Legendary HipHop icon & Lugaflow pioneer, Ernest Nsimbi aka GNL Zamba has officially released his brand new African roots music album called ‘Spear’ album, calling for triumphs in personal growth and collective solidarity.
Embargoed to release date: November 11th , 2020 West Hollywood, California, November 11th, 2020 - In Ugandan tradition, the Spear symbolizes royalty, coming of age, passing on responsibility and wisdom.
The Spear album catapults this tradition into the future through an afro-futurist, HipHop and Afropunk musical blend, with lyrics reflecting the demands of our time in both the artist’s native Luganda and English.
GNL Zamba, now a US-based rapper who is a HipHop industry icon in Uganda, has spent 3 years pouring his personal and spiritual journey of growth into this album, which is to be released at a time when both his Ugandan and American neighbors are in need of the personal reflection and social unity it calls for – as both countries grapple with the stress of the Covid-19 pandemic and divisive elections.
GNL (Greatness with No Limits) Zamba rose to fame a decade ago in Kampala when he captivated the country with his unique concepts of storytelling, by building bridges that married tradition and urban culture through a series of EP and album releases including: Riddles of life Koi Koi (2009), Speaking Vernacular (2011), Uganda Yaffe (2013), I Am Zamba / Ceasar (2014) and Dreaming in Colour (2016), as well as many singles.
GNL Zamba
GNL Zamba’s lyrical skill sparked a new youth movement that brought HipHopfrom the underground to the mainstream in Uganda. With his captivating stories and mastery of MC rhyming in the local Luganda language in a style known as “Lugaflow”, GNL defiantly put local languages in spaces where colonialism had robbed the elites of indigenous pride. His debut album Riddles of life KoyiKoyi was a crusade of activism, as he often said “our Languages are our wealth”.
This newest release “The Spear” ties Uganda’s past together with present life in America, introducing an inspirational, creative vision of a future. As GNL says, “the future is ancient.” The spear, in this album, is a spaceship!
“I want the whole world to sonically and spiritually travel back to their shared African origin,” GNL
Zamba says of the album. “Here is where all the answers lie. Most new Africans have never been to this shining through obscurity Come let’s gather the tribe Vibe in the spirit of Ubuntu [togetherness]we come alive !!!
Liberty, freedom we subscribe Joy and the rhythm we prescribe Africa. It is hidden in a dimension only open to those with the gift to look far back enough that they can see the future.”
“People are waking up to something,” GNL says, describing the album. “People are longing for more connection, more love, equality and wisdom. Many are realizing now that what you actually need is thriving relationships and community to stay functionally sane. We’re asking: Are we just tools for data mining, or where is this all going? We’re seeking a level of consciousness that improves us as human beings. It’s time to go back to where it all began.”
The album weaves together different styles of music, with its roots in HipHop, including a body ofUgandan traditional music samples, and wings of rock music and punk.
The combination of musical influences are a nod to the black history inventions of Rock n Roll, with influences from Little Richard toBad Brains. The album features drums by Tony Austin, who has performed with Kamasi Washington and Lauryn Hill among others, and bass guitar by Dante Pascuzzo from the Grammy winning band Quetzal.
This is mixed together with the Ugandan HipHop style the artist is known for. “I have evolved, but I'm still the same ol’ G” says GNL of his choice to combine HipHop with an Afropunksound.
