Maskiri: The rapper you would love to hate
By Nigel Pfunde
HARARE – You are wrong if you thought lewd lyrics and shocking vibes are the preserve of American rappers. In Zimbabwe there is a young musician who calls himself Maskiri, who has stolen the limelight for controversial reasons.
The story of his musical journey reads like an American rapper’s. He went into the limelight with the song Ndizvo ndizvo.
In the song he seems to be celebrating the fact that close relatives are about to die. Among the lyrics when translated into English from Shona; It’ s a good thing that my father is ill, when he dies I will inherit his house. It’s a good thing that my brother is ill, when he dies I will inherit his wife. When he dies I will wear his watch and drive his car.
Many people where shocked when they heard the lyrics. But Maskiri defended his song, he said he was only highlighting what happens in society and this would also serve as a warning to those who do not prepare wills before they die.
That single was followed by an even more controversial album whose title says it all; Blue movie. As expected even by Maskiri himself, the album was refused airplay by the national broadcaster. The album is full of dirty lyrics.
On being questioned on why he would go to such lengths as to leave nothing to the imagination, Maskiri said his album was excatly what the people wanted, because though refused airplay, his album was selling faster than anything ever produced by a young urban groover on the market.
One of the songs on that album is titled Madam Mombeshora. In the song, he is a schoolboy burning with desire for his teacher, Madam Mombeshora. His lust for her is so strong he can’t even concentrate on his schoolwork.
He sings of how she improperly sits in front of the class such that he manages to spy on her underwear and the desire he feels is so strong he cannot help it. ‘‘The song is based on a true story,’’ says Maskiri and Madam Mombeshora is an actual name of an actual living person.
Maskiri’s controversies do not end on the music stage, for a couple of years ago he was in the news for assaulting his landlord who was trying to evict him for, among other things, disturbing the peace and climbing on the roof to smoke and drink beer.
He is also still walking on crutches after being thrown out of a fourth floor flat in a love triangle dispute. Some sections of society say Maskiri’s life style is a disgrace to society and bad influence on the youth. The Zimbabwe Mail
