The trends in local hip-hop music continue to evolve from the time the first rhythms of the genre sounded over three decades ago.

The debate as to who are the real pioneers of the trade has never reached a common conclusion. However, some names such as Tapps Bandawe and Boyz Lazy are mentioned as some acts which took the first steps in the game.

The group of hip-hop artists who worked on Legends

With time, other names such as Real Elements, T Man, Tacky T and Criminal A also emerged on the scene. The pioneers had an uphill task as they laboured to make the genre accepted as one of those art expressions. To many, hip-hop was still an alien phenomenon.

Bandawe, a respected producer now, said: “There were no studios in Malawi with drum machines which are essential for hip-hop. So, it was almost impossible to record. There were no producers, no shows and the rappers were not taken seriously by the public.”

But time seems to have done the genre justice. Much as it is not as popular as other local types of music, local hip-hop has made considerable strides on the local music landscape in terms of acceptance and popularity.

Almost like in celebration of that feat and turnaround, a group of 11 hip-hop artists have come together to feature on one song titled Legends. Initiated by Phyzix, the song features names such as Tay Grin, Barry One, Hyphen, GD, Marcus, Third Eye, Dominant 1, Cyclone, Spyral and Blak Jak.

Talking to Chill, Phyzix said despite being a hip-hop artist, he is also a fan of the genre and by initiating this project, he wants to refresh the excitement of the genre, promote unity and cherish to work with all of them in one song.

“A lot of my peers that I started with have either retired or semi-retired. This is meant to bring back life into the game and make people excited to work on new projects,” he said.

The Blantyre-based rapper admitted it has been a tough journey that required so much endurance, but he is convinced that despite the mistakes recorded, a strong foundation has been laid for the up-and-coming generation.

Just to underline the popularity of the genre at the moment, the song Legend registered over 30 000 downloads in less than 24 hours of its release.

Radio personality Joy Nathu believes the focus on the cleaner lyrical content by most rappers has been crucial in the turnaround.

He said: “The genre took a long time to get established because it was associated with the conventional American hip-hop of explicit and foul language. It has slowly gained ground because of the cleaner and distinct set of artists.

“They have focused on the lyrical expression rather than the explicit gangster nature of the genre. It has been a long journey whose fruits the local artists are beginning to enjoy now.”

Q Malewezi was a member of the now defunct Real Elements and he says the coming together of the great artists on one song exemplifies an important aspect of hip-hop culture which is “the movement”.

“Creatively, Malawian hip-hop has achieved its pinnacle and the remaining work which needs to be done is the industry aspect where the artists need to start making serious income to reflect the culture’s value,” he said.

One of the partners in the project, Barry One described the effort as legendary as it has brought together artists of different rap styles and still managed to make something attractive in that diversity.

He said: “Hip-hop still lives and this song is proof. The song is a revival and appreciates every effort and hard work that these legends have put in to get the genre where it is.”

Bandawe though thinks the sector needs to push to secure its own identity for it to make an impact on the international scene.

“We are now at a good level. However, we need to get a Malawian hip-hop sound. In America, South Africa and elsewhere they have their own sound. We ultimately need our own identity ultimately to cement the gains,” he said.

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