Ikalanga hip hop artist, Sherman Malaba, or “Darkgenius” as he is commonly known to his legion of fans, continues to be a force on the local hip hop music scene as he recently released a DVD for his album, dubbed “Jenjendubadema”.
The album, which was released in 2011, has four tracks, Chedza ne Zhalima, Zila Mbili, Yahweh Nlisi and No Words.
The 31-year-old Ikalanga rapper, who hails from Themashanga Village in the North East District, is a hard core underground hip hop artist who has been in the music circles for over a decade.
Speaking to the Sunday Standard, Darkgenius said that he released the DVD in December 2012 as a way of trying to augment the message portrayed in his music album.
“Although I am facing some challenges such as shortage of funds, my album Jenjedubadema has been doing very well in the market but I want to spread my wings countrywide to reach out to a wider audience. I believe that through my DVD, people can easily get the message from my songs as videos can help carry the message through,” he said.
According to Darkgenius, the DVD has four tracks, which are Chedza ne Zhalima (a song about evil and righteousness), Yahweh Nlisi  (God the caregiver), Zila Mbili( a song about one making a choice in life) and No Words which is a song he dedicates to those who lost their loved ones in different circumstances.
He, however, took issue with local radio stations for not giving much airplay to local music, saying that such a habit is killing local talent. He said that the local music industry has much potential and it can only blossom if given much support.
“Our radio stations in the country are not very supportive to local artists, which is really demoralizing and killing our passion as local artists,” he said.
Darkgenius added that he is currently planning to take his newly released DVD to Botswana Television for airplay. He added that he is also working hard to take his music to the masses as he is engaged in promotions and live music shows.
“I am currently working hard to try and promote my DVD and my music album,” Darkgenius says.
He pointed out that he is also engaged in a number of projects in his village of Themashanga where he is hosting some shows that are meant to sensitize the youth on HIV/Aids and several other diseases.