candy to the ears of ghetto youths a many. The two artists are also both graduates of the University of Malawi; a thing Geoffrey says is not coincidental.
“We opted for the two firstly because of their potential and secondly because of their background. As much as our label is aimed at promoting ghetto talent, we also aim at inspiring ghetto children that in addition to pursuing their artistry, they can also achieve other great things in life, including education. Being talented graduates, we believe that the youth, especially from the ghetto, will be motivated by looking at them” He said.
The production of the EP has taken the team almost 1 year to finalize. But now, everything is almost set for the label to finally showcase what the two artists have in store for Malawi’s urban music industry. The team is now doing the final touches on Zone X EP, which will be the debut project of the label. The EP is scheduled to be released in early August, and it will be made available for free downloads on all popular music downloading sites in the country.
Once finalized, the project will have a total of 11 songs, produced by various high-profile producers on the land, including DJ Sley, Gaffar and Zupa. Though there are no prominent features on the EP, two of the songs will feature the vocals of two other artists besides Glad Kay and Wicko. The two songs are; ‘Hey Baby’, which features the vocals of one Kamlaka, son to musician McDonald Mlaka Maliro, and ‘Mphete’, which features another up-and-coming artist by the name of Kissa.
The limited number of featured artists on the EP is due to the fact that the label wants to promote the two artists purely based on their ability and not riding on the popularity of already established artists.
“We believe in the talent and ability of Glad and Wicko. Those that have ever listened to them can attest to the fact that the two are very talented, and we believe that with proper support and promotion, they will be able to achieve great heights in the industry” Said Geoffrey.
Once the EP has been released, the team plans to shoot music videos for some selected songs on the project, one of which is Adha, which is already receiving encouraging reviews from different sections.
You can download and listen to the song by following this link.
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