Rise and Lead Review

Saintfloew's Latest Offering

By Panashe Siziba

This album not only showcases Saint Floew’s undeniable growth and inimitable artistic prowess, but also pushes the boundaries of hip-hop beats, creating a uniquely refreshing, accommodative, and engaging sonic experience. While the unconventional beats may initially raise eyebrows, they ultimately become a defining element of the album, contributing to its brilliance and originality. Saint Floew, under the newfound stewardship of Nash Paints’ Tinashe Mutarisi, launched his latest album Rise and Lead on the 7th of October 2023 at Alex Sports Club in Harare. The album dropped almost exactly a year after Sauna Season, an EP that solidified mainstream status. Prior, Saint Floew weaned off with Hip Hop Broke My Heart volume 1 and 2. It is on the premise of this memory that we deem it befitting to acknowledge the strides from which real inspiration can be drawn. He has remained unwavering in being a powerful and solidaristic voice of popular urban culture in Zimbabwe whose meteoric rise has consistently romanticized and challenged the brutalities of systematic beauracracies that go beyond containing the youthful dreams to a point where a majority who of course pursue something different end up in the dungeons. The dungeon is evidently a place Saint Floew knows so much as evidenced by the literature he has amplified remarkably in all these projects. Briefly, this background tables term and conditions which when met, higher chances are that Saint Floew’s sophistication is easily deciphered. From the very start, “Rise and Lead” presents a diverse range of beats, different from the usual hip-hop soundscapes. Saint Floew fearlessly experiments with various rhythms and melodies, weaving them seamlessly – although in other instances in the project it feels like too much of a compromise or stretch – into the fabric of his lyrics. While these beats may initially provoke skepticism or hesitation from listeners accustomed to more traditional hip-hop, they quickly reveal themselves as an essential element of Saint Floew’s unhindered artistic vision. It has taken a couple of years for hip hop and dancehall to share the bed. As both are borrowed phenomena, it seems the industry has shaped in favor of a sonic that is abundantly inclined towards mainstream strands of afro-beats. It is indeed a not so much a welcome reality for purists of the hip hop culture to helplessly watch a rapper fit into dancing shoes—and dance until they fade into distant horizons. Saint Floew has however asserted his versatility from the early times of his career. His successful entrance into the mainstream is however greased by hip hop and rightfully a genre that he identifies with. In conclusion, Saint Floew’s “Rise and Lead” album presents a groundbreaking evolution of hip-hop beats. While initially unconventional, these beats ultimately become a defining characteristic of the album, setting it apart from the norm and showcasing Saint Floew’s artistic maturity and fearless experimentation. The collaboration with talented musicians adds depth and excitement to the beats, creating a truly engaging sonic experience. Furthermore, this exploration of unconventional beats serves a thematic purpose, shedding light on social issues and providing a unique perspective on the struggles faced by Zimbabwean youth

The Zimbabwe Sphere