LOCAL PERSONALITY PROFILE: P HUSTLE THE RAP STAR
By Peter Mseteka
If you want to listen to urban Hip hop music from the northern part of Malawi especially Mzuzu you have all the chances to listen to P Hustles music.
I always fallen in love with P hustles music since he puts in lyrics that add up to life.
Hip Hop musical genre was born in the crime-ridden neighborhoods of the south Bronx in the United States of America in the year 1970. Gifted teenagers with plenty of imaginations but little cash began to forge a new style from spare parts.
It originated from the background of leadership, drugs, and gang-related violence African-American youths faced unemployment and lived in conditions close to poverty during the 1970s and 1980s.
Hip Hop is the voice of a generation that refused to silence by urban poverty, a local phenomenon fueled with so much passion and truth that reached the entire world.
Figure 1P HUSTLE THE RAPPER
Like every music genre that come before, Hip hop has its pioneers, artist, who are essential in defining and popularizing the art, talking about rap music in the Northside of Malawi P hustle stands the the best.
In fact if you spend any amount of time with him during his free time whether he is at the gym or goes drinking hardly a person can walk by with P hustle greeting the by name.
But more than that P hustle knows his follower’s likes when it comes to music, one regular listener of his music named Madalitso who says he has been listening to Paul hustles music for some years, it is a kind of music that is mixed with English, Chewa and Tumbuka.
But watching him singing, witnessing his easy combination of lyrics, his interaction with the people on stage, it will be hard to guess that P hustle is a bit visually impaired.
Real name Paul Nyirenda a name inherited from his father was born into a family with deep Tumbuka ascent, P hustle was raised in Mzuzu urban Katawa that he still calls home up to date.
His father and mother both saved in the Malawi defense force as private soldiers in the early 1960s, after their retirement they settled in the area where their great fathers spent their whole life.
A premature infant P hustle spent several months in an incubator before going home, by that time, however , the damage had already being made. Too much oxygen in the incubator affected P hustles eyes, leaving him with relatively limited vision.
“I see colors real well”, he explains”. I can’t see detail a good deal. But with familiar areas I do see well. “And mzuzu city is a bit familiar to me.
One of his more interesting experience with the studio was the day he recorded his first truck with a well experienced producer in Lilongwe, he recalls how the sound and the smell in the studios were. “Everything was so unique and new, it was like I was in heaven”, he explains.
Chris Parker one of the producer who once worked with P hustle in Mzuzu explains how he it feels to work with the musician.” He is lively and down to earth, in some circumstances he even brings his own mental for a polish up and you feel the effort it gives you courage, he does things that others who have been in music for a long time don’t do.
“Iam very optimistic that years coming P hustle with find his way to the top even making a name in the international scene.
Pate the DJ also reports that p hustle has a beautiful singing voice.” The first time I ever heard him sing a solo in hip hop I just wept”, she says.
Joyce phiri , who has known P hustle for as long as he can remember, describes him simply as remarkable, charming person, you would never want a better friend than P hustle”, she says.
But more than that, P hustle knows his fans taste of music, when one regular visitor of his music website named jonnie criticized on his recent released single, Hustle doesn’t hesitate to accept the blame.
“Of course I owe my fans an apology that I did that song that encourages hate and anger in some of my fans, and I apologized, but to be honest I did that song out of anger in me, that song was a response to some artist who doesn’t appreciate other artist work-I was pushed to do that kind of song because staying quite couldn’t help anymore-I needed to answer them, but I apologize to whoever I offended with the lyrics in the song”.
It is this sort of personal friendship that glue P hustles fans to him and him to them.
Last year P hustle track Midoli was singled out in the Nyasa music awards as the best collaborated song in the year 2017 and as way he was chosen as the most upcoming young urban musician.
Recently his new track Malawi Gold still stands at the top of Gowelo charts on Joy Radio for the past month, his music remains to be attracting a lot of the youth for he involves them through interactions on his Facebook page.
Currently P hustle is pursuing a Degree in business communication at Daughters of Mary Immaculate University in Mangochi, he has a ambitions of opening a music academy since he says the government is not doing enough in promoting the music industry in Malawi.
P hustle encourages the youth to work hard in school to become responsible citizens, he say that a star, a celebrity without education cannot make wise decisions- cannot sign sign musical agreement with international music labels.
“Currently Iam writing some of my old songs that I need to be collaborated with some other artist by the end of this year, this will be the bouncing back into music for I have for the past year being little busy with school staff that I couldn’t concentrate on music”
Petermseteka 