Ambassador Young, Suffix in Christmas carol remix
He has surprised many with his public stunts. People have seen him eating mandasi (fritters) in streets, chiwaya chips and nsima in local eateries.
And now, American Ambassador David Young and Malawian hip hop artist Suffix have done a remix of the Christmas carol Jingle Bells.
The remix also features Matt Alegeo.
The music video, posted on the US Embassy Facebook on Monday, features Young and Suffix in white T-shirts and stocking Father Christmas
The video got nods on social media, with some people saying the US envoy continues to demystify diplomacy.
The video opens with Young and Suffix sharing popcorn. The Ambassador opens the remix with the lyrics from the original Christmas Carol done by American artist Will Lyle in 1889.
Young, appearing comical, delves into the song with the original lyrics: “Oh what fun it is to ride/In a one-horse sledge, Hey!/Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way….”
Taking his turn, Suffix artistically chips in: “Waziziwaaa!/Jingle janga jingle bells all the way/Iwe! Iwe!/Ndi nthawi yoti tipange za holiday/Iwe! Iwe!/Tasakasaka siliva ndi golide/Mwina tiphake life pataunipa ndi Davide.”
In an interview yesterday, Suffix said the song was a product of a conversation that evolved during a chat among the three at the Ambassador’s residence.
“They are having a pre-Christmas concert at his residence so when we were chatting about music, we agreed to just come up with something we can do on the concert day,” he said.
The journey to record the song started where the three agreed to do a cover at Nyali Muzik Studio with Suffix rapping, the Ambassador singing and Matt Alegeo playing the instruments.
Later on, the Ambassador suggested they shoot a video shot by Manifest at Nyali Muzik Studio.
“He is a true diplomat. He knows when to wear a suit and when to have fun as a human being. He knows how to relate with the poor and the rich. He knows his job and I am a huge fan of his work and personality,” said Suffix.
In a separate interview, Matt Alegeo commended Young for his efforts to socialise locally. “Ambassadors are representatives of their countries and if they don’t associate with people locally the question we can always ask is: ‘What are they going to represent about us?’” said Matt Alegeo.
