BY DR TONY MICHEL MONDA
It is 7am on a Monday morning; my working day had not yet begun. The sun had rolled out of bed early and the sweltering heat had already soaked my new white shirt that stuck uncomfortably to my back.
I boarded a crowded Kombi and sat on the Kadoma facing a silent audience that avoided starring at each other. Traffic was heavy; horns were honking and hooting -as we cut onto the hard shoulder of the road. It was an epic morning journey of people pushing, shoving and squeezing as they sat in limited space; in heavy traffic and bad, risky driving.
Suddenly I felt a burst of fresh air – has someone opened a window? – No, it was Saintfloew real name Tawanda Mambo!
As the music played, I listened and felt somewhat relaxed.
It was my first introduction to the new Zimbabwean rapper known as Saintfloew. The sound of Saintfloew’s catchy, funky Shona Rap rhythms played on. I felt the hot dreariness, tension and discomfort of sitting on the Kadoma, with the droning sounds of fuming engines and nauseous smells of diesel fumes -slowly dissipate as I listened intently to the music.
This was the beginning of a new morning and a new musical narrative for me.
Given young Zimbabwean musicians are generally deprived of commercial airplay on public broadcasting stations, many have devised a clever marketing strategy of promoting their music via public transportation – such as kombis , omnibuses, or mshika-shika – the mini shuttle cars that have become an urban reality, born out of necessity.
Who is this songster I curiously asked the carefree, but amiable windie (conductor)?
“Mdara makasara”, he replied “This is ‘Saintfloew’ – mufana ari kupisa mazuva ano”! He quipped.
As the windie thrust his head out of the window to tout for more passengers precariously clutching his takings for the morning, he asked the driver to turn on the volume of his Mp3. “MaWatts mutyairi -he quipped”
The music of Saint Floew touched me. The verses are laced with dark humour, tension, and a questioning sarcasm- sung to the back drop of soulful hip- hop rhythms. His music articulates the hardships and adversity of the post-millennial journey of Zimbabwe’s youth today.
His lyrics converse about drugs, poverty, hunger, unemployment, domestic violence ,the tragic
lives of homeless, abandoned children who have turned to prostitution and the dark world of Chrystal meth’s, drug abuse and juvenile delinquency .
Sarcastic anecdotes about unusual social occurrences that reflect the harsh socio-economic and cultural milieu of the high density conurbation of Chitungwiza come to light in his music. The content which is reflective of most other high density areas of Zimbabwe is brought alive in Saintfloew’s witty rap style -played to the backdrop of mesmerising melodies, reminiscent of yesteryears funk and soul music.
As a result, generations of music enthusiasts can listen to his witty rhymes and knowledgeable lyrics, which are reflective of the life of many youths in high density urban societies today.
Are our parents to blame?
Saint Floew started recording professionally in 2017, with the release of a series of singles. His popular track “Silas Mavende” attracted instant media attention. The song peaked at number one on the charts, earning the singer a firm footing in the local music industry.
“Silas Mavende” is a didactic narrative song about a ghetto character who is representative of a
huge demographic. As a character Silas Mavende’s trials and tribulations, are recognizable to anyone who has experienced the social shenanigans that occur in the ghetto. “Under Pressure” is also a social commentary on contemporary township life with meaningful biblical references.
Saintfloew does not exclude the mass audience in his lyrical compositions and often asks rhetorical questions that are morally relevant to national Shona social mores and traditional African codes of conduct. With his imaginative treatment of songs that are maturely arranged one listens to a vivid, urgent and colourful critique of township life and a lost generation abandoned by its elders.
He is empathetic about the lost aspirations of the youth whom he says “have barely anything more than a dream and perhaps, talent”.
The lyrical content and smooth musical harmony in his songs, have made Saint floew a favourite in the Zim Dancehall fraternity -rivaling his elders and contemporaries, like Ti Gonzi and Nkosilathi Sibiya- Voltz JT .
The Zimbabwean singer, rapper and songwriter, known as Saintfloew was born Tawanda Mambo in 1997, in Chitungwiza, a dormitory town twenty-three kilometers south-east of Harare.
Having met Holy Ten (Mukudzei Chitsama), to whom he sent his demo entitled ‘Gundanwenda’, he signed to Holy Ten's Samanyanga Sounds music label .Together they released a joint EP titled ‘Juta Pipo’ that sealed his approval on the local music landscape.
Through his hard work, Saint Floew has created a credible portfolio of songs for his discography to date. His latest release ‘Zero Fear’ featuring Slyme Foxx is in the caliber of his other tracks like ‘TrapAddicts’, ‘Chiedza’, ‘Under Pressure’, ‘If We Don’t Make It’ ‘Kante’and “Sauna Season”, which literary translates to “Hot Season”.
Other hits include Chidhumo Na Masendeke, Musande ,Mutemo Wemukombi, Toenda Here?, Hutsi, Ndega Handigone, Wero, Bhinya Boss, Hera, Prayer and NoBody.
Equally moving is the song “Gundamwenda”, which features Holy Ten. This song was what propelled him into the limelight. However the tide of fortunes surely changed for Saint Floew when he released “Silas Mavende” and “Under Pressure” which are currently trending on the local music circuit. Both are critiques of urban culture. They are creatively well composed with the instrumentation beautifully arranged. He is certainly a new Zimbabwean rap star in the making .Keep on flowing -Saintfloew!
Dr. Tony Michel Monda holds a PhD. in Art Theory and Philosophy and a DBA in Post- Colonial Heritage Studies. He is a music consultant for Zimbabwe’s education curriculum and an arts, culture and music critic for Gemnation News. For Comments E-mail: tonym.MONDA@gmail.com
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