Hypocrisy meanders subtly like a chilling breeze. It smiles even at the innocence of soul-ties. And we get blinded by such elegance. With recurrence, hypocrisy grows into principal realities of humanity – life and co-existence at the mercy of individual self and collective interest. At the center of this collective interest are gender relations. The hypocrisy of mass media in women's representation is not affecting only Natasha Muz but a number of her female counterparts. She has recently released an album titled Chloe – Queen of All Tribes that is partly dedicated to her daughter conceived a year earlier.

Natasha Muz new album Chloe-Queen of All Tribes

It is apparent in contemporary intellectualism that patriarchy has betrayed collective interest by relegating women to the peripheries of human conscience. The paper by Jamie O. Broadnax on this shelf aggressively shames the objectification of women in music videos - hip-hop critics argue that the music only promotes misogyny, sexism, homophobia, and blatant hypermasculine performances. Furthermore, these authors state that hip-hop is a male-oriented cultural space in which controlling images of black women are mediated through a patriarchal framework that includes sexism and both the physical and emotional abuse of women.

Natasha Muz is a talented vocalist. She is a powerful voice that has proved to be a force in different genres but has established her name as a rapper. Her break-out hit Handisi Tsaga did not only introduce her to the hip-hop mainstream but won her accolades that included best female hip hop artist in 2018. A lot would then unfold. Her singing could be heard in a variety of projects to the point she is now no longer identified as only hip hop. She has really grown out of her wings and out of confinement that we have chosen to appreciate as symbolism. She is definitely not the most gifted in this land where every girl in the house is heard rehearsing choral church hymns whilst shining the floor. Natasha Muz is that drop in an ocean which is on course to quench the thirst of mellow in contemporary music in Zimbabwe at a time that hip hop is grabbing a major share of listenership. 

A lot like her have done it before and perhaps better. The likes of Kikky, Awa and Tashamiswa to mention a few that immediately come to mind. The only similarity is that they all have done it differently. Natasha Muz publicized her maternity last her when she appeared in a trending video replying to Kae Chaps’ hit song Juzi. This gesture exemplified women’s concerted effort to rewrite the traditional narratives that barred them from fully expressing themselves in male dominant spaces. It has been a global trend for women to appear in pictures uncovering pregnancy. Therefore, this discussion is not something that is confronted on a regular basis. Whilst mandated by patriarchy to focus on the newly born baby, she has managed to work on an album and that has been plausible if the odds considered that fact. Altogether we view this expression as perfectly fitting to the title ‘Queen of all Tribes. She has defied the patriarchal status quo.

The frustration in this writing is the deliberate disinterest of mass media towards these extraordinary exploits. Unlike male artists, it seems the struggle to make an impact on the mainstream comes at a hefty price for females. This is how we chose to picture gender relations in male-dominant industries and the hypocrisy of modern intellectualism. We know so much about rap that we have ignored this picture looking slightly bigger.

The album Chloe by Natasha Muz did not make conversation despite featuring household names in the music industry. The song Zviriko, released a mid-this year, is a contender for the best collaboration in 2022. Her, Slinx and Tashamiswa proved that they can effectively out-rap the majority of whoever is in discussion at the moment. But that comparison is also well-off what we are trying to advocate for. Music is music, gender relations are how you like your chicks and that’s patriarchy. That is practically sad hypocrisy. Gender relations are a collective interest that must reflect in mass media. It definitely defeats the purpose of working towards fundamental freedoms to treat music as a male industry. 

In this album, Natasha ropes in Roki, R Peels, Beav City, Danny and Dboi Mash for the song Questions where she sings “Is this life gon’ get better” (a cry against inequalities which too belong to patriarchy-issued disparities). She raps “is it a fault that I was made in this image” in the song Dzikamai. The rest of the album is beautifully compiled despite the numbers reflecting otherwise. She also features legendary rapper Gze, Beav City, Novi Keys and Ti Gonzi on the album.

This discussion definitely expands further. We however felt inclined to highlight the impairment in gender relations as a result of patriarchal domination. Natasha Muz is the queen running for the fundamental freedoms deserved by all women in the arts industry.

Her album is out on all platforms and tunes in as we look forward to your appreciation of collective interest

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