SOUTH AFRICA-BASED gospel rapper Mike Tinhidzai, popularly known as Shonaman, has released two singles titled House of The Lord and High Five.
BY PRECIOUS CHIDA
Speaking to NewsDay yesterday, Shonaman said High Five was a way of giving thanks to the Lord and House of The Lord was a message to those who are lacking in their faith to believe in God.
“High Five came from the gesture that we give each other when we revel as folks and it made me think we should do the same to the Lord celebrating everything that he does for us,” he said.
“A lot of people abandon the Lord because of the many challenges they face, so I felt there is need to tell people who are shunning their faith to always go back to the house of the Lord, no matter the situation.”
Shonaman started his music career in 2011, having released a mix-tape in 2014 and is now working on his album, which will be released next year February.
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The gospel rapper said his music was facing a lot of criticism by the society, as it is not the type of genre which a lot of people are interested in.
He said this had led to its lack of publicity by the media.
“This is Christian rap, so I am always stigmatised. It is also a road less travelled by a lot of people and those who tried to do it never make it, especially in Africa. So publicity is a big challenge because the media does not want to publish articles on Christian rap,” he said.
Shonaman said he has not been to produce have albums due to lack of marketing and financial constraints.
He added that he was “definitely” going to survive in the industry, as he was doing what the other gospel rappers were not, adding that every time he was invited to shows, he always found himself the only gospel rapper on stage.
“I think I am going to reach to the top. I am using marketing strategies that secular artistes use and I am now finding myself being invited to shows, despite finding that I would be the only gospel rapper there,” he said.
Inspired by Frank Edwards and Eminem, Shonaman honed his skills by getting invitations for different events, claiming his first victory on his very first attempt at I Am Women Foundation’s first anniversary.