Twenty-five music artists in Francistown have released a sizzling 33-track compilation album in an effort to market themselves and revive music passion in the second city.
The album, named “Wrong Turn and Area 2 to Gerald”, was released in May this year and features different music genres, ranging from Hip Hop, Ragga, Dancehall, Gospel and Rhythm and Blues.
Some of the talented artists in the album include local underground hip hop icon, Bicko Gee, Boiterg, Robbi Gee, More-Gee and J-Black. The album also features Kasi Lunatics, a Hip Hop outfit from Zimbabwe.
The mastermind behind the album who is also its promoter, Loeto Ronald Kenosi, also known as  Farouk the Mechanic, told The Telegraph in an interview that he came up with the idea of uniting Francistown artists through the album early this year after realizing that Francistown musicians were not getting the recognition they deserve.
He added that Francistown musicians were slowly losing their passion for music.
“I strongly feel that Francistown artists are not exposed enough and yet the city has a lot of talented music artists. I decided to come up with the idea so that I can resuscitate the passion for music in our city and to also expose the talent,” he said.
Kenosi added that what disappoints him most is the fact that most of the artists in Francistown are not united, noting that unity is the best tool for them to be successful.
“In the 80s and the 90s Francistown used to be the epitome of music in the country even far better than Gaborone, but sadly that music spark has faded. We had legendary groups such as Lords of the Ghetto and Bomb Threat. However, I still believe that we can still revive music fire in Francistown and take it back to where it was decades ago,” he said.
Asked on what process he used to select artists for the album, Kenosi said that he first advertised his initiative through Facebook, a social network and he visited a number of music studios in the city. He said that the response was overwhelming as many artists offered their songs to form part of the album. He said that he then selected the songs based on the message and the quality of production.
“It is unfortunate that I could not include all artists who showed enthusiasm to be part of the album despite the fact that they had good songs. My selection of the songs was based mainly on the message and the quality of production. Most of the songs in the album have a message about real issues and a lot of people can relate easily with those issues,” he said.
Kenosi added that although some people view music as mere entertainment, they should also bear in mind the fact that music can be used as a tool of expression and can bring positive change in the world. He said that music should be viewed as a tool of communication, adding that although some of the artists could not make it onto the album, they should try next time as he is going to compile more albums.
Kenosi said that he is currently in the process of organizing live performances where the artists will showcase their talents, including those who are not on the album.
“We are busy with the preparations for live concerts and the album can be accessed online on websites such as Itunes and Reverbnation. The CD is also available in different music outlets in Francistown and even in Gaborone,” he said.
The album was produced by local producers Oskid, TR Hitz, Jaw Bone and Mula Bisc and was arranged at J-Black Studios in Francistown.
