Music Review: WHY ARTHUR is "MISTER UNDERSTOOD"

Music Review: WHY ARTHUR is "MISTER UNDERSTOOD": Artist Bio and Profile ·          Name: Arthur Phiri ·          Genre: Hip-hop ·          City of Residence: Lilongwe ·          ...

WHY ARTHUR is "MISTER UNDERSTOOD"

Artist Bio and Profile

·         Name: Arthur Phiri

·         Genre: Hip-hop

·         City of Residence: Lilongwe

·         Birth date: 17 November 1982

·         Contact Details: gathering116@gmail.com / (+265) 888 607 681

Twitter.com/Arthurphiri1

        Soundcloud.com/Arthurphiri

        Facebook.com/Arthurphiri

He opens the tape deck and inserts side-A of the cassette labeled “Fat Boys”, as he pushes the tape deck closed he doesn’t know what experience awaits him. The six year old boy pushes the play button on the radio and what seems to be a cold chill runs up and down his spine as the cool vibrations flowing from the speakers overwhelm him thoroughly. Life and music will never be the same again for the six year old Arthur because he would have just fallen in love with hip-hop. Bob Marley said “when music hits you, you feel no pain” and Arthur must have played side-A and B of the tape a thousand times over. Arthur first had his experience with music in 1988 (the year I was born!), 24 years down the line and he continues to swim in the waves that first hit him as a small six year old boy. However, the first time he heard God’s Word on wax would be as a 16 year old teen when he was introduced to Cross Movement (House of Representatives). Small wonder why his approach to music is “roots” oriented, with an underground feel and an old school bopp.

You won’t find a discography in his name even though he has contributed to a number of projects. In 2007, his first ever recording was the Youthfest Anthem. Therefater, he jumped onto other more committed and demanding projects namely Spirit Filled Spit Kikaz Vol.1 and 2. During the years of ’07 and ’09. Production and lyrics from the rapper formerly known as “Grace Alumni” had exploded onto the scene. He recorded “Laborers” ft. David for Vol.1 which was his first full length song, and to date he calls it "the best song i ever did". Perhaps better known for making “hard as nails” beats and employing an even harder rap style, many would say he is straight up out of the concrete. By default, he would be considered a pioneer. He and the rest of the “Spit Kikaz” were doing Christian rap at a time when the church had shunned it, deeming it unspiritual and an unacceptable means of ministry. It was hard to be taken seriously, to have shows, have air-play on the radio, invite churches or pastors and even get church youth involved. As a result, Spirit Filled Vol.1 was released without any church affiliation despite all who were involved being members of churches. By the time Spirit Filled Vol.2 was set to be released, the society and the church had grasped their mission, saw their influence and how hip-hop could be used as a viable evangelism tool assuming the art fell under the authority of God. 

Why don’t you rhyme in your songs

  To be honest with you I don’t even notice it. I guess it’s more to do with the fact that I am more of a teacher than an artist. Like one of my pastors at church says that I don’t write songs I write sermons. It’s just the way I think and am I: unorthodox. I just drive at nailing my point really, and it seems I just flow like that; it all just comes out naturally. I know am not the most artistic or creative like David but it’s just the way God made me, weird, lol.

Why did you change your rap name?

Grace Alumni was a cool dude. He was sort of perfect to be honest with you. He would get on stage or record a song and poeple would hear and see how deep he was and he looked all good but to be honest with you he wasn't the real dude. Arthur was the real dude. Arthur had and has a fear to witness, he struggles with certain things, he sometimes goes through moments of dry seasons and lows that Grace Alumni didn't really have. So i decided to take off the perfect Alumni mask and put on the real Arthur face and let people see me, Arthur on stage, Arthur at church, Arthur at home with the wife, Arthur struggling to kill the sin in him, etc. I had been going through a phase in my life and a low spiritually So when i looked at my life at that point i decided Alumni must die, it was kinda like my rebirth. Now am a different person from then, i have learnt much and i continue to. So call me Arthur, Grace Alumni was burried

 What is your greatest goal?

Simple. Like Paul said, to make Christ known and that’s it. Not to be remembered as a producer or mc or the guy who knew deep stuff from atonement to eschatology but just a servant of God; to live everyday to be the husband to Dina (my wife) that Ephesians 5 prescribes; to live a life given over to his master to use and let the world know Him (i.e. Christ). To me I count it all as loss compared to knowing Christ, that’s my Life’s goal and in the end I hope I will hear Him say welcome home good and faithful servant.

What do you consider your greatest achievements?

The day I got married, the day God planted me at Kairos far outweigh any time I have had my songs played on radio or have stood on any stage before people. But the one thing I can be thankful to God for is He taught me how to produce beats for His glory.

Fame? Popularity? Recognition?

