Tripple 7 Production’s Syclone released his debut album ‘The Origin/ Ntundiliro’ last month. Produced by Araffath and Mr Glo, ‘The Origin’ has notable features from Ked, Zee Bree Gwan, King Elegant, Bethold, Neslow, Sman, Hishishi Papa and Castro.
The album boasts 17 tracks all carrying diverse Namibian themes and experiences. With ‘The Origin’, Syclone transcends the upcoming artist label and simply becomes an artist. Besides the project being diverse in terms of the genres as well as lyrical content, the album is a more personal account of his life than we have witnessed when he was a part of the now disbanded rap trio The Constellation or on his singles.
The first song on this body of work is a superlatively honest account of the challenges that haunt modern millennials, touching on issues of alcohol, drugs, relationships and his relationship with the creator.
Some of the outstanding songs that will probably get a lot of spins on radio or in clubs, if promoted well, include ‘Bebelebe’, ‘Muyoyo’, ‘Hingo’ and ‘4call’.
On ‘Muyoyo’, Syclone, who describes himself as a hip-hop artist who fuses rap with African sounds, demonstrates that he is not confined to one genre as he faultlessly delivers bars on a Sungura beat, a genre that originated from Zimbabwe.
On the album he also uses his talent and platform to encourage youth living in ghettos in Namibia to follow their dreams no matter what and to never stop believing that they can accomplish great things with hard work and dedication.
On ‘Ndjara’, Syclone assures his fans that throughout all the struggles in life they can still rise above everything and become who they want to be. ‘Ndjara’ is a conscious song – the rapper takes on the responsibility of being the voice of the streets, homeless, raped women and society as a whole and lets these victims know that they are not alone in their struggles and that they can find comfort in his music.
While much of Syclone’s work remains remarkable, the downfall of this album is that it has too many features for a debut album. As much as collaborations are good, this takes from his craft and makes it seem like he needs help to make fully-fledged body of work.
Overall, ‘The Origin’ caters to all music listeners as it is diverse and keeps up the feel-good vibe with the inspirational appeal. The album is available for purchase in Windhoek at Antonio’s Art, Elenga Shop and Mono Shop.
Stay informed with The Namibian – your source for credible journalism. Get in-depth reporting and opinions for
only N$85 a month. Invest in journalism, invest in democracy –
Subscribe Now!
