The music career of Afro-dance musician Nepman has surged ever since he burst on the scene over a decade ago.
Nepman has transformed from the seemingly wannabe who showed flashes of brilliance here and there to becoming an artist who almost every musician dreams of collaborating with. So far, there is no artist who can lay claim to have done more collaborations in the country than him.
In one of the interviews with The Nation when he featured on a track by Dyson Mthawanji two years ago, he was asked if he remembers the number of songs he has featured in. His response was candid: “I cannot recall. I have lost track of some of the songs. They are just too many of them.”
That has all be down to how he has mastered his art in front of the microphone. Usually, artists are certain that the presence of the Ndirande Township-bred star will make their song better.
There is another side to Nepman’s art which has made him come out as unique and distinct. His no-holds-barred nature of his lyrics has often left his followers astonished. His approach is not caged such that his content has sometimes oscillated between the ridiculous and funny.
But at the end of the day, it seems the magic he holds lies in the manner of his delivery. No matter how he stretches his art, he still has his followers hooked.
In his collaboration with Crime titled Magobo, Nepman is at his crazy best as he prescribes a sex schedule to his wife owing to his heavy work schedule.
“Lolemba ndimakhala nditafooka, ntchito yophotchoka. Lachiwiri ndimakhala otangwanika, kugwira ntchito monyinyirika. Nabola lachitatu ili, ndikhoza kupanga katatu ili. Lachinayi monyinyirika, nabola mtakulikita”…he sings.
This audacity that has been his trademark such that one would easily attribute it to his ghetto upbringing. His music DNA has thus far served to outline his streetwise persona.
Two weeks ago, Nepman, born Nepia Longwe, released a seven-track extended play (EP) titled It Takes Time. The EP has probably surprised many of his followers.
With the exception of Ndidikireko, most of his hits have been collaborations. This has led some critics to speculate that Nepman is only at his best when he works with someone. They said he cannot stand on his own.
But out of the seven songs in It Takes Time, there is just one collaboration, Anzizanga which features Man Chi. That is a marked deviation from the foundations that have taken his career this far. Is it a deliberate move to demystify assertions that he cannot do it alone?
Another notable element in the new EP is how the usually unchained Nepman has thrived on the spiritual theme.
Three songs; I sing to You, Hossana and Kumayamika see the lyrist pour his heart out praising the Lord in song in a manner people have never known him for before.
If it was not for his unmistakable voice, the melody he belts out in I Sing to You would have one thinking it was just some established gospel artist. The assuredness in the delivery does not in any way show he is playing in an unfamiliar terrain.
He sings in I Sing to You: “Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, my life belongs to you! I sing to you all my worship for my life belongs to you…”
The slight deviation may after all just serve to earn him new followers as he oozes maturity that others would suggest his art has lacked for long. The three-gospel themed songs also reveal his dexterity in his game. He has shown that he is not one dimensional.
But the compilation is not a complete departure from his DNA altogether. The Nepman people have grown to know and love comes back to life in the song Low Life. In this song, the artist reconnects with his ghetto roots as he narrates what his life has been.
He sings in the song: “Stork sindimudziwa ine, ineyo ndiwa mapeyara. Tissue sindiyidziwa ine mama! Zisonokho ndimapepela. Kwa Safa, kwa Goliyo, ku Makata eeeh! Iyo ndi yanga keyala…”
The analogy that he deploys in Low Life, although it comes out as funny and extreme, mirrors the realities that most households go through in the areas he mentions in the song. He is reminding them that although his fortunes may have changed because of the fame, he is still one of them.
It Takes Time may have dragged Nepman to different extremes, but is also shows he is able to adapt in different lanes. Maybe it may just be the dawn of a new artist in him though it has taken him time.
