ASAPH - The People's Rapper EP Review

I have always believed that Bulawayo is the arts capital in Zimbabwe, they may not have the financial muscle as H-Twn but their creativity levels are above any other city. The city was however dormant for quite a number of years then in 2015 a new hip hop wave emerged and the City started showing signs of recovery. Fast forward to 2019 and Bulawayo is now a proper powerhouse in the hip hop circles and is showing no signs of stopping.

Among the new faces that emerged none is bigger than ASAPH at the moment, he introduced himself to many in 2015 with his Kingsvilla series which earned him respect from all critics across the Hip Hop community. He showcased some superb storytelling and created a captivating project which was a departure from the many projects that were being released then. The project despite being adored did not gain him mainstream attention. He then followed it up with Kingsvilla2 which was an even more  beautiful piece of work, you can read my review of that project here: Twenty Five Album Review . By then many rap heads were starting to take notice of ASAPH but it took the 2018 hit jam Mambo to finally announce ASAPH to the masses. In 2018 he however released his debut album Twenty Five which for me was quite basic compared to how immersive and engaging his past mixtapes were but with Mambo he rewrote his legacy for the year. After dominating the charts with Mambo many were now waiting to see how ASAPH was going to follow up on project. 

After a reasonable wait the much awaited People's Rapper EP is finally here. Given how underwhelming his last project was I am very much waiting to see how he performs on this new project. Judging by history ASAPH is flames  when it comes to EP's and mixtapes so that made me excited about this latest EP. Have many questions going into this project; will he fully switch to mainstream hip hop as he did on the Mambo single?, will he return back to the superb storytelling of the Kingsvilla series? How is he gonna balance his newly found mainstream fans from Mambo and those who enjoyed his storytelling conscious rap style? Will this project be better than his debut album?. By the end of this review hopefully all questions will be answered. 

As usual will be doing a track by track review.

1. V.I.C 

This was the second single released from the EP, its the one given the duty to raise the Hype as the release date got closer and it does that job perfectly well. The feeling of the track is on point, it capitalizes on the kwaito sounding elements to create a bouncy jam. The overall production is done very well you will be bumping your head to the beat in no time, great work by AYKAY. On the verses ASAPH was in form blending well with the instrumental whilst delivering some solid verses. He feels comfortable in his vocals and that shows all over the track. Its no wonder why this track quickly got many vibing to it and is already climbing high on the charts. This is more of a flamboyant kind of track where ASAPH is saying everything is now in place for his reign, now the Vibe Is Correct after all these years.

2. Real Ones (feat T Jeketera)

This is a beautiful prayer for every young person in Zim. ASAPH is pouring his heart out to the Almighty, praying for his path to be blessed and become fruitful. He brought his A-Game on the verses, passionately crying out for a better life in a nation run by selfish corrupt leaders ("we go down whilst they in Dubai"),  a nation where things get worse at every moment ("prices keep on rising when we fuel queuing") whilst the leaders turn a blind eye.  He talked about living in the truth which is hard given many chapters of our history such as Gukurahundi have been erased from history. ASAPH continued on explaining how life is bleak for the youths of today, there is a lot of desperation and pain among the youth of today leading to drug use. Loved his verses, he showed a lot of passion in his verses. The production is done beautifully well, the instrumental arrangement is done superbly well setting the overall tone perfectly well, another great job by AYAKAY. .

3. Fifestreet Flows (feat Mimie Tarukwana)

Brother and Sister team up for this supercharged self reflecting, self praise jam. ASAPH is sharing his journey, the inside battles and challenges he faces in his career, the hurdles he had to overcome to push his city and take the rap game to the next level. He also shared his ambition to be the best in the game and on the lighter side shared his admiration for rising pop star Tamy Moyo.  ASAPH is inspired by the late King Pinn and is declaring himself the re-incarnation of the pioneer as he highlights his change from his early days using the moniker Kwanfire to now where he is Mambo (The King). Mimie was super soulful on the hook, nailing it with every word. The production is done well, the instrumental complements the vocals very well, the track flows superbly well.

