Inkabi Zezwe has officially released their highly anticipated album, ‘Ukhamba’.
The duo swept South Africans off their feet with their chart-topping love anthem, ‘Umbayimbayi’ which has since gone double-platinum and its visuals garnered over 1.3 million views in only a matter of ten days.
Leroy Khoza, the label executive of Nkabi Records spoke on the success of the lead single, ‘Umbayimbayi’ by stating the following:
“As the Nkabi label executive, we formulated the idea of these two giants collaborating together. We are thrilled that the single exceeded our expectations and are eager to see the success of the album, ‘Ukhamba’ coming to life.”
With ‘Ukhamba’, Inkabi Zezwe hopes to bring listeners much deeper into their world.
Within a period of two weeks, the album was recorded in Bergville, Kwa-Zulu Natal where the musicians drew inspiration from various sounds they gravitated towards.
The project celebrates both Sjava and Big Zulu’s sonic inclinations as it is filled with elements of Afropop, R&B, Hip-Hop, and Maskandi. Thematically, they tackle their innermost concerns such as love and identity, with their own Zuluness at the forefront of the conversation.
The messaging in the album is universal as it is preoccupied with how people can hold community, affection, and sensitivity for themselves and those around them.
Through the 12-track project, Inkabi Zezwe takes listeners on a riveting journey that feels personal but reflects a nation back to itself and will become a significant contemporary South African anthology.
“As 1020 Cartel we’re really excited about Ukhamba because it really is a moment for the culture. Not only are Big Zulu and Sjava proving that collaboration can build, grow, and multiply the art and legacy. They are doing so in a way that’s authentic and pays homage to who they truly are. And that goes to the heart of what the Cartel is about. Ukuziqhenya ngobuwena.”, commented 1020 Cartel co- director, Nothando Migogo
“The album Ukhamba has twelve tracks where we started off by giving the fans a taste of the double platinum single 'Umbayimbayi', where the musician's first line is them prophesying love to their love interest, and they would shoot mountains to solve any challenges the partner encounter”, explained Sjava. “A continuation of this is a heartbreak song ‘Sayona’; fans would definitely relate to it. ‘Sayona’ is a song dedicated to two people that love each other, however, due to their past mistakes they cannot seem to find a common ground and they reflect on their past mistakes.”
Along with ‘Impumelelo’, Big Zulu explains, “This song is about the pain of losing your partner when you are broke, jobless, and trying to make ends meet.”
More to look forward to is Inkabi Zezwe’s four-city tour beginning on June 24th. See more details by clicking the link HERE.
Stream 'Ukhamba' by Inkabi Zezwe below:
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