Daddy Zemus

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Daddy Zemus
Daddy Zemus.jpg
Background information
Birth nameAnthony Kafunya
Born1968
Died(2001-01-03)January 3, 2001
GenresR&B,
Occupation(s)Musician
Associated acts

Anthony Kafunya (1968—3 January 2001) known professionally as Daddy Zemus was a Zambian musician. His style of music was ragga and dancehall, with elements of R&B and hip hop.

