FROM the City of Kings is hip-hop artiste Masimba Sigauke, better known as Navy Seal, who gained popularity in the local hip-hop circles after releasing his song Elevated.
The song, produced by Jae Mac Beatz, was on the number one spot for four weeks on the School Of Hip-Hop Top 10 Chart show on one of the country’s leading radio stations last year.
Currently based in Harare, working at Tropical Sound and Music Distributors, Navy Seal is a talented, rising artiste under the Family Bizness record label, co-owned by Michael “Mcpotar” Mupotaringa, and Leonard “Beat Broker” Chimanga, also from Bulawayo.
Having worked on various projects with fellow renowned hip-hop femcee Trae Yung, and fast-rising Karma and with an early career dating back to 2008 with the then popular Bulawayo producer Tu Nyce, and later joining producer T-Krued’s Mic-A-Blaze record label, Navy Seal has had quite a journey in the fast-rising industry.
The 24-year-old talented artiste is now working on his debut album Word On The Streets which is due for release anytime soon and his music has a complete street sound to it, with a form of spoken word, according to his album title.
NewsDay Entertainment reporter Tinashe Sibanda recently caught up with the artiste and this is what he had to say:
ND: How did you come up with the name Navy Seal? NS: I got the name from a white boy in my class, back in high school. It really had nothing to do with music, but everything to do with our love for military cartoons like G I Joe back in the day.
ND: You said your career dates back to 2008. Why did it take you six years to release an album? NS: It took me this long to focus and start working on an album because I hadn’t become serious with my career since back then, I only did rap for fun. It was only in 2012 that I and my close friends and business partners Mcpotar and Beat Broker decided it was time to get into the studio and work on the debut Navy Seal album for 2014.
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ND: Who are your targeted audiences and how do you plan to reach out to the greater part of the country and beyond? NS: Mainly teenagers and the youth because I believe they are the type of people with an ear for my type of music. By advertising, marketing, and distributing my music through social media, radio, Press, and shows in and around the city, I aim to reach out to audiences in and outside Zimbabwe.
ND: What is your general view on the local music industry and do you feel that hip-hop is getting fair recognition in Zimbabwe? NS: I’ve noticed that the local music industry is dominated by sungura and dancehall which I don’t listen to myself, but I’m impressed how some artistes in those genres have had opportunities to tour different countries, and continents across the world. Zimbabwe’s hip-hop on the other hand is slowly getting the recognition it deserves. This is evidenced by the first ever nomination of a local hip-hop project at the recent National Arts Merits Awards. So I believe that in time, Zim hip-hop will be the dominant genre in the local music industry.
ND: What challenges have you faced as an artiste from Bulawayo and what changes do you hope to see in the industry? NS: Radio airplay has been the major challenge I’ve faced this far. I only started getting spins on radio when I moved to Harare. This is a major challenge faced by most hip-hop artistes in and around Harare. However, I hope to see less scrutiny at radio stations, on Zim hip-hop.
ND: Who/What inspires you? NS: My role model is 50 Cent. I get inspiration when I listen to his music.
ND: In the meantime, how can listeners’ access your available music? NS: You can access my music on http://soundcloud.com/navy-seal-elevated.