To be honest with you I don’t really strive for recognition, I strive for Christ to get known. If people know Him it’s all good. I have often said that if I ever step on a stage or release a song and people say they enjoyed it and have/had fun but they still don’t know Christ or don’t grow, I will quit music altogether – and I mean that. My daily prayer is John 3:30 9read it) and don’t care much if I’m recognized or not. But there are a few people who do, that’s great but its not everything. I don’t live for that.

 Who inspires you? Both internationally and locally?

Hmm, my inspirations: I would say David Kalilani, Eugene Moura, Ralph Nyirenda (crosova), Chimwemwe Mganga (Chi-netik) and the reason is because I have been with them from the beginning, have seen and still see their lives, struggles and their sincere hatred for sin and daily fights for holy living. They are not just great mc’s on stage but I have shared and continue to share in their lives every day. We meet up every Friday for prayer and accountability and we have a great time. They are the main reason I am who I am today. On the international scene I’d have to say Timothy Brindle. Firstly because he makes spitting look so easy. Secondly, he’s style you can sense is not for crowd pleasing but he keeps it real even though he might not get the sales or attention of ‘Crae, sorta like me, lol. Thirdly, I don’t think I have ever heard anyone write and bring things to life like he does. I still listen to killing sin today and it’s like the first time. I love how graphic he is, brings out what he’s saying to life.

 Say Something deep in 10 words or less…

I’ll quote a line from a verse to a song I once did – ‘’Beginning plus the end equals everything in between’’

Songs

Youthfest '07 Lilongwe theme song - Youthfest '07
Laborers ft David - Spirit filled vol 1
Price tag with David, Chi-netik & Gino - Spirit filled vol 1
fallen ft Gino - Spirit filled vol 2
Funeral song - One Lord mixtape vol 1

Walk with me - One Lord mixtape vol 1
Predestined to worship - World changers compilation
who’s the man - One Lord mixtape vol 2 'growth'

Produced

Laborers and Price tag - Spirit filled vol 1
Fallen, ma B.A (Chi-netik),
Including production for David, Gino, Chifuniro, Double Zee, Silas, Gomezgani, Khama and many more.

"I know a few people have been waiting for Arthur (formerly known as Grace Alumni) to drop an album, well that wait is almost over. Just keep me and the whole team in prayer as we work to finish the album. The title of the album is ‘’Real stories, Real people’’ coming to you on 7000Music.  Details coming soon!"

Music Review: DAVID"S LOST-TAPES? IS IT OPEN CURTAINS OR CLOSED ...

Music Review: DAVID"S LOST-TAPES? IS IT OPEN CURTAINS OR CLOSED ...: Artist: David Kalilani Album / Mix-tape: The Lost Tapes Lyricism: 3 / 5 Style of Delivery: 3 / 5                                   ...

DAVID"S LOST-TAPES? IS IT OPEN CURTAINS OR CLOSED CASKET?

Artist: David Kalilani

Album / Mix-tape: The Lost Tapes

Lyricism: 3 / 5

Style of Delivery: 3 / 5                                                                                      

Content: 3 / 5

Musical Production: 3 / 5

Quality: 3 / 5

Arrangement: 1 / 5

Concept: 0 / 5

Originality / Creativity: 2 / 5

                “Welcome, welcome/ yup…lemme introduce myself…”, no need for an intro though, he's been around for a long while and yet still no debut album. It's either very astounding that he has been able to grow his public base to such a great crowd without an album, or on the other hand, very wreckless. He's not the only artist out there without an album but yet with a huge following though, Andy Mineo of Reach Records has acheived a similar feat. David's flows unfold a story, enlighten your senses, spark your curiousity, and take you on an imaginary journey with the use of his conversational rap tone through a field of musical production like none other. This is the curtain raiser which he calls “the lost tapes” which precedes the upcoming project: “Exodus: The Preview”. This project provides retrospective into his victories and failures, and an opportunity for the listener to evaluate him and decide for themselves WHAT they see; introspective for the listener to decide WHO they see; and  a little perspective into WHERE he might be going with his rap and ministry. David’s mission: “to recruit more soldiers”, does he manage to do so? That’s difficult for me to measure here but does “the lost tapes” prepare you as a “curtain raiser”? Yes it does

                However, there was little, or perhaps no recording done intended for this project, it’s a compilation of songs that would never have made it on any of his upcoming work, hence the ZERO score for my "concept" rating - it has no concept, at the end of the day it is just a compilation. It either supports the title of “the lost tapes” very well, OR, it frustrates you with the feeling that you can’t follow the all important thread which helps you keep up with development. It is, however, the best project I have evaluated thus far in the quality department with Q on the boards for some of the songs, but I will speak about this a little later on in the review.

