Zenji Boy na Wenzake
Country Zanzibar Genres hiphop fusion zenji flava Website www.musicinafrica.net Facebook /OfficialZenjiboy Festival Sauti za Busara 2020, 2021, 2023 Recordings 📼Nani Niliomkosea, 2017; Sina Hakika na Kesho, 2018; Monster, 2018; No Place Like Home, 2018; My Talent, 2018; Mazabe, 2019; Zenji Boy, 2019 Ison Mistari, aka Zenji Boy is a new light in Zanzibar’s hiphop scene. His song-writing is critical and conscious, with powerful lyrics and messages that deeply resonate with his Swahili-speaking audience. Ison Mistari’s live performances are highly energetic and his lyrical skills widely feared. He has earned respect and appreciation at home and abroad for the fact he usually performs live, which sadly is still the exception across Tanzania and most of the East African region.
Ison Mistari’s works were first released independently, generating an enthusiastic following in Zanzibar. Since signing with Stone Town Records and in more recent projects, he expands horizons by bringing more unique musical flavours to the mix. Incorporating traditional Zanzibari sounds with contemporary urban beats, he builds bridges connecting ancient and modern soundscapes.
Zenji Boy won Best Music Video at Zenj255 Awards 2017, Best Male Act 2018 and Best Artist of the Year at the 2021 Zanzibar Youth Awards.
Zenji Boy (Ison Mistari) is Zanzibar’s most celebrated rapper, dj and producer. His music is inspired by local traditional music styles including taarab, kidumbak and msewe (ngoma from Pemba island), which he eloquently fuses with self-branded hiphop.
Zenji Boy’s song-writing is critical and conscious, with powerful messages that deeply resonate with his Swahili-speaking audience. His songs speak about politics, love, unity, community and social development. His live performances are highly energetic. He has earned appreciation and respect at home and abroad for the fact he usually performs live, deftly wielding a violin or an oud in between his lyrical flows.
Zenji Boy won Best Music Video 2017 and Best Male Act 2018 at the Zenj255 Awards, Emerson Foundation Award 2020 and Best Artist of the Year 2021 at the Zanzibar Youth Awards.
Algeria Angola Australia Austria Benin Burkina Faso Burundi Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Comoros Congo Côte d'Ivoire Denmark DRC Egypt eSwatini Ethiopia Far East Finland France Gambia Germany Ghana Guinea Guinea Bissau Iraq Japan Kenya Lesotho Madagascar Malawi Mali Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Morocco Mozambique Namibia Netherlands Nigeria Norway Pan Africa Pemba Puerto Rico Reunion Rwanda Senegal Seychelles Somaliland South Africa Sudan Suriname Sweden Switzerland Tanzania Uganda UK USA Various Yemen Zambia Zanzibar Zimbabwe
acoustic acrobats afrobeat band blues bongo flava coastal comedy dance dj electro fusion hiphop jazz kidumbak pop reggae rock roots rumba spiritual spoken word taarab traditional urban zenji flava