We claim ground!

It's no debate that the past seven and half months have been belligerent in so many different aspects. As if the Eswatini Arts and Entertainment industry wasn't already suffering enough, the COVID-19 pandemic took over and turned lives upside-down. And when we thought things were getting better, we just took two steps forward and five steps back. At this point, we're not sure of our fate. 

It's been a blow, especially for the arts and entertainment industry in the Kingdom. Artists have been screaming but its been difficult to get the government to hear our wail. Some artists have even opted to venture into other paths to get some remuneration. Regardless of the whole situation, some artists have been creating, making music and becoming more powerful, perfecting their craft. 

I had an interesting chat with a few artists who are working with Claiming Ground Records, which is a record label in the Kingdom, founded by Mozaik the producer. Music is their culture and all work that they do does not only stem from it but stays sustained by it too. They believe that this culture is what allows them to be a multi-faceted company; tapping into all aspects of the Audio and Entertainment industry.

Mozaik is the founder and CEO of Claiming Ground Records, Eswatini’s very first and leading record label founded in 2006. The multi-Award-winning producer & rapper, singer, sound engineer, songwriter, and DJ perfectly fits the description of a young and gifted creative whose abilities are yet to be fully realized and unleashed to stratospheric levels.

He pursued Sound Engineering at a Paisley college in Scotland, The United Kingdom and upon his return in 2006, he began working with a number of artists as a producer and partly as an artist, with a few releases until he collaborated with fellow label-mate KrTC of Hip Hop. Their collaboration album was titled Siyinqaba and was released in 2010 and it was then that Mozaik cemented his presence as a gifted rapper.

Mozaik has just released a single titled "Addicted to Dope" and he says that he came up with this song when he was just imagining how he would like to feel like, experiencing a dope person, being addicted to spending time with that dope person, hence the tittle, "Addicted to Dope".

He states that the company is expanding their footprint, trying to work with as much cooperates as possible, creating company and brand identities through theme songs and jingles and also radio adverts. "Nothing beats cooperate partnerships in the industry. So if you already have a footing in that you're able to work with as much cooperates as you can then you can understand what kind of brands and products these companies are pushing, which will be advantageous to you on what you can partner on with them. So basically, we are creating our own platforms for work and for the future." He concludes. 

Msizi Rhythm, is a versatile singer and song writer from the Kingdom of Eswatini. His career boasts of having worked with a number of talented artists and industry people spanning over 10 years. Msizi Rhythm has collaborated with the likes of Pastor Bakhe, KRTC, Itallo and Illa Penboy to just to name a few. He is also the founder of the award-winning group TLP which won Group of the year award in 2015.

 

Passionate about music, Msizi Rhythm composed the 2008 Eswatini national election theme song and has made various theme songs for other organizations such as The prince Lindani Foundation, KFC, Mister Bread, and Nomakanjani Scrap and Recycling. Of his many works this year, his feature in the COVID-19 awareness music project, ASIBEMUNYE is high up on his list of great feats. His talent has earned him sets on stages like The internationally lauded MTN Bushfire, MTN SWAMA awards, Eswatini International Trade Fair, Ebukhosini annual festival (Mpumalanga) and Gcwalisa Mogambo.

Msizi has himself released a single with Claiming Ground Records titled "Bheka Mine". He says that passion has been the major factor that held him through everything and he was able to continue making music even in such tough times. 

Msizi says that some good has come from the past few months because he got the opportunity and all the time he needed to be creative and get enough studio time to perfect his craft. 

He mentions that we should expect an EP and some amazing music videos from him. "I want people to experience me in a great way, a very unique and fresh way. You can't put Msizi in a box! I've got such a gift and this gift is not just confined in a genre. This gift can do anything!" He excitedly says. 

A star in the making, Yemaa, is a singer, songwriter born and raised in the kingdom of Eswatini. Being a performer who emanates a fiery persona on stage, she adventurously fuses pop, RnB and EDM to electrically entice music lovers.  

Shortly after being a runner up for the inaugural MTN Spotlight Competition, Yemaa co-wrote and was also featured on a song titled “Asibemunye”, by the Eswatini Artist Ensemble, which has seen over 10k views on YouTube. She is also a co-writer and vocalist for the theme song for the leading Eswatini series, “Ekhaya”. 

After performing live for 11 consecutive weeks during the MTN Spotlight Competition, Yemaa went on to expand her fan base by performing at events like the Homebrew Carnival, the 2020 MTN Yello hub and Music time launch and the 2020 MTN season 2 launch. 

Yemaa is currently working on an album with Claiming Ground Records as part of her prize from the MTN Spotlight competition. Her latest single is titled "Together", which she released with the record label. "The experience has been amazing! Working with Mozaik has helped me grow from the way I make music to unlocking more of my potential." She smiles. 

  

The Sensational Oxygen is a hip-hop lyricist, performer and composer whose brand is centered around   portraying the importance of music in society and life itself. Oxygen is able to connect mind, body and soul through his good vibe sound, world class performances and profound bars. He has a working relationship with Claiming Ground Records which also came with being in the final top 3 of the MTN Spotlight Season 1 competition sponsorship for the album recording with the record label and they further established a great relationship beyond the sponsorship. 

Oxygen has also released a single with Claiming Ground Records, "Clap with it", which is a feel good song, as we are approaching the festive season...well this is the festive season. "The inspiration was to fuse old school and new school hip hop in creating a vibe!" He explains. 

The rising star has won over the hearts of many with his charismatic, abstract and show-stopping performances. Having graced multiple recognizable stages in the kingdom of Eswatini, Oxygen demands attention on stage and leaves his fans yearning for more. He has shared stages with international acts like AKA, Naak Musiq and The Kiffness, and keeps proving that everything about him is Sensational. 

This calls to say that Claiming Ground Records continues CLAIM GROUND regardless of what's happening around them. Let's also use what we have, where we are to claim ground!

Facebook: Claiming Ground Records 

Twitter: @cgrecordsSD