Gravity

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Gravity is a Malawian hip hop duo comprising two childhood buddies, IssueMile (Ishmael Ntenje) and Kumasewera (Pilirani Kumasewera). While Kumasewera adopts his NRB-registered name, the IssueMile moniker is inspired by the rapper’s need to take time and ‘miles’ to address PESTEL ‘issues’. The group recorded their maiden album, Umunthu, in 2020. The 14 track album was inspired by their lives and indeed the societal ills that they have experienced growing up. The album predominantly talks about the struggles in the society and makes attempts to suggest solutions towards a better ‘tomorrow’. Other than the conscious raps, the group spares some few minutes to let loose and rap about jubilation and, as is the tradition with hip-hop music, self-glorification. The Gravity JourneyThe two rhyme masters first ‘clicked’ in 2002 in Mangochi where they were both enrolled at Mpondasi Community Day Secondary School. It was boom bap and desk-beating every time there was the slightest silence in their class. They became a regular duo in every campus show, then termed Variety Shows. Through lip-syncing songs by the likes of Big Punisher, Mase, Tupac and BIG, to performing their own compositions tackling campus scandals and shenanigans, the duo kept perfecting their art and proving their lyrical prowess. In 2003, they formed a group called PIKISHIN Aliens; a rap name inspired by the two rappers’ full names. Using a voice-recording tape radio, they recorded their first song titled, Siine. On Siine, which was only released to them and their immediate family (lol), the two rappers took turns to talk about how they were never party to any of the societal scandals during that material time. No sooner had they promoted their ‘masterpiece’ than school decided to set the two rappers apart. Kumasewera proceeded to pursue further studies at Mzuzu University (MZUNI) as his counterpart found his way into the University of Malawi-Chancellor College. At Mzuni, Kumasewera got featured on a track titled “Nkhwali” by the Born Famous, a group which dominated the rap game in the northen region of Malawi that time. His performance on this track earned him a spot in the Born Famous quartet. Throughout his stint with Born Famous, Kumasewera played a prominent role in contributing verses and producing beats for the clique. Born Famous dropped their one and only album “Kusowaku Sichina” in 2009. The album had such bangers as “Zunguza”, Kusowaku Sichina” and “Warm Heart” all of which had significant contributiions from Kumasewera.The group featured in a number interviews, performed shows and produced a music video for “Warm Heart”.As Kumasewera was growing his art up north, IssueMile (then Nxjewish), was also launching his brand at the Zomba-based revered varsity. In 2008, courtesy of a beat by E-on Deck (Evance Kazembe), and the Midas production hands of Marcus of the Daredevils, he created what was to become one of the biggest Yao (a language predominantly spoken by people from the Eastern region of the country) tracks called TuwecheteChiyao (translated as “Let’s speak Yao”). Despite being done in a language that was not the commonly spoken language on campus and the country, the song became a household name and an anthem on campus and indeed in the country. The song also found its way onto the Top 10 (On position 1 for two consecutive weeks) of one of the most listened-to urban music chart show on Power 101, Gowelo beats. Fast-forward to 2018, the two rappers, as fate would have it, rekindled their friendship with and on the Microphone. They started gathering beats and scriptures; readying themselves for the creation of an album; the hunger and passion for which was conceived in 2002. As the urge to drop an album increased with each bar the rappers wrote, it became necessary to put a tag to the duo. That is how, in the same year, Gravity was born. The Group was initially made up of the two rappers and Kond1, a longtime producer who became friends with Kumasewera at Mzuzu University. However, K1 decided that he is better off as an independent supplier of beats hence leaving Kumasewera and IssueMile as the only and remaining members of the group. K1 is and remains an integral part of Gravity as he not only provides heavenly cooked beats but is an adviser on production and quality to the group. In the recently-released “Umunthu” album Kond1 contributed a total of four beats. Umunthu was produced in Zomba at Audio Lab by Snicky Virus. It contains a total of 12 tracks and 2 Skits that were written and performed by the two rappers (except for a few features; see tracklist). It is noted in this album that the rappers kept guest artists to a minimum. Asked why this was the case, Kumasewera stated that this was done intentionally to evade being accused of riding on already famous artists. ‘’We wanted to put our muscles to the test, throwing ourselves to the deepend, hoping that we are gonna teach ourselves how to swim’’, he said. IssueMile commented, tongue-in-cheek, that, “Which of the famous rappers would have accepted to rap alongside rookies like us? I guess it worked to our advantage as we escaped the very-extremely-unlikely event of facing an embarrassment of being bodied by the ‘goats’ in our maiden appearance. Lol’. The rappers believe that the album is a ‘compendium of unclouded hiphop dexterity that amalgamates mindfulness and a little fun presented in top notch poetry. Gravity believes Umunthu is simply rhyme and reason. The album can be purchased at K2, 000.