Chimurenga Renaissance

Chimurenga Renaissance emerged in 2012 as a Zimbabwe-focused hip-hop endeavor initiated by Tendai "Baba" Maraire of Shabazz Palaces, who joined forces with rapper Hussein Kalonji, previously performing under the name H-Bomb. During that period, the collective presented their fusion of synthesized electronic elements and traditional organic sounds, including ngoma drums alongside mbira thumb pianos, via the mixtape Pungwe, which blended tracks from figures such as Bob Marley and Spice 1 with those of African musicians including Thomas Mapfumo and Youssou N'Dour. The project's first proper release arrived in 2014 through the Brick Lane imprint, titled riZe vadZimu riZe, and included contributions from M1 of Dead Prez as well as Palaceer Lazaro, Maraire's collaborator from Shabazz Palaces.