Sharif Thabit Ramadhan, better known by his stage name Darassa, is a hip hop artist born in Morogoro, Tanzania, who is known for his mixture of different genres, as well as his lyrical storytelling and emotional realism. Early in his career, he didn’t focus on pop-leaning music, but more on storytelling and social commentary, which makes sense because he started his career during Tanzania’s pure hip-hop scene. What put him on the map, however, was his release of Muziki, which made him a national star. This is because this song blended rap with melody, so it appealed to both hip hop fans and mainstream listeners. Additionally, this song helped redefine modern Bongo Flava rap, which is modern Tanzanian music that heavily infuses traditional Tanzanian music with American hip-hop and R&B. With this, Darassa helped shift Tanzanian rap toward introspective storytelling, emotional masculinity, and melodic rap sounds.

This is evident in the song Mazoea, as it combines emotional realism, catchy melodic hooks, and deep introspective themes. The core theme of this song is the idea of turning love into a habit, which is reflected perfectly in the name. Mazoea, in English, roughly translates to “routine,” which emphasises in the song that even when your love for someone ends, the habit of loving someone remains. The song moves through three emotional phases: obsession, withdrawal, and addiction. Toward the beginning, Darassa showcases that the person he is talking about holds a strong mental occupation on him; the person isn’t just loved, they dominate his thoughts and become almost omnipresent. This is highlighted when he says “Uzuri wako umenijaa kwa kichwa”, which in English roughly translates to ‘your beauty fills my mind.’ This creates the idea that this woman has a strong hold on Darassa’s mind, and his infatuation is ever-growing as more time is spent together. This then transitions into a different tone shift as the song elaborates on the withdrawal after the breakup, mentioning things like insomnia and alcohol use. The line “Ukiona mtu mzima analia ujue vitu ziko tight”, which in English translates to ‘If you see a grown man crying, things are serious,’ showcases the idea of the breakup hitting the artist hard. Furthermore, the idea of men crying challenges East African masculinity, as oftentimes emotions like crying are discouraged. The last part of the song highlights the addiction that love can be. Many lines compare the idea of living someone to drugs, and how both can have your life in a chokehold. This idea connects to the title perfectly, as even though love may end, the addiction to the habit of love remains, making the grieving process that much harder.

Here is a link to the song – https://youtu.be/08knVOrxw_Q?si=kw-_5g-zVAsQkMU7