Zone Fam: Zambia’s number 1 hip-hop group

Since we interviewed them last year, Zone Fam has continued to conquer not only the Zambian hip-hop music scene but quite possibly the rest of the continent as well! The four man group has since signed on with Kenya’s Tauraus Music record company and have been nominated as one of the Best Southern African Acts at the 8th annual Nigerian Entertainment Awards set to take place later this year. We caught up with the boys turned men in an exclusive interview to find out all the gory details!

TBOZ: Wow — so much has happened since we last interviewed you in 2012! Tell us about the journey from then till now.

Zone Fam: Yes, a lot has happened! Since we last talked we released our first single “Contolola” from our second album which peaked up to number one in the Afri Biz Charts in November 2012! We have gone on to release three more singles — Sinjonjo, Lobaola and Propeller and it’s been a roller coaster ride since then!

TBOZ: You recently signed up with Kenya’s Taurus Music. What does this mean for you and what was the idea behind signing up with a foreign label?

Zone Fam: Signing up with Taurus means a lot to us as a group. It guarantees our presence in other countries and puts us in a better position to do collaborations with international artists and will also enable us to form strategic partnerships abroad.

This partnership was not about choosing a foreign label but was really focused on spreading our wings and broadening our outlook on music as a whole.

TBOZ: Over the months we have spotted you on top shows like DJ Edu’s Destination Africa, BBC Radio 1’s Extra and Australia’s Radio Afro. High five! How do you feel about taking Zambian music out to the world?

Zone Fam: It feels good, sometimes it feels so surreal! We feel that Zambian music is reaching greater heights and we are certain there will be more Zambian music being heard across the globe in the years to come.

TBOZ: We have a little confession to make, we spotted Dope G in the Zambian hit series “Love Games” playing the role of dedicated boyfriend Chilufya and we couldn’t help drooling over him with the rest of the girls! Dope G, how was this acting experience for you?

Dope G: The experience was great. I enjoyed being part of the production of such a great show as acting is something I have always wanted to do. The awareness that the production raised towards the issue of HIV/AIDs is what really drew me in. You can look forward to season two of Love Games which will be coming soon.

TBOZ: What’s the most exciting thing you have done this year?

Zone Fam: Wow! We spend a lot of time in the studio so sadly our exciting moments usually take place there! It’s always exciting when we have that “eureka” experience when producing a song and of course we love performing so all our performances have been an exciting experience for us.

TBOZ: Can we have your top three tips on who you think are the up and coming music talents from Zambia or Africa?

Zone Fam: That’s a tough one seeing as we are also artists! We like Burna Boy from Nigeria; he is doing some great work. Locally we like Scarlet, Cactus Agony and many, many more.

TBOZ: The ladies will want to know, what’s your relationship status?

Zone Fam: Well three of us are dating, one isn’t — can you figure out which one?

TBOZ: What a sneaky answer! Let’s talk about something you will be more open with then. Over the past few months you have dropped hit singles such as contolola, sinjonjo, lobola and propeller. What is the Inspiration behind your latest music?

Zone Fam: Our aim is to produce a progressive sound that will appeal to fellow Africans first and also has a global appeal. Truthfully we inspire each other and we are fans of many genres of music so we fuse in whatever we can lyrically and sonically.

TBOZ: What’s for the future?

Zone Fam: There is a lot in store for our future. The best way to put it is to say that we plan to be around for a very long time not only in music but in various business aspects of the Hip Hop Culture. There are a lot of opportunities out there and we plan to grab them all!

TBOZ: What is the ultimate direction or goal for Zone Fam, is it world domination by any chance?

Zone Fam: Ultimately it’s all about spreading good music across the world! We want the world to know that four young men, from humble backgrounds in Africa, managed to create a sense of unity through music.

We believe Zone Fam is out for world domination but we will keep it secret! Till then we will be keeping an eye on this talented foursome! Love Zone Fam? Don’t forget to vote for them in the Nigerian Entertainment Awards as Southern African group of the year here.