The collaboration of a versatile producer and a gifted rapper has long been a mainstay in the hip-hop genre. A symbiotic relationship that mimics great football duos, with the producer providing instrumental assists and the rapper laying on a lyrical finish. So Tidech and ProGIsTheName coming together (pause) to create Trifecta feels only natural.
Inspired by the 3-Way EP, another collaborative project by Soko Matemai and ProGIsTheName, Trifecta is a true meeting of minds. Grounded in themes of the merry-go-round of daily life, hustling and love, Trifecta is a tiny mirror of the Zimbabwean existence. As the title indicates, the project has 3 songs, accompanied by a brief intro.
The Intro feels like a microphone left to its own devices on a morning in the modern world. While the sounds of nature are dominant, characterized by the singing of birds, you can hear distant conversations and cars going by. It sets the perfect platform for the opening track, and the transition from the Intro into Kwedu is nearly seamless.
Trifecta sees us get a more tempered Tidech. His usually gritty nature is traded for a more measured approach, that finds pockets in the instrumental to lay on infectious grooves. Kwedu is a narration of the everyday life of the average young Zimbabwean. While vibrant, with melodies easy on the ear, the song isn't one of pretty pictures. The chorus is a call "to come to see how we live" and Tidech is a masterful storyteller, whose cadence shines above everything else.
Everyday tine stress tinopona nemazhets, chimbosvika kwedu
Nyangwe dzikaramba maths hatifinyamise face, chimbosvika kwedu
Tinoswera munastreets padanga hapana getsi, chimbosvika kwedu
Uchida kuona, chimbosvika kwedu
Iwewe, chimbosvika kwedu - The chorus on Kwedu
The Yourz Trully featuring Right Now is more mellowed and the smooth vocals Yourz Trully provides are the perfect offset for Tidech's delivery. ProGIsTheName's production on this project pushes the traditional boundaries of hip-hop. It is infused with elements of amapiano, Afrobeats and dancehall, which give a distinct nature to the sound of each song. While the EP might be short, it is sequenced just right, with one song pouring into the next.
The TRKmusik featuring Jahman brings this EP to a close and its upbeat nature gives us a small glimpse of Tidech's usual intensity. It is dancehall influenced and while TRKmusik has a somewhat laidback delivery on the hook, Tidech is far more energetic. Jahman exudes passion and hunger, with the major theme on the track being the grind or hustle.
It's no doubt a good song, but when it ends it feels like there's a certain moment of closure missing. Trifecta feels like a teaser, yet you have to applaud it for being well put together. It gives me a desire for more music from the duo, and it is a great window into the power of collaboration in the Zimbabwean hip-hop space.
Greedysouth rating: 6.8/10
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