Five years ago, Zuko the Don might have high rotation on many of South Africa’s popular radio stations. Five years ago the hip hop game was dominating SA, every sub-genre was under the spotlight. Five years ago it was about how well an artists constructed their rhymes. You didn’t have to sound like a pop singer to get playlisted. Unfortunately, this isn’t five years ago.
Zuko The Don has just released an EP called Anomaly. The focus is clearly poetic and punchline based. He sounds like what a rapper that takes his lyrics seriously should sound like. There is no frill to his music, it’s just him and a microphone, no unnecessary effects, and his lyrics. Tracks like “Heavy Metal Flow” lean heavily into having a catchy hook, but that’s about as far as it goes. The focus is the expressive theme.
The seven-track EP explores some very typical hip-hop tropes. “Dead or Alive” drills down into Zuko’s going out to prove his worth – and it’s a gritty interpretation of flexing in the hip hop game.
There is a variety of flow and pacing to the project: an underlying impression is that Zuko feels as though it’s him against the world. A fact highlighted in the intro track as well as “Nobody Can Stop Me”. While “December 19” rounds off the EP well as it navigates the pain and healing one experiences through attempted suicide. And with all this said, I look forward to seeing how he follows this EP up.
Feature pic by Candice Chaplin
