For the past eight years, local hip-hop rapper Black Bird, born Nonkululeko Vundla, has managed to play her love cards close to her chest, living a life free of controversy, which is often the bane of many an artiste.
BY WINSTONE ANTONIO
But tables turned last week as she was embroiled in a nasty love wrangle involving ex-husband, rapper Mudiwa Matambanadzo, popularly known as Alka Nemo, and Black Bird’s current fiancé, Tapiwa Ziyenge.
Known in showbiz circles as DJ Duse or Rudeboi, Ziyenge is an award-winning wheel-spinner.
The tension between Alka Nemo and DJ Duse — the 2005 Sprite DJ of the Year — started on social media early this week before escalating, amid reports that Black Bird has failed to make the two to call a truce. Alka Nemo and DJ Duse have taken their war to the studio, recording “diss” tracks that have gone viral on social networks.
“From the messages being exchanged in some of the groups in which Alka Nemo and DJ Duse are members, it shows that it is a serious issue,” said a source.
“It seems Alka Nemo wants his ex-wife with whom he sired two children with. A few months ago he was posting in some social groups, professing his love for Black Bird who has been cohabiting with DJ Duse in Mufakose for the past six months.”
He said the two were being childish as shown by their resolve to wash their soiled linen on a public platform. “They could have solved their issues in a better way than taking them to social media platforms,” he said. The source said DJ Duse has released a song titled Backstaber with “diss” lines directed at his rival, while Alka Nemo on the same day also released two “diss” tracks, Laugh it Off and Mr Mek Noise, in response to the former. In a leaked WhatsApp chat, DJ Duse laid into Alka Nemo, describing him as a failure who could not look after his family, especially the two children he has with Black Bird.
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He said it was that failure to man up that had paved way for the divorce.
In a wide-ranging interview with The Standard Style last week, Black Bird said her ex-husband and current fiancé were being childish and wished they could resolve their differences.
“I’m not happy with what is happening between Alka Nemo and DJ Duse. I would have loved them to resolve their differences in a professional manner than making their issues public,” Black Bird said.
“My fiancé is right. Alka Nemo has been professing his love for me in social groups and that did not go down well with DJ Duse. Alka Nemo should have respected my man since we are divorced. His communication to me has to do with the children. I don’t love him anymore and he knows that.”
Black Bird, however, said she would not be deterred by what has happened, vowing to continue working hard to revive her music career.
“I’m a goal-getter who is not affected by setbacks and I do not allow previous circumstances to weigh me down,” she said.
Black Bird is one of the dominant local hip-hop artistes and the first female MC to release an album, Tha Rappetizer, in 2010.
Her international flair won her the prestigious honour of becoming the first female hip-hop artiste to be invited to perform at the 2011 Harare International Festival of the Arts.
In 2013, she received international recognition when her song was featured on an album that brings together the world’s exciting upcoming talents, titled World Hip Hop Women: From the Sound Up.
The mix-tape featured artistes from the United States, Canada, the Netherlands, Spain, Chile, Morocco, New Zealand, Korea, Cuba and South Africa.
