KAYFLOW'S NYAMADRIVE EP: FOR THE MEAT LOVERS, MOSTLY

Well I’ll be damned! The start of this year had me thinking Kayflow was going on some spiritual awakening and pushing his sound further from the ‘mainstream’ domain. I was fearing the worst; that he was going on some Andre3000-type-sh**(excuse my French), but my oh my, am I glad I was wrong.

By Nyamadzawo Mukarati

His new E.P, NYAMADRIVE is dropping as I type and it’s everything I had envisioned Kayflow becoming, ever since I first listened to him on his joint MuRace E.P with R. Peels. Okay, maybe I did stretch the truth a bit, but I was waiting on the day he uses his versatility to break into the commercial scene, and perhaps even cement his name as one of the best in the country. That day has come.

NYAMADRIVE is the perfect blend of party tricks that get the crowd going and well written and well thought out lyrics that will get you thinking for days. As soon as the beat comes on for the first track, Gede featuring Takura, you would have an impossible task convincing a deaf person that this isn’t mainstream, and an even tougher one trying to stop a crippled prostitute from dancing to it .

From the beat selection, the feature selection, the hook and the vain, but cleverly written lyrics, this song is for every ghetto yut from Mfombi to Mkoba who knows the only 2 things we wait for summer is the shama time and whining from Shanty and Marianne at the Lake when they are drunk from Carling.

The same goes for the track Musi Watamuka with Nutty O which I, in all my ‘reservedness’ will be sure to pay a visit to my local night club, force the DJ to play (though he will likely do so willingly), and see if my favourite twins will let me … wink wink.

VIP or Mbombera completes the trio (for me at least) of potential club bangers which will do extremely well if marketed properly and come backed by some decent visuals. And inasmuch I would want to say much, all I can really say is my fellow dobenya ‘merchants’ are in for a treat.

NYAMADRIVE is not our typical hiphop project. Kayflow is not rapping like the rent is due on most of these tracks. It’s AfroJecha, whatever that means, but whatever it is, it is excellent and it is very much commercial.

So if you want some deep, introspective tracks from Kayflow, the closest you will get is Vana Ve Pasi which dares remind those living in the seventh heaven off the sweat and pain of others, that at the end of the day we are all children of this earth and death will come for us all. The pensive mood continues into the second verse as man seeks protection for his offspring from the clutches of the enemy. In a manner of speaking, it is in this track and in Tariro that we get some of the ‘vintage’ Kayflow lyricism.

Tariro makes the age old prayer every ghetto yut has been making since ghettos came into existence, ‘things are tough out here, but we keep praying that You will come to our aid in our time of need’. It shares the same positive reinforcement Kayflow has been blessing the streets with since he came on. If you listen closely you can pick up hints of that distinct Kayflow flow that is also present in Usamira.

Perhaps the biggest take away from this E.P is that it’s not an album, but since beggars can’t be choosers, we will gladly take what we can get.

Listen to Nyamadrive EP using the link below and share with us your rating in the comment section below!