Even though profile pictures on Instagram aren’t blue anymore, the political and social crisis in Sudan is still real. “The best way to describe Sudan right now is, it doesn’t feel like home anymore,“ explains MC and singer Zen-Zin the situation in his home country. „I love this country and its people but it's beyond me and it's beyond any other civilian out here. We have to deal with the reality and the results of whatever choices other people have made.“
Together with the German beatmaker Pawcut, Zen-Zin is releasing the EP “Ripple Effect”, their first vital sign since their debut album “Butterfly Effect” on Jakarta Records. While more famous Sudanese rappers like Oddisee or Bas (from J.Cole’s Dreamville team) are reporting from the Diaspora in the United States, Zen-Zin lives and works in Khartum, the capital of Sudan.
„It’s hard to stay positive in a negative environment,“ he states in regard to the challenges he faces while making music under these circumstances. „It gets to me like it gets to everybody else. Sometimes I am just not in the mood to create music and write raps because when you are dealing with the harsh realities it's hard to be creative. But on the flipside, you are taking in all these experiences and the mood of the moment. It's like you are tapping into the pulse of the nation. Sometimes I am feeling like a psychologist, sometimes I feel like a reporter by telling you how my reality looks like.“
For Zen-Zin, too, the internet is the link to the rest of the world. Still, he doesn’t own an Instagram profile, nor does he publish music videos or artist photos. Instagram, music videos, artist photos? For Zen-Zin promoting his music is first and foremost a question of safety.
„When I write my music I am telling you what’s going on in my life and in the lives of the people around me without actually giving you guys names and locations. I am very careful“.
The “Ripple Effect” EP comes out on 28th Feb 2020 on Melting Pot Music.
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released February 28, 2020
Recorded in Karthoum, Sudan and Minden, Germany in November 2019.
Vocals & lyrics on all tracks by Zen-Zin. Produced & mixed by Pawcut / WTM.
Mastered by SterilOne at Staub Audio Engineering, Vienna. Artwork by Hr.Pixel / WTM.
Cat No: MPM 283
Artist: Zen-Zin & Pawcut
Titel: Ripple Effect
© ℗ 2020 Melting Pot Music