By Tonderai Brandan Ndemera
Upcoming South Africa-based Zimbabwean rapper Tinashe Rudziva, aka Rudd, is set to release his debut album self-titled Rudd, a follow-up to the two-part extended play (EP) that he released a few months ago.
Rudd, who recently celebrated his 25th birthday, and was showered with praises from the many positive feedback on his recently released EPs — Rudd_rsa Genesis and Rudd_rsa Exodus — uploaded on video-sharing platform YouTube in June and July respectively.
In an interview with Standard Style, Rudd shared an insight into the developments of the forthcoming project, saying it was still under review by an American distributor before being officially pushed out online to the global community.
“This month we uploaded the complete album with 22 tracks to a distributor from the United States by the name Distrokid. The album is under review as we speak and should be available on all major platforms in about a week or two,” Rudd said.
The youthful crooner, who is a rapper, beat maker and music producer, is known in his circles for producing beats with flair, which he says most probably emanates from the cross-culture influence he got from travelling between Zimbabwe and South Africa.
He described the name Rudd as a play around his surname, an old nickname he just couldn’t shake off.
“It started off as a joke in primary school in the history class when our teacher mentioned the Rudd Concession. I didn’t like it back then, but it resurfaced in high school and the name just got stuck,” he said.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
Though his journey into music may as well have been inspired by the American acts and artistes from the early 2000s, he also said his life experiences and family background played a big role in channelling him towards music.
“I draw inspiration from my musical background. My parents used to lead a church choir back then, so I started playing the piano when I was about six years old, learning a new instrument with every coming year. Travelling grew my sphere and the exposure helped me understand things from multiple perspectives and that is probably why many people relate well to my music,” he said.
Born and raised in Harare, Rudd attended Houghton Park Primary School before moving to do his secondary education at St Faith Mission in Manicaland province. He did his A’ Level at Prince Edwards School in Harare.
He is familiar with a myriad of instruments, both traditional and international, cultured into him from way back when he was young.
“I have a slim trophy case , since I have been primarily focused on improving my repertoire, but I was part of a successful album titled Shumba Inoruma by Zimbabwean international act Crooger where I produced a song called Kana Usipo featuring Cindy.”
Rudd holds degrees in Music and Musicology as well as Music in Jazz from the Zimbabwe College of Music, among several qualifications in music, arts and culture.
Having only entered the mainstream music industry last year, the upcoming artiste believes he is ready to work with any musician.
“I have been focusing on building my résumé and learning as much of the industry as I can and now I think the world is ready for my music. I feel that I am ready to deliver and that people are ready to listen now,” he said.
