Zimbabwe Legit

As youngsters, Akim and Dumi's exposure to hip-hop came via their oldest brother. Nicknamed Fu Man Chu, he was the leader of a pioneering DJ crew and his extensive record collection of early rap and classic funk provided a window into the realm of Hip Hop music.  Many of his records were acquired through friends that traveled out of the country and picked up wax that wasn?t available locally. Getting access to Hip Hop in Zimbabwe was extremely difficult and the only chance to hear rap on the radio was a weekly 30-minute show that played a few hits. 

Akim and Dumi soon began popping and breaking.  After a while they got into rhyming, using instrumentals by the likes of Eric B and Rakim, Kool Moe Dee, Mantronix and UTFO.  They used two radios, one to play the instrumental and the other to make low-quality recordings.  Eventually, they connected with friends who had more advanced equipment, and at one point Akim even got the opportunity to rhyme on the weekly Hip Hop radio show. As Hip Hop entered its Afrocentric era, the two identified with it more than ever.  They got serious about pursuing their dream to become like artists they were listening to and reading about in magazines such as Hip-Hop Connection, Word Up and The Source.

The Source Magazine featured a monthly column called Gangsta Limpin' written by Dave Funkenklein. At the time, he was also working at Red Alert Productions, which was closely affiliated with the Native Tongues.  Dumi wrote Funkenklein a letter, letting him know that in an era when it was so popular to rap about Africa and rock dashikis, medallions, beads and Kente cloth, there were some emcees in Zimbabwe that were making Hip Hop music of their own.  Funkenklein wrote back and said he thought it was cool to hear that there were heads in Africa rapping, and casually mentioned that if Dumi was ever to come to the U.S. to give him a call. Dumi was actually about to move to America to join Akim at college.

Shortly after Dumi arrived in New York in the summer of 1990, the brothers began working on a demo to send to Funkenklein. They aimed to stand out by highlighting their unique perspective as emcees coming out of Africa.  Funkenklein was initially uncertain of how rappers from Africa might sound, but upon hearing the demo, he was impressed and set up a meeting with Dumi and Akim at the sparse 29th street offices of Red Alert Productions.

When they met, Funkenklein said that he was feeling the rhymes, but wanted to hear what they could do with some dope American producers. He had one such producer in mind for the job, Mr. Lawnge from the group Black Sheep, newly signed to Mercury Records.  They met up with Mr. Lawnge and Dres, as well as some Mercury execs, and Akim and Dumi kicked some impromptu rhymes that had everyone buggin'.

Fast forward some months later and Funkenklein was out in Hollywood, heading up a newly established rap label. He pitched the idea of a record from the Brothers from Africa, and the label was down to cut studio demos and see what kind of response they got.  Akim and Dumi took on the name Zimbabwe Legit and hopped into the studio to record a 4-track demo.  The label liked the demo enough to sign the duo to a contract, and before long, the group was laying down tracks at the renowned Calliope studios where artists like the Jungle Brothers and De La Soul also recorded. 

Once the project was completed, the 4-song Zimbabwe Legit EP dropped to a flurry of press, mostly glowing and positive. Despite all the attention, several missteps hampered the success of the project and caused the dream to be derailed, or at least deferred.  People reported not being able to find the record in stores, and some radio DJs said that they never received promo service. There was a severe lack of budget for marketing and promotion, and the label even balked at doing a video.  Eventually, thanks to some of Funkenklein's connections, the group was able to do a no budget video using a camera crew that worked for free. 

The dilemma of Zimbabwe Legit was this: even though the group was signed to a subsidiary of a major entertainment conglomerate and the man at the forefront was a Hip Hop visionary, the suits in the back setting the budgets and cutting the checks were straight clueless.  Funkenklein even said that they kept asking him to bring them a group like Kris Kross.  Zimbabwe Legit was not your typical run-of-the-mill rap group and they required careful marketing and promotion that the label was not 100% willing to supply.   On Organized Konfusion’s “Stress”, Prince Po raps “I'm spreading like leprosy throughout the record labels, cause mines put me and Monch's career in jeopardy.”  Organized Konfusion was signed to the same label, and experienced some of the same frustrations.

Meanwhile, Dave Funkenklein was enduring a battle with Cancer. Once his health declined, other people were assigned to run the label.  Things worsened, and after a while, Zimbabwe Legit ceased to be a priority. It was not long before it all unraveled and eventually the label that had also been home to Organized Konfusion, The Lifers Group, Raw Fusion, Charizma and Peanut Butter Wolf, and The Boo Yaa T.R.I.B.E. closed its doors.  Sadly, Funkenklein, a true Hip Hop purist and visionary, passed away in 1994.

Undaunted, Zimbabwe Legit never stopped recording.  This album is from that era, when talent and promise never got their due shine.  Nowadays rappers are everywhere, from St. Louis to New Orleans to France and Japan.  Enjoy listening to a ground-breaking group that helped open the door for international Hip Hop.