When I first found this video on the ‘Zimhiphop Circles’ Facebook group, I instantly knew this song and the astonishing music video would be one of my new favorites. This has been on repeat for me for weeks now, with its infectious chanting and cutting message that doesn’t stop at the ‘struggle’. These artists already know the struggle and decided those obstacles weren’t going to stop them from achieving their goals. And isn’t that a part of the beautiful nature of Zimbabwe and its people?

‘Machinda’ features the MulaNationEnt artists: Gregg, MaxyBoi, Munashe, Hooksmith, and ScripMula, who work together on top of releasing their own music. Together they hope to grow and reach international fame, giving Zimhiphop a name that it deserves. Contrary to the South Africa scene, Zimbabwe has taken a little longer to truly adapt the genre to fit their rich culture and capture the essence of being an emcee in their community. However, it is safe to say MulaNation and other Zim artists are changing this and hoping to bring Zimhophop to an international level. My favorite parts of Machinda had to be the Zimbabwe influence with the addition of chanting and the lyrics intermixed with Shona and English, following the trend of “code-mixing” among Zimbabwe youth.

‘Machinda’ tells the story of working tirelessly for a better future for yourselves and your community because nobody is going to do that for you. They drop lyrics pushing this self-determination saying, “I’ve been prayin’ to the Lord will you save me, He can only save me if I save me”. After years of being pushed down repeatedly and having to rely on themselves, Zimbabweans do not know any different. Despite the economic struggles and political strife that runs deep in Zimbabwe, people keep “grinding on the daily” hoping that one day their work will pay off. The music video shows the different industries that working-class people dedicate their blood, sweat, and tears, not ever receiving the credit that they deserve most of the time despite being the backbone of society. Everyone keeps a lookout for future MulaNation tracks, they are definitely looking to change the game and bring Zimbabweans to the forefront of the world of hiphop.