Hakim Abdul-Hussein, known by his stage name Kimzer, last week released his long awaited debut mixtape dubbed ‘Phases’. The member of Underworra, an upcoming singing group, is, for the first time, going solo on a project since he joined the music industry in 2017. “Although I have been making music with Underworra, I have never released a full body of work on my own until now. I am not leaving the group, it’s just exploring art,” he says. The 24-year-old artiste says that most of the songs featured on ‘Phases’ were written months, if not years ago, and that it directly influenced the name of the project itself as the tracks themselves reflect different phases of his life. Kimzer is known for his experimental sound, where he constantly tries to push himself further into the art of making music. ‘Phases’ captures many different genres and sounds, he says, adding that it also has some genres he grew up listening to, such us retro, funk, classic hip-hop, trap and rock music. The 18-track project is fully independent and was recorded at Underworra’s YNK Studio. It was mastered by Baltimore producer and musician JoMá, who also produced a large portion of the project, and mixed by Kimzer himself. The project features Rwandan rap giants like Kivumbi King and Sema Sole, as well as fellow Underworra member Mazo and up-and-coming artistes Valou and the Black Fits. Released on March 4, the album’s track list holds bangers like ‘Pen and Paper’, ‘Sakura Dreams’, ‘The Note’, ‘Night Life’ and many others.
