by Sabelo Mkhabela

It was through Hype magazine in the mid-2000s that I learnt about two brothers, Akim and Dumisani Ndlovu, from Zimbabwe who rapped under the name Zimbabwe Legit. Their song “Doing Damage in my Native Tongue” was on one of the CDs that came with the magazine. An interview with the duo would follow on a later issue.

House Of Stone which I only got on my first years of varsity, around 2010, was a lot of things to me. It was, first of all, a great hip-hop album. Everything was on point; the lyrics spoke to me, the East Coast-style production was what I was into. But what House Of Stone did was instill some pride in me. It was my first time listening to a hip-hop album by Africans that was from outside of South Africa. And it was great. It made me want to dig more online for hip-hop from across the continent – leading to me discovering the likes of Modenine, Nazizi, and more.

The album also featured hip-hop legends like Stic.man (from Dead Prez) and Mike G (from The Jungle Brothers). Mike G appeared on the jazzy video single “Where I’m At”. The single was just a glimpse to what the album was – jazz samples, warm basslines and crispy snares – New York mid-90s type of stuff.

Maggz, one of my favourite rappers, also appeared on “All Over The Map” alongside other emcees from around the continent, and M.A. Double was smooth as he has always been.

House Of Stone is a timeless body of work. And I’m not just saying that to be politically correct. It still sounds as new as it did when I first heard it. And I’ve been following Dumi Right ever since. He has always been my favourite – his lyrics were easy to grasp, and his precise cadence and clear vocal projection made sure you heard each and every word. His Connect The Dots album (2012) is another collector’s item.

Stream House Of Stone below, and grab a copy on iTunes.