Interview Kundai Kripmac Makombe

Kundai Kripmac Makombe is definitely a rising star one can say he’s a triple threat when it comes to music. He is a Producer, Engineer and Artist, his also a member of a band called “AMVIS” which was formed in 2009. Check out this interview to learn more about Kundai’s childhood and his passion for music.

 

YV: Who is Kundai Kripmac Makombe?

Kundai Kripmac Makombe is an Artist, Producer, Engineer,
Born on the 3rd of August 1990.
Started producing at the age of 16. Rapping in classrooms with class mates, after school rap battles.
Kripmac is a laid back, driven, motivated musician who sees himself on major stages touring across the world. Working with those who have been in the game and continue to set the pace for our generation, and working with talented artist and producers all over.

 

YV: Tell us about your Childhood background?

I’ve always been a kid who was always inspired by how things work how to make music. What is music? Growing around people who listened to music a lot, it became a part of my life.  I felt in love with the different kinds of music, from the likes of Janet Jackson, Michael Jackson, Missy Elliot, Michael Bolton, and Rebecca Malope. It’s amazing how a song can your mood.

 

YV: What inspired you to pursue music?

My Passion for music. The way music can transform you, the way it sooths the soul, the way it enchants, the way it penetrates deep within you. That’s what inspired me to pursue music. Knowing that one day the music we make can be that to somebody. How it can inspire other people to pursue their dreams and archive their goals in life.

 

 

YV: What are your musical influences?

My musical influences range from the likes of Dr Dre, Kendrick Lamar, Ab Soul, and Timbaland. My type of music is more conscious type music, relative type music, will have to be music with substance. It’s a type of music that people can listen to and relate. I’m considered as a conscious rapper because of the type of lyrics and music that I personally make.

 

YV: Tell us about your band? And who does what within the band

Our group goes by the name “AMVIS” which stands for: Ambition meets vision. We are a 3 member group that’s has been recording together since 2009.
The bands members are Kripmac (me) K-yung (my twin) and Slasha
The group comprises of 2 main producers who are Kripmac (me) and Slasha a very talented producer. An engineer (Kripmac) who engineers all recorded instruments, vocals and also mixes and master’s all recorded material. K-yung is a writer, who usually writes different songs.

 

YV: What kind of music do you do?

We as AMVIS make Hip-Hop music. We are a hip-hop group but we are diverse in the type of music that we do.  We like to mix the old with the new, the new with the odd and the odd with the vibey. The whole combination makes different blends within our music.

 

YV: What makes your band unique from any other band out there?

We are first producers and engineers so we know what kind of sound we want for a particular song. What makes us unique is our style the way we do music.

 

YV: What is your signature sound?

Our signature sound is the big bass. We love bass in the music that we do.

 

 

YV: What has been the biggest challenge as a band? And how did you overcome it?

Our challenges are shows, finances and sponsorship. I can’t say that we have overcome that challenge because we are still struggling in this game. In a country were there has never been funding for musicians getting money is very hard. So we are still looking and searching for funding that would allow us to tour. We are still looking for sponsorship and with shows we are limited to local shows and we need to start performing on a bigger stage.

 

YV: Which one do you guys enjoy doing between recording in studio and performing live?

Being in the studio is a wonderful thing because that’s we’re the magic is made but performing live is a different feeling. It’s the best feeling in the world because then you get to showcase your music to your fans whilst they sing along to your lyrics. We enjoy performing very much.

 

YV: What drives you as a band?

The passion for music is what drives us to continue making the music we make.
Music inspires, motivates and it is food for the soul. Music is a mood setter. So being able to inspire people through the music we do is what inspires us.

 

YV: If you were to collaborate with any artist who will be? And why

I would love to collaborate with a lot of artists but some on top of my list would be Kanye West because of his impeccable talent. He is one person who inspires me creatively. Timbaland and Kendrick Lamar because of their impeccable lyricisms, locally I would like to collaborate with a few individuals. Some I won’t mention because we are working on projects at the moment.

 

YV: If you had the opportunity to change anything about music industry what would it be? And why

I would make the music industry in Zimbabwe a more competitive industry.  Make the industry a more recognizable industry locally and internationally. Take incredible talent grow it and give it more exposure to the fans worldwide.

 

YV: What channels are you using to get your music out there?

So far we have been using local radio stations, the internet (soundcloud, reverbnation, twitter, facebook)

 

 

YV: Do you have your own favorite type of music and how is it different to the one that you doing now?

My type of music is the conscious type of Hip-hop music, old school R&B, dance sometimes orchestra. The type of music we do now is different in a way that it’s not 1 specific style of genre. We like to mix our different type of styles of music to make it unique and more diverse. Our music has elements of R&B, Dance, Electro and lots more.

 

YV: Have you ever forgotten your lyrics while performing? And how did you deal with that?

Yes I have forgotten my lyrics whilst performing on different occasion. Sometimes fans are very forgiving and understanding. The best way to deal with it is to not act like you forgot but continue performing keeping the crowd unaware of your mistakes and to keep the crowd hyped up.

 

YV: What are your sentiments with regards to piracy?

Sometimes piracy is good for artists who are trying to come up because it puts artists’ music out there for people to acquire and find easily. But on a bigger scale piracy hurts the music industry because it takes money out of the artist’s pocket and puts all the hard work that artists do into other people’s pockets.

 

YV: As an artist how would you define success?

Success is defined in many ways. One being defined in self achievement, archiving ones goals and dreams and making them into reality, More like making dreams come true career wise and financially.

 

YV: What is best advice has anyone ever given you?

The best advice I’ve ever gotten is to never stop believing in myself no matter how big my dream is or how long it takes. Never give up on a dream because what your mind perceives will manifest in reality.

 

YV: What advice do you have for young people and upcoming artist out there?

Never to give up on their dreams because what our minds can conceive it manifests in reality.
Never let anyone tell you that your dream is too little.
Always believe in yourself. That’s were it all starts by self believe.