4. Changamire (feat Fish F McSwagg) 

This track has a similar feel to Mambo (below) and in many way follows a similar setup. The chorus is in Shona, the tracks are both led by flute/sax sounding sounds and the tracks are laced with some edgy bass lines. If you love pulling those hip hop dances, this is definitely the track for you, it's full of energy. The overall production is again well done and cannot fault the arrangement both the instrumental and vocals. On this track ASAPH continues sharing his ambition of pushing Bulawayo to the top whilst dominating the so called capital city of Hip Hop Harare whilst at the same time making a financial killing. Again he was in top form on the verses, floating beautifully on the verses, blending perfectly with the beat. 

5. Mambo (feat Tha Dawgg & Fish F McSwagg)

This is the track that brought mainstream attention to ASAPH, it was the first single released and did major damage on the charts in 2018. It showed Hip Hop still exists in Zim when it claimed the number one spot for a couple of weeks, something hip hop tracks do not do that often in Zim. On the track ASAPH switched to a more trap sound which helped draw attention from many people. The instrumental is well made, the saxophone loops give the track a unique feel which makes the track easily recognizable. On the verses ASAPH was again solid, delivering his verses with ease. On the hook they switched things up and opted for Shona as they did on Mambo and that proved to be the winning formula again for this track. On this track he continied with the ambitious self praise theme stating he is now the King and I now make the rules in the game. 

6. Ginimbi Rich (feat Ganyai Jr) 

On this track they went full mainstream trap as the track is structured in a way you probably have heard on radio and Tv many times. The track feels like a continuation of Changamire, in both the vocals and instrumental arrangement. On this track he explores his ambition to be financially successful and living the superstar life. Given the structure of the track this can quickly become a favorite of many however for me am much into the conscious type of rap so the track will not be getting that much plays from me. 

7. Freedom (feat Mszikay, Z Jones & Lee Mchoney) 

This track has different ethnic feel to it, a vibe I last heard on Sharky's albums a number of years back. The congas and keyboard work combine quite well to create a distinct sound which is quite refreshing. Such a sound is perfect for some deep themes and they indeed went deep on this track. ASAPH and team are crying for Freedom, after the liberation war many felt we were now going be be really free but that has and is still not the case. There are still systems in place that make it an unequal playing field leading to may remaining opressed to this day!. The hook on the track is done well, however on the verses esp the first and third ones i feel they could have been better. 

8. Good Tyms (Bonus)

This is a feel good party jam, which can serve as a perfect Friday night starter. The track was released some months back and personally became a fan of the track since then. The track is bouncy, arrangement follows the popular kwaito inspired hip hop tracks such as the superb No Stress by Represent Beatz. The production is good, the vibe is correct on this one, playful and on point, it will all get you into the mood in no time. Love the backing lady vocals, they added that soulful carefree vibe to the track.

So ya that's it for the album The People's Rapper and I have to say its quite an impressive project. Its not as engaging as the Kingsvilla series but impressive nonetheless. 

ASAPH balanced his EP well, delivering tracks that will please both his rap head fans and the mainstream hip hop fans. He showcased his rapping talent on most of the tracks and at the same time selected some catchy instrumentals selections to give the project some mass appeal. 

In terms of themes he mostly talked about his ambition to become the best, to become the savior of local hip hop whilst at the same time sharing the hurdles he continues to face in his journey. The album also touched on some important political and social challenges, such as corrupt leadership, high unemployment, high levels of depression and emotionally intense issues such as Gukurahundi and the lack of truth in our leadership. He also touchrd on some generic hip hop topics such as having a good time on tracks such as Ginimbi Rich and the bonus track Good Tyms Athem. 

The production in overall is done very well, ASAPH truly benefited from having a dedicated and competent team around him who oushed him to deliver the best. Personally am a fan of the conscious rap more so tracks such as Ginimbi Rich are not really my type and because of that its my least favorite track on the project. Freedom is another track am not that extra excited about, the theme and vibe is okay but some of the verses did not hit the spot as I would have liked. 

In overall the project is good. ASAPH is pushing the Bulawayo flag higher than anyone at the moment, he is unapologetically proud of his city and is willing to put it on the map which is something I give him a lot of respect for. Even in his visuals he pushes his city and makes Bulawayo attractive. I have enjoyed listening to this project, he got me listening closely on tracks such as Real Ones, Fifestreet Flows and got me dancing with jams such as Changamire, Good Tyms Athem, V.I.C. I definitely recommend this project, its the best hip hop project so far in 2019.

My overall rating is: 8/10

Feel free to share your thoughts on The People's Rapper EP??

Proud_Zimbo