Joined:	Apr 30, 2008
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Awards:
Location:	Harare, Zimbabwe, Africa
Last visit:	Monday, April 29, 2013 (10:18:12)
My Occupation:	Undergrad. Student (Africa University)
Interests:	People, Anime, R0CK/JA77,H1P-H0P,ALT3RN81V3, Makin' music. dreaming, poetry blah, blah, blah....
Signature:	Sinyoro
Biography:	Born to Robert D. Kwenda & Olivia Kwenda (formerly MUdokwenyu) at Mbuya Nehanda Hospital in Harare, Zimbabwe, African (@0515 hrs 20/03/86). Father wasn't around when I was born, he was studying in Russia. Mom and I travelled between Mbare (Harare) and Marimba Park(Harare) where we lived. In Mbare mom got assistance taking care of me by her older sister and late Aunt Mrs. Makande. Dad came back when I was about three, we then moved to Marimba Park though he also had a job in Chisumbanje (Zimbabwe where sugar cain is the main production crop) and we negotiated by travelling. Dad was then transferred into Harare, I attended Male Nursery School where I was the outstanding tallest boy! LOL! I later attended Selborne Routledge Primary School situated in Belvedere, Harare, Zimbabwe from grade 1 through to the 7th grade. It was in 5th grade where I met Keith Kudzai Kuhudzai who would become the influence in my orientation towards hip-hop in 6th grade. We had since moved when I turned 7 living next to my school and were living in government owned apartments since my dad was a civil servant then (#32 Block 7 Snowdon Road Belvedere). We would do little mix-tapes with Keith and some friends but often as the duounder the name "D-KAST Drills!" In the 6th grade Keith had a group called KTC which involved, Tanyaradzwa Muchemwa now known as the Heaven's Language rapper Blah-T and Carl who is currently in the USA. They lipsynced to the Puff Daddy & Mase hit, "Don't Push us" and the Puff Daddy & Notorious BIG & Mase hit, "Been around the world!" I was a Biggy supporter when the Eastcoast/Westcoast beef was in its prime! A mysterious thing happened though: I found an anonymous tape behind our old boom box one odd day under the strangest of circumstances! I just had an urge to search behind the boom box where I found this cassette tape which had: The Wu-Tang Clan (Triumph), Busta Rhymes, The LOX, DMX (Money Power Respect), LL Cool J (4,3,2,1), Canniibus, Notorious BIG, KRS-One, Mos-Def! It became the tape which nurtured my rapping style! Ofcourse time progressed and i attended Prince Edward School for my secondary education where I kept intouch with my passion for hip-hop. I however, met older gentlemen who seemed to be miles ahead of what we had been teaching ourselves (I went to PE with Keith and Blah-T who then left though). Keith formed D.O.G which was an acronym for Dope 'N Original! This involved Tinaye Munonyarara then Fatal Dogg who didn't get along with me and thought I wasn't up to standard. At this point we had learnt, the hard way that it was more respetable to be original rather than being spin-offs! One day, I quit making the effort after 2 years of wishing to be a part of D.O.G... They recorded a song and I spent time in my frustration upgrading my skills! It took a while and wasn't easy, though I was urged on by the rise of EMINEM (Slim Shady LP '99) Form 1! His carefree attitude fed into my frustration fusing with a rekindled passion. I could recite every rhyme and even began sounding like him to some people. In the 3rd Form (15 then, had began rapping at 11) I was so broken spirited by Fatal Dogg's dislike of me and I quit! Keith was the compromiseing one and we made and attempt on R&B with much failure... At this time Zimbabwe's local talent was now being called upon and this was about the time young artists would release the compilation album, "The Future." There was a radio call-in craze that took over Harare where aspiring artists would sing/rap on radio with DJ Innocent Tshuma! Madd Flava was a favorite! After I got honest with myself, I began writing rap lyrics in my quiet time and really took on an EMINEM attitude! I started to believe in myself and didn't care what anyone thought! At 16, on 23-09-02 I got saved and started attending the youth service for the youth at Hear The Word Ministries which was at this coffee shop a few blocks from school and mom would pick me up! (Academically I was intelligent, an "A" streamer but I wasn't much of a reader...LAZY!) One evening before the service Keith suggested we just rekindle the D-KAST Drills passion and he started rapping some of his old stuff, I didn't have anything but had learnt more about hip-hop since being introduced to it! I freestyled! Everyone was impressed and it was then that we formed the Hip-Hop group SCRIPTURES. I realised I was quick with writing lyrics as I grew with confidence again. I had two albums written within 3 weeks or so! I also realised poetry then because we studied it. I liked it initially because it seemed to come naturally to me and I was able to write without much difficulty! I linked everything, poetry with hip-hop, with life, friends and began on a whole desire to preserve the essence of hip-hop whilst being true to myself by being original... I began developing my own style of writing and rapping! SCRIPTURES was the first group to peform at HTW ministries and I remember people congratulating us four weeks after that performance! It was our only peformance! We then returned to Lower 6th at Prince Edward and Fatal Dogg (then Fatal) got saved and seemed to have some respect for me and we became friends! We formed a club which was specialising in talent promotion mainly music production! We then had a few shows and we did reasonably well! I then met Raheem Solomon who was member of staff and realised what a "cool dude" he was and we began hanging together. We soon did a piece together with some of the other dudes from the talent club, Fatal, Innocent Masamba (Kill-A-Flow) and myself along with other guys who were involved in other aspwects of our production, Sam Mtukudzi Vimbayi Mukarati, Matthew Chidavaenzi, Peter Paradza amongst others. The production was called WKYD BOYZ radio and i did something I still think perhaps the most powerful hip-hop appearance I have had, we rapped over mbira (xylophones)! This was at the Eistedford Allied arts even which is held annually and highly esteem at Prince Edward School and involved various invited internationally acclaimed adjudicators. We got an honors class for that peformance... Since Highschool well, I am in college and still rapping and really pushing my poetry out there with our Poetry meetings on campus at Africa University at The Shadow Poets every Thursday, 7pm. I rap, write songs, compose instrumentals, write poetry.... Mom and dad are still together and I have a younger sister Martina Ruvimbo Kwenda who is still in highschool... I also live with my cousin Masimba Mudokwenyu who is studying at the Midlands State University in Gweru, Zimbabwe!

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ddkwenda's recent Blog entry.	GET ON WITH IT! ( 1154 reads)	Wednesday, December 12, 2012 (11:10:43)
I have been working on the career and had to neglect GP for a while. I always check but never really have time to sit and look through other people's work these days. I'm sorry but at some point you have to really be about the art and get on with it, not fantastical dreaming with it. So I have hit many a stage, still not on the major scale but the start has built momentum I keep getting offers for my own management! This isn't about pomposity or anything, I hope that someone who is as lethargic as I once was might decide to get on with it![b]

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ddkwenda's Last 12 Poems [ All | Favorites ]
Scarecrow (the complete song) Scarecrow Chalkboards (Watch as I draw) Awakening from lethargy	Essentialism Barbed Wire The Vendor to Sophie Arstall	Black Butterfly Relate to me Only Some Times A fading faint line

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"Heaven: Zimbabwe Is" | Login/Create an Account | 2 comments.

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That "Heaven: Zimbabwe Is", is a very interesting poem to say the least! It seems to speak to the politics, or the "corruption of politics" that goes on in your country (based on what you've put in this poem). It makes one curious about the Zimbabwe. It also makes me compare & contrast Zimbabwe (as you've presented it in this poem) with America & it's politics.

Good write!

I see you've started 2 slams but haven't entered them. Why don't you enter some?

• Re: Heaven: Zimbabwe Is by ddkwenda on Wednesday, April 01

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Last 10 Forum Topics: [ Find all ] [ Topics by ddkwenda ]

• Post a poem » Black Butterfly
• Post a poem » Relate to me
• Post a poem » Only Some Times
• Post a poem » Carried In The Wings Of Passion
• Post a poem » On Point
• Post a poem » A fading faint line
• Post a poem » The truth behind being a saint (true story)
• Post a poem » Unbeautiful, but sincere
• Post a poem » The Raw Rum Recollection*
• Post a poem » Blind-Seeing Eyes