Zakes’ Ghetto King in warm embrace

ZAKES Bantwini’s Ghetto King album, that dropped last Friday, was met with great enthusiasm after the star’s unexpected hit song Osama that trended weeks before the album dropped.

Bantwini, real name Zakhele Madida, said the album that took two years to complete was a product of constant working and reworking, until such a time that he was happy with the final offering – music that has staying power until his next work is ready.

“… On this current album, I must have spent two months or so working on each. Music for me is very spiritual and while working on each song, I would pray and ask, ‘let the people who are meant to be on the album come’.

“Thereafter I would call everyone, requesting for a collaboration and for those who came back to me, I knew they were meant to work with me.”

Ghetto King features an array of artists such as Amanda Black and Da Carpo among the known names, and includes new emerging artists, “because I believe they are the future of dance music”.

“This is my first album where I have collaborated with so many artists and I think 95% of the album is a collaborative effort,” he said.

“I am really proud of what we have put together and I am really proud of the sound we have created.

“This album will do wonders to their careers, just like the rise of Kasango. Seeing him growing like he is now is amazing.

Speaking about his banger song Osama, which means lion in Arabic, Bantwini said it was a creative experiment of languages, melodies and sound. “What inspired the song is the feeling that we had in the studio.

“After we played with the instrumentals, both myself and Nana Atta who I co-wrote the song with, had goosebumps because it was so spiritual for us.

“Right there and then we knew that we didn’t want any subject attached to the song, we didn’t want it to belong to any language but wanted it to be fluid and mean anything it will to the listener.

“I think that aim has been achieved because listeners have different experiences with the song.”

Bantwini added: “Titling my album Ghetto King is intentional because of this lingering misconception that tells us that kings can’t be born in the ghetto, but I want this album to prove that greatness can be found in the ghetto.

“I want to change perceptions about what people in the ghetto can achieve … Now I am taking the term ‘ghetto king’ to the world,” he said.