The ONLY REAL REASON(S) WE DON'T BLOG YOUR SHIT: Truthfully speaking cc @pushzw @africanhhb

After being mum about it Yours Truly decided to finally state the case about why your content isn't being blogged about (Pardon my fre...

After being mum about it Yours Truly decided to finally state the case about why your content isn't being blogged about (Pardon my french on the article title).. I'll get to the African Hip-Hop Blog and PushZW comments later but first let me break down the reasons why you aren't being blogged about.


1. You ain't fam

Nepotism is everywhere and it's not different with bloggers. People only take notice of their own. A random guy will get swerved without even being given a chance to prove himself. I, personally have tried to be accomodative to everyone, with varying degrees of success, some even thinking I owed them favours, when I didn't.


2. The music doesn't reach us

Artists expect to be miraculously blogged about. Bloggers can't blog about music they've never heard, now can they? Spread your music far and wide and although you may feel the urge to, mass tagging is your worst enemy. It'll just be brushed away as spam. Make an effort to know the bloggers in your niche and contact them in any way you can politely letting them know about your music. Being polite goes a long way, trust me (just don't be a suck-up).


3. We're too "polite" to tell you that your shit is shit (literally)

Sometimes we just can't be honest, resorting to the silent treatment, hoping the person will lose their enthusiasm. This tends to cause feuding between the bloggers and artists, where the artists think that they are being slept on. There is no nice way to say bad news but it has to be said, whether it is viewed as constructive criticism or "haterism" is up to the recipient.  

4. We're too lazy to blog about you

We really don't have the time to blog about you (but that just goes back to point 1, right?). In a world filled with quid pro quo one might ask themselves what mileage they'll gain from blogging about unknown artist Z so they'd rather spend their time scratching their balls than blog about nhingi.

5. You haven't submitted the required information

Almost, if not all bloggers have prerequisites that they require for them to do an article about so and so, especially if they have little to no knowledge about the artist. Trying to bully your way into getting a n article will only work against the relationship you're trying to build with the blogger(s). You can find my prerequisites here.

Those are the 5 main reasons why you aren't being blogged about. Now to get on to the second part of my article...

The P.U.S.H article: WHY WE DIDNT BLOG YOUR S*#@ ! 

The way this article was one-sided is a pain. They said that there isn't enough quality music to blog about. For a blog that only did 13 posts this year (and 63 since the blog started in 2012, which equals my 2014 posts only). Are they saying that of all the singles, videos, albums released in 2015, are summed up in 12 posts? Ummmm that really doesn't amount to much for bragging rights, try harder fam.

In my view this has been quite a busy year for Zim Hip-Hop. We've seen Cal_Vin collaborate with SA's Man of the moment Cassper Nyovest. Veteran GZE bounced back to relavency with John Bhuru. Tambisa Dako opened the year's visuals to critical acclaim. Mare had people talking. Zvenyu did well on radio and in the streets, Tehn's birthday bash was streamed live from the internet (not just a Zim Hip-Hop first but a Zim first). All that from a dead genre? Come on... 

The AHHB article: The Real Reason We Don’t Blog Your Shit: A Post Mortem on Zim Hip Hop

I do agree with Phil that some of the names appearing on the 2015 Zim Hip-Hop Awards nominee list were dodgy but different day, same thing. This happens every year so it should no longer be a surprise.

Artists may not need a blog's co-sign but a blog can and will reach people that the artists may not reach. The world is a globally village and there are so many artist links online (my mentions and DMs on Twitter are evidence of this) but people are more inclined to attend to a link that is in a blog post. 

RE: What Industry Bruh?

THERE is an industry, whether or not it's struggling or flourishing is a whole different issue but it's there. For example you can't say that just because a certain woman is not your type she not considered to be female. Comparing our industry to South Africa and Nigeria isn't fair either as we are at different levels in our industry. Like or not the Zimbabwean music industry is directly affected by our economic state. Artists have to have to source of income that finances their careers, because it requires a certain level of capital injection. I'm sure Jah Prayzah has a very entertaining story about his come-up.

The majority of the Zimbabwean populus has limited disposable income, which already makes it. Proper structures are slowly being putting in place, (you may recall my previous article about the Creative Director). I do concur that some are yet to comprehend the difference between a studio and a record label...

This is what I agree 100% with >>> ...some Zim acts should just be banned from ever touching a mic.

 RE: Zim Hip Hop Has No Sound

This reminds me of a debate I had with friends about whether or not Zim has a national dress. I'll leave the conclusion for another article. I've heard certain DJs talk about how they won't play an upcoming Zim Hip-Hop artist's music unless it's in Shona which has led to the misunderstanding that vernac is the Zimbabwean sound. For me I think the sound stems from the relatability of the lyrics. Tehn Diamond is one artist who mostly spits bars in English but has a large amount of followers. Some say B. Sun produces the Zimbabwean sound (with his fusion of Mbira), others say Sharky is the Zimbabwean sound. Another group may swear that Noble Stylz is the whole Zim Hip-Hop sound. This is a relative view which will always be viewed differently depending on the type of Zim Hip-Hop one is exposed to. There are some imitators though (I've said it before sounding Nigerian isn't the only way to sound African).

I have not resorted to blogging about neighbouring countries more but am actually helping in building a gemre that I know has a future. Zim Hip-Hop lives, pay no attention to anyone who says otherwise. I'm a Zim Hip-Hop addict with an alarmingly large Zim Hip-Hop catalogue but I won't hesitate to call a spade a spade.

I have been putting in work to promote Zim Hip-Hop, the industry is still growing so instead of putting. I don't know what happens north of Samora but where I'm from Zim Hip-Hop isn't overshadowed by Zim Dancehall. The most Zim Dancehall in rotation now is the Killer T album. 

In the words of my young bro Sharky, let's build.