Gwamba Rules with Chichewa rap 

Duncan Zgambo, otherwise popularly known as Gwamba in music circles, has heaped praises on Chichewa to have helped him to create a compelling brand for himself.

He said this when taking stock of his 13-year music journey career which he described as successful.

Gwamba’s reaction comes at a time when there is a lot of talk surrounding the death of fellow hip hop artist Martse.

“I had my first hit song Iwe Gwamba back in 2009. At that time, I had nothing, just my talent and hard work. People mocked me for rapping in Chichewa and said I was never going to make it, but God proved them wrong,” he wrote on his Facebook page after holding a successful show at Blantyre Golf Club at the weekend.

The rapper said back in 2013, he featured Nesnes in Nabola Kusache, a song which earned him a breakthrough.

He testified the power of the song: “It gave me a different audience and even some endorsement deals, the main one being the ambassador for Unfpa Malawi. With this, I travelled to countries like South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Swaziland, with my Chichewa rap.

“Around the same time, I bought my first car, at 24, using money that I had saved by making music.”

According to Gwamba, in 2016 he decided to switch to gospel music. And since then he has been releasing hit songs and organising successful shows.

He said his story of humble beginning should be seen as a source of motivation to others, not necessarily bragging or seeking sympathy from people.

“What am I saying? I work very hard. I consistently make hit songs. When I have an event, I push very hard and people have seen it with their own eyes. As much as I have certain privileges that others may not have, which is definitely not a sin, no one should ever try to look down on my hard work, that’s wrong because I work hard,” said Gwamba.

He added that he has tirelessly worked for 13 years to become the brand that he is today.

A fan, Andrew Mainga touted Gwamba as a hard worker and landlord of Chichewa rap.

He said: “There is no need to explain yourself Gwamba because you are a hard worker. Once a hard worker, always a hard worker. Once a Chichewa rap landlord, always a Chichewa rap landlord. And once a sparrow, always a sparrow. Keep on shining.”

Another music and entertainment enthusiast Kingsley Banda said Gwamba’s success story stems from various factors.

“The fact that he is the pioneer of Chichewa rap makes him the leader in this genre locally. It is one of the unique ways of promoting our culture as a people,” he said.

Banda further highlighted that Gwamba’s success can also be attributed to his effective marketing antics.

“Look at how he organised the just-ended album launch. From his meet and greet events to the heavy social media and main stream media promotions. This artist did it all,” he said.