Anatii - IYEZA (2018)

Bounce theory and mbaqanga practicalities get mashed up when Xhosa singer/producer Anatii steps to the mic. “Ngozi” is a meditation about money owed to mashonisas. “Ehlatini” is a bluesy mountain pop track that cautions against losing oneself to the never-ending city hustle. “Sikhangel’ igolide/We suffer on the weekday”, he laments. “Ndaweni” is primetime sgubhu for the party, while “Ntloni” casts Anatii as a seasoned trap star. But Iyeza wouldn’t be complete without his tried-and-tested cool-kid anthem “Thixo Onofefe”.

Tracklist:
4:20 | 01. Anatii - WENA
3:49 | 02. Anatii - NGOZI
3:14 | 03. Anatii - EHLATINI
3:34 | 04. Anatii - NDAWENI
1:05 | 05. Anatii - ZION (INTERLUDE)
3:34 | 06. Anatii - NTLONI
2:35 | 07. Anatii - U SANGTHANDA NA?
3:41 | 08. Anatii - VUKA
3:47 | 09. Anatii - GOD MY BEST FRIEND
3:48 | 10. Anatii - THIXO ONOFEFE

You must be a seriously skilled 15-year-old to make a whole industry sit up and take notice. But that’s exactly what Bhisho-born Anathi Mnyango—better known by his stage name, Anatii—did in 2008, producing a track for South African rapper Morale. Since then, his fresh take on music production, as well as his overall rejuvenation of Afropop, neo-soul and hip-hop, has made him an in-demand artist on both sides of the recording studio window, working with titans of the industry like DJ Khaled, Omarion and Mzansi artists Lebo M, Cassper Nyovest, HHP, AKA, Nasty C and Danny K. Because Anatii is known for writing intricate, multilingual songs around catchy rhyme schemes, it’s not surprising that fans quickly dubbed him the number one “Afro-conscious lyricist”. 2016 finally saw the eloquent hitmaker drop his debut LP ARTIIFACT to chart-topping success. Impressive—even more so considering this Xhosa word warrior isn’t even close to peaking yet.