Thank goodness for Shazaam! I’ve been hearing a song on radio for the longest time that’s been really catchy, and I always enjoy it, but no one seems to back announce the track. So last week when the song came on I Shazaamed it and was pleasantly surprised to find out it was by Anatti, titled Wena, off his sophomore solo studio album, Iyeza.
I downloaded Iyeza when I got home and WOW I was speechless. I’ve seen posts on social media about how Anatii has come into his own with rapping/singing in his native tongue isiXhosa, which I couldn’t agree with more, however, these comments haven’t done Iyeza justice.
Iyeza is a solid project. Anatii rapping in isiXhosa adds to the beauty of the project, but the depth comes from the instrumentals. Iyeza will take you on a sonic journey with traditional beats that will touch your soul and want you to keep hearing more.
10 songs and 33 minutes later, I found myself a new fan of Anatii and have had Iyeza on repeat for the past week. I’ve come to appreciate Anatii’s musical ability and how gifted he is with this project. Iyeza is definitely a future classic and I give it a firm 4 out of 5 rating.
Listen out for Wena, Ngozi, Ndaweni and Vuka. Although I felt the more “Hip Hop” inclined tracks brought the rating down for Iyeza (it would have been great to keep the whole project “traditional”), I can imagine it might have been too left field for a large portion of his fan base. For staunch Hip Hop lovers, listen out for God My Best Friend and Thixo Onofefe.
1 comment
I needed to thank you for this fantastic read!! I definitely enjoyed every bit of it.
I have got you saved as a favorite to look at new things you post…