Mzungu Kichaa

Hustle was released on the 12.12.12

HUSTLE features the award winning artist’s unmistakable and unique mix of sounds, including elements of Singer-Songwriter, Reggae, Electronic Synth and Bongo Flava. It draws on Kichaa’s unique interpretation of contemporary urban music fused with his love for the Congolese guitar.

His debut album TUKO PAMOJA (2009) captured our attention with the distinctive singing, which was strictly in Swahili and focused mainly on the Tanzanian Bongo Flava genre. This new release has a much wider spectrum of diverse sounds. Collaborating with one of Denmark’s top sound engineers, Flemming Rasmussen, who amongst others has produced the first four Metallica albums, has lifted the production to the next level.

All songs on the EP have been recorded at Caravan Records in Tanzania except for Twende Kazi (Let’s Work), which has been recorded at Bongo Records (also in Tanzania). This song, co-produced by P Funk Makani, is perhaps the closest we get to Bongo Flava on this EP. With over 50 Bongo Flava albums to his name, Majani is without a doubt the Godfather of the genre. After the release of Twende Kazi on a promotional CD by World Music Denmark earlier this year, the song has already been nominated for a Danish Music Award as Best World Track 2012.
“Staying true to who I am, Twende Kazi off my EP HUSTLE is first and foremost for my Tanzanian fans. However, I will be pushing my personal boundaries when HUSTLE hits the streets; The EP also has two songs in English and a collaboration titled African Hustle with one of my favorite Kenyan artists Dela. I am very excited about releasing this EP, as I have been dying to show my non-Swahili speaking fans what I write about in my music”. – Mzungu Kichaa.

The EP is part of a bigger recording project that Mzungu Kichaa is working on, which will be released as a full-length album in 2013. The word HUSTLE is meant to reflect the struggle that an artist goes through to achieve success. All the songs touch on the message of fighting for your dream, whether the song is about life or love. Silver Fish is a love song that Kichaa composed at the age of 17 and it is now being released in its original form 15 years later. Another powerful song is Slaving, which he wrote during a stint working in Denmark.

Mzungu Kichaa spent the summer touring Scandinavia as well as playing a string of festival dates, including Hammershus Fairtrade and Copenhagen Jazz Festival, but he mainly performs in East Africa where he has set up CARAVAN RECORDS, a recording studio and management company. Most recently he has started to write about the music industry in Tanzania for a few magazines and facilitates workshops for young aspiring African artists wherever he tours.