His name is not strange in the urban music circles. His voice resonates easily with his sleek hip pop style. But for the past five years, Young Kay, real name Francis Kaphuka, had disappeared to retune his voice and tighten the lines of his songs. He is back!
But he is no longer Young Kay for he is no longer young. Now grown and glowing, the hip hop artist has rebranded to ‘Hyphen’. The “Kuusumana” hit maker, first hinted on his return to active music in his verse in “We Run the City” a song produced by Dj Sley which also features Third Eye, Episodz, Cyclone and Tsa Leo.
“Mafana mukumvekatu/ Ana Anzanu akuti mukubhebhatu// Heh? Mpaka ufumu danger’tu/ Fans yozindikira ikusekatu…” (Your fame is all over/others say you are doing fine/ And you have taken the throne, that is dangerous/ but the initiated are laughing at you), goes part of Hyphen’s verse in the song in which he is sarcastically praising other artists for being in the limelight while he was away from music.
“The intention in the lines of the verse is to find the right way to announce my imminent return [to active music]. I have been watching the game from a close range and I have been working from the background, Am ready for my return. Are you?”
“I should be releasing my first single before end of April, and there’s more after that” he said.
He also took the same opportunity to distance himself from various claims that he was targeting specific new school hip hop artists in his verse. “I rap my mind but I never target anybody.”
The return of Young Kay coincides with that of other artists who went into music hibernation after 2013. Some of the artists that have announced their return are Maskal, Iceberg, Cyclone, Biriwiri, Nyasa Guruz and Blacka Fella.
Commenting on the impending return of these artists to activate music, renowned producer Percy “Pro Pee” Manyozo said this is good news for urban music.
“This group of artists are the pioneers of urban music and we all missed them. They are the golden generation and their return is our victory” Manyozo, who also hinted on his own return to production, said.
Biriwiri has just released their first single “Kabichi” from their upcoming “Green” album, Iceberg and Cyclone have teamed up to form Bossaro Music Group whereas Maskal who is still in the USA, said his new song will be ready by May.
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