JOHANNESBURG, (The Southern African Times) – Born Tafara Dondo on the 22nd of April in 1998, the Zim hip hop artist, producer and songwriter SUHN has enjoyed a meteoric rise in his fairly young career with two of his songs Twenties and Magielas making waves on the local radio scene.
It goes without saying 2020 coming into was a rough time for many. However, as the demographics show, there was a plethora of great albums, memorable songs and Hip Hop producers. The best rappers displayed top tier lyricism, artists joined forces for significant collaborations and while everyone was in the house under lockdown, fans were entertained with new music videos, TV shows and online concerts to create continued discussion — not to mention a load of impeccable R&B music to provide some much needed stress relief.
While the world may seem like it is in shambles, it is safe to say Zimbabwean Hip Hop in 2020 was in a good space. Prepare yourself to agree, disagree or be enlightened altogether as we delve into to discuss the young career of a new former UNION 5 member who is now pursuing a solo career with SUHN being his new stage name.
The HONA MAGHETSI hit maker took down all his visuals and songs that he made as UNION 5 and started afresh as SUHN and produced music that gives him satisfaction. This move, with all the bold intent attached to it, paid off.
The Southern African Times caught up with SUHN in an effort to really get an idea of how life as a musician is like for him. “I’ve loved music since I was really young after seeing a Daft Punk music video on TV. Since then, I have always felt an attraction to music. I was given an MP3 player, remember those ones which had limited disk space? And it only had Kanye West’s 808s and Heartbreak on it and that’s where my love for music stems from.” said SUHN in a husky voice during the telephone interview.
According to SUHN, his musical journey really started around the time when he was about fifteen years old when a friend introduced him to beat making software. Initially, he was making only electronic beats influenced by music from Skrillex, Calvin Harris and Daft punk. With time, he started getting into hip hop production and tried to make a fusion of the two genres. SUHN admitted that he had always been a rap fan and it was only a matter of time till he started rapping on his beats and that’s when SUHN came into being.
SUHN’s feature on NashTV’s HOTSPOT, created a wave which him as an artist is grateful for since it actually means people not only listen to his music but enjoy it as well. 2020, a year marred by chaos and controversy, also served as a promising beginning for the next generation of new rappers, primed to take hold of the game in the coming year. Amid the turbulence of the COVID-19 pandemic, stringent lockdown regulations among other factors young musicians, SUHN being one of them, focused on their craft and game plan — and succeeded despite the odds.
