Socially Conscious Rapper Brintz Releases New Single ‘Phezulu’ Produced By Phanas

TAKUDZWA HILLARY CHIWANZA 

Now, the name Brintz may sound new to those who lend their musical allegiances to the Zim Hip Hop sphere. But to us, the Bulawayo rapper is the embodiment of transformative lyricism — a recalcitrant lyricism that informs and inspires without losing its priceless value to entertain.

Brintz is a socially conscious rapper from Bulawayo whose presence in Zimbabwe’s hip hop spaces is a gift. He has been on the radar for some time now, and he represents a sort of defiant and inspirational creativity; an art that has the power to transform how conventional things are done. Brintz agitates for social change in all that he does.

We love his well-thought and clearly articulated strand of lyricism; and with this, Brintz has dropped a new motivational single titled ‘Phezulu’.

It was produced by Phanas, who also comes from Bulawayo but is now based in South Africa where he has worked with the likes of Speedy and Kid X. Mixing and mastering was executed perfectly by the ever-trustworthy Larynx Voice Box, also from the City of Kings and Queens.

Phezulu literally translates to “Up” from the Ndebele language — and the single is a passionate, kind ode to all human beings who are making valiant efforts towards elevating in whatever field, craft, occupation or passion that they are pursuing.

The humane echoes of Phezulu’s razor-sharp lyricism  by Brintz are aptly accentuated by a tone of undying resistance: that no matter what the system throws at those making inroads as regards success, giving up is not an option.

Boardroom deals and steady flows of cash revenues are our rights too. This is what Brintz says. Keep going up.

Sitting on a lush production, Phezulu shows the magically crafty hands of Phanas. The song reverberates a smooth, suave production excellence that makes you bump your head throughout as you attentively absorb the flows and bars.

Phezulu heavily borrows salient elements of the authentic from Kwaito sounds; giving listeners a true feel of urban street sounds that Kwaito and Hip-Hop are legendary for — radiating a pan-African artistic and cultural solidarity. With the polishing up by Larynx, this is a sound that inspires tenacity to keep going despite seemingly insurmountable circumstances in life. See and understand.

And we love that. The melodies, too. We absolutely love them.

The provenance of Brintz in Zimbabwean hip-hop can be traced back to his days as a battle rapper, and these experiences have morphed him into a top-notch lyricist who preaches authentic, introspective, and well-articulated social themes relevant to the problems of our age. Drawing inspiration from classical hip-hop soundscapes, Brintz is never afraid to experiment with unexpected alternative sounds, giving him an edge over other rappers.

His debut project, Play The$e for Now EP, was his concrete introduction of the rap brilliance he exudes to the world. And with an altruistic passion to pave way for other creatives in hip-hop spheres, Brintz is the co-founder of HipHop Power Festival, a platform based in Bulawayo where creatives can converge in solidarity to push art towards noteworthy visibility and significance.

He is also involved with The FlowFest,  The Annual August Rush, Godlwayo Summer Festival (Filabusi) and Bulawayo Sneaker Expo. These cultural initiatives, together with his rap efforts, saw him being nominated for the Outstanding HipHop Artist Awards at the annual Bulawayo Arts Awards 2022.

Brintz is not just your simple rapper — he is a rapper who dreams; with visions, and he works for tangible action in ways that echo much-needed counter-narratives.

You can listen to Phezulu by Brintz on his official website, brintzonline.co.zw. It will be released on all other platforms a week from now.