@RobinThirdfloor Self Pride Takes A Funky Form On His #ZITHANDE Mixtape

Featured image by Paige Furness.

uSomdanger, Robin Thirdfloor, is the self love superhero on his ZITHANDE mixtape where he abundantly flaunts self pride and positivity throughout the 12 track piece. With the mixtape Robin aims to spread positivity and promote self love. According to him, not a lot of music that is out right now is making people feel good about themselves or about their lives. He says that musicians not only have a responsibility of telling the stories of the time but also of playing a part in cultivating the world that they would like to live in and most artists aren't speaking on that.

Robin's music is something of happiness itself with a consistent dreamy element that has an upbeat undertone as he fuses kwaito elements in all of his tracks. After dropping his lead single, "Ayashisa Amateku" some weeks prior, you now get to hear Robin's concepts of love and positivity in full swing. He opens the project with "Self Care" making his message very deliberate. The upbeat song sets the tone for the rest of the project which gradually unfolds, almost as if it's coming into a life of its own with every new track. By the time you get to a number like "Kumnandi La" you are well within a joyful rhythm, with this tune in particular carrying a heavy 90s kwaito nostalgia in its underbelly. 

You will come to love Robin's simplistic delivery style throughout the tracks as he carves his own bar when it comes to how he raps on these colourful beats. You can almost tell that he has fun in the studio while he also makes sure that every word he utters on every beat is well audible. This mixtape is the making of all things feel good and more. The eclectic flavour is rather unique, although it's influenced by multiple nuances - which I think makes it that much cooler 'cause you can't definitively describe it. Towards the close of the project, for instance, you get heavily house influences on numbers like "3pm Ngase Khaya" where Robin also raps about his international success while keeping true to who he is through it all. Added to that is a tinge of pop with "Mjojo" which happens to have a sprinkle of funk-jazz here and there. Shu, this project is a playground of fused sounds and I can only hope people hear it for what it is without trying to box it into any particular sound. A job well done to Robin for this impressive work. Press play and tell us if you relate.