Speaking about his song ‘La Musica’ produced by Tony Douglas, Hamilton based Mukuka Simwinga aka KVKA says his peers are living in a “new age of slavery”.

“It’s like where Africans and minorities have got to a place where white people and other people don’t have to put us down because it’s like self-hate. So when I say [in the song]:

‘Where gold chains make slaves look better, all black Range Malcolm X knew better, gold chains swing just to lynch me better’.

“I’m saying we’re doing this to ourselves; it’s to a point where all we care about is, ‘oh yeah I got ice on my neck and I got the new whip’, and you’re not thinking about the fact that back in the day your ancestors would never wear that chain around their neck, they’d never do that because they know exactly what it means.”

“It’s like they work so hard to get free and then we put chains back on ourselves. It’s something I have to work on as well.”

KVKA says the use of the n-word is also something he considers seriously as an 18-year-old. 

“I say ‘nigga’ sometimes. I say all the ignorant stuff. But I think it’s something, where we need to get to the point, where we can battle it and not just sit down and say, ‘Oh yeah our ancestors helped us to get free’, because we’re not free. Corporations are still above us and everyone’s not at a place where everyone’s equal yet.”

KVKA’s family are musicians and poets, and they’re where he draws inspiration from, he said. 

His brother listened to Otis Redding growing up and the church was a big influence, he said.

“My mum, when she’s was younger, used to write poetry as well. So it’s kind of like everyone in my family is creative. I sit down and try to absorb all the creativity around me. My sister was a big influence. She went for this poetry slam and won. She was on Drew and Shannon Live and she had an episode on Both Worlds — I realised through all that stuff that I could actually do something with creatvoty and music instead of it just being a closet-type hobby”.

Shooting a video for his track  ‘The Zone’ which was lead him to the front door of then Hamilton-based producer Tony Douglas. “Literally”, he said.

“I was drenched from walking in the rain after church one Sunday.”

That’s when they created their banger, ‘Who You’. The song hit over a million views after it was included in a Call of Duty video on YouTube.

For an up-and-coming rapper from Hamilton, NZ it was the motivation he needed. 

KVKA, who is of Zambian descent but New Zealand citizenship, represents the Australasian diaspora and hopes his lyricism, wordplay and sound can help other creatives forging their identity through their creativity.

“I don’t want to just be a rapper, I want to change the whole culture of New Zealand rap. And it’s really awesome because I’ve been sitting here and listening to all these underground rappers from New Zealand I never knew of, like Third3ye, Diaz Grimm, everyone’s starting to change the hip hop [music] culture from New Zealand — and no offence to anyone, like I love Scribe, but [I’m working on a soud] more universal with the world.

 “I’m proud to be in New Zealand and be a part of what’s going to happen. Personally, I want to be right at the front, leading this new generation of underground to the world.’