                The opener to the compilation is important as it communicates the priority of the church when it comes to rap gospel. Without the church, rap gospel is all useless. “Shut us down” is a sobering reminder that the church is priority, not the music. In-fact, we can shut the music down but not the church. He wrote this song to celebrate the day his sister got saved at one of his live concerts. “Delilah” was good, but for a Chungu and Gosple collab you would have wanted another concept played out – not to say that the message in Delilah was not important (the temptations from the opposite sex on a man-hunt), but the collab was just too priceless that you wonder what else could have been done had it been different. On the other hand, i was pleasently surprised to learn that the producer for the beat was Chifuniro - showing definite signs of production talent and versatility. “Awesome God” with Marvel gives me goose bumps anytime I hear it; they capture an aspect of God’s awesomeness in the production, lyrics, and delivery. “Jesus” was owned by K.B.G in Chichewa, and then owned by Gosple in English, but perhaps you can forgive David here as the track isn't really his anyways but is off Gosple's album - no excuses though, you would expect David to be much better. David reminds you he is a teacher when he shouts “aint nothing like hip-hop music / be careful whenever you use it”, and in my personal evaluation he should continue to strive for the responsibility to be Malawi’s rap gospel Watchman – one who stands at the gates and serves to protect the integrity, legitimacy and purpose of rap gospel. He’s not the best rapper but he is the most responsible.

                 Back to the mix, even though it is better than other projects I have reviewed, the quality is inconsistent. Track 7, “Exodus” ft. Tarrita, is low quality; and so is “lonely”, and the audio vocals are not as crisp and are too sharp. However, that is probably because some of these tracks were recorded a long while ago like "Exodus" which was released in 2007, and "Marvel" and "Rebirth" in 2009. For a better understanding of the history behind the tracks check out: http;//www.kifalme.com/index.php?option=article&id=135%3A5%3ADAVID-KALILANI-THE-LOST-TAPES. Kifalme gives a better review on the track-list history than i would.

                  However, for a compilation project that i paid money for, i would want everything to be top quality. This is not musics first compilation project and it wont be the last, but others of this same type are better mixed and mastered. For example, Nas' "Lost Tapes" (I'll use a secular example), also a compilation project consisting of about 6 Volumes (with maybe the exception of Vol.2, i believe) are all well mixed and mastered. Here is a lesson for all ARTISTS: invest in a good hard-drive, save all your studio project files including projects you decide not to use at the time. When it is time to get mixing you will have all the data there with you to mix and master uniformly. Furthermore, I already had atleast 30-40% of the music that was included in "Lost tapes" in my possession (either released previously as singles or in other projects like Spirit Filled Vol.1 and 2). I would have liked more content to have been "newer", again I say this because I paid money for it.

              I suggest: get very excited for “Exodus: the preview”, it promises to boast the best of “lost tapes” without any of what had lacked in it. The singles released so far to the public have already garnered much approval like "the return", and much controversy like  "As you grow" ft. Tarrita and Lawi. No other artist's singles are creating as many waves as David's at the moment. On another level, I am a little dissapointed because his next project is in all actual reality still not an album. David calls it a "preview" (and prefers to call it such). He calls it a "preview" so as to not identify himself with the majority of artists who dubb their projects "mix-tapes" because it is a concept much abused and misunderstood. I wait for the day when a hero will come along and break the current "mix-tape culture" which Malawi seems to strive upon. David says this of Exodus: The Preview: "So its a preview, an introduction of me to the world...a preview into my own exodus with the Lord Jesus Christ," (Mvela Magazine Exclusive Interview). I can forgive the fact that it is taking an eternity to drop because I expect it will be ground-breaking - very rarely does David dissapoint. I cannot wait for his project after the preview which is an actual ALBUM: "The Sleeping Giant" - i have had the pleasure of getting a private listen to a single and all i can say is woOoOoOoOow - I cannot say more than that...all i can say is get out there and get "the lost tapes" and get "Exodus: The Preview" when it comes out - it will be well worth it.

HOW DO I REVIEW THESE SONGS???

How Do I Evaluate These Songs?

My standard for an album is Lecrae’s “Rebel”.

My standard for a mix-tape is Jahaziel’s “Still livin’”.

                You will notice these are not Malawian projects and they set a benchmark on quality, context, creativity, lyricism, arrangement, music production etc. Now wait, your saying to yourself "why is he comparing music from overseas with music from right here?" The answer is simple:in your heart of hearts, dear artist and dear reader, you know that is the direction our music should really be going - minus the culture loss and all, we can create our own unique culture on our music and still acheive a standard of quality. Now, let’s assume that, for me, “Rebel” and “Still Livin’” represent perfect scores within my criteria, so it would look like this for “Rebel” being an album:

Lyricism: 5 / 5

Style of Delivery: 5 / 5                                                                                      

Content: 5 / 5

Musical Production: 4.5 / 5

Quality: 4.5 / 5

Arrangement: 4 / 5

Concept: 4 / 5

Originality / Creativity: 4 / 5

…and it will look like this for “Still livin’” being a mix-tape:

Lyricism: 4.5 / 5

Style of Delivery:4. 5 / 5                                                                                  

Content: 4.5 / 5

Musical Production:4. 5 / 5

Quality: 4 / 5

Arrangement: 4 / 5

Concept: 4 / 5

Originality / Creativity: 4 / 5

                I will measure projects in light of these two. This way, there is transparency as to how I evaluate these albums and mix-tapes. You will be able to cross-check a mix-tape i review with this standard and perhaps get a little perspective into why i lay it down that way. I will admit, I do not have a technical ear when it comes to evaluating crispness in a mix or master. However, I do have producers and sound engineers who are close freinds and in whom I draw counsel. So, you can trust my review to be true, fair, and accurate.

Artist: Nyali Musik

Album / Mix-tape Title: #breakthesilence

Lyricism: 4 / 5

Style of Delivery: 4.5 / 5                                                                                  

Content: 2 / 5

Musical Production: 2.5 / 5

Quality: 1.5 / 5

Arrangement: 2 / 5

Concept: 1.5 / 5

Originality / Creativity: 2 / 5

Ever listened to a “mix-tape” and felt as though “whoa, if this is a mix-tape then what will they hit us with on an album???” And then the album comes out and you prefer the mix-tape...? They have set themselves a huge standard in content, lyricism, creativity, and delivery that I hope they won’t break on upcoming projects. First of all, let me justify a few things: I rate the quality a 1.5 because I compared, for example, “yoh wobona” as a single before the mix-tape, the result was that the mix-tape version was lower in quality than the single. The “Nyali Musik Anthem” and “am chilling” are also among the track casualties of a “bad” mix. Why the inconsistency? I remember asking Andy Mineo during The Unashamed Tour 2011 why his mix-tape (Formerly Known) sounded like it should have been an album and he said “in everything you do, do it excellently.” It’s a mix-tape, but it does not have to be half-baked. The musical production wasn’t too varied, it was good but some variation would have been better so as to offer some balance – it’s a loud mix-tape with a few tracks to smooth and mellow it out.

Afana sax was a good touch. I loved him on track 15 which I think was the funniest. He sounds like someone familiar too, #askdavid. The song arrangement between the songs is sweet until you get to track 9 and 10 and realize you want it to slow down a little but it goes right back to banger banger. If the mix-tape was half banger and half mellow I believe it would have covered a lot of bases for me. Content is good and Christ-centered, it was better than I thought it would be and each of their styles and deliveries are sharp like thumb-tacks, you can tell they did not want to settle for just any 16 bars and they gave it their best. However, I related more with songs like “heart” and “come away” because it was real life, something you may have at one point or another probably experienced.

On a personal tip, Li-Wu has great presence and you get drawn into the mix-tape immediately via his opener on “already told him” (track 1) – where is an album by this guy?!? I was doubtful Jeremiah could carry a song but I was humbled when I heard “go hard” (track 6). Yung B: “moralo ili high/koma swagga ili pa low”, is scratching the surface on how much growth Yung B has undergone in-terms of content on “yoh wobona” (track 7). “Always be” (track 9) is such a feel-good song and refreshes the mix-tape. S.A.M.U.E.L is a beast on “living that life” (track13). The content on “come away” was deep and the best in that regard in my opinion. K.B.G’s touch is all over the mix-tape. He is a great artist, a product of hard work and determination. Jeremiah’s production is awesome. However, a project like this should have been promoted more aggressively with events and tours etc or people will forget it and move on. Lastly, no more mix-tapes, lets hear albums.

Do You Really Need Another Music Review Forum?

Why Do A Review

There is a need for an objective and competent review of a musical project so as to serve FOUR purposes:

1.       General Public: are made aware of a pending or released project. This helps create hype and publicity for the artists work. A review can also garner excitement and anticipation. On the other hand, it can also create a lack of enthusiasm.

2.       Artist: are compelled to make quality music because they know their music is scrutinized and evaluated on a public level. They know that if they make quality music and the review is favorable then the public will anticipate it. But if the review is unfavorable it should not disencourage the artist but rather provoke him or her towards improvement – which is the primary reason for the review.

3.       Me: that I may grow competent and trustworthy. That my review of a project should be accurate and fair; that the artist and general public should be able to trust my judgment through time. I am open to correction, my review is not the “final word”, its intended to be a “guiding word”.

4.       There is another review forum, the Malawi Hip-Hop review which is handled by Da Litespeax of 1 Lord and I believe that in such an atmosphere you need at least another review forum which helps people weigh and decide on degrees of fairness and accuracy between the two forums. There should be no one single entity through which people receive review. Furthermore, while Malawi hip-hop gospel review emphasizes more on attitude and motive, Sharp Iron review is centered on different criteria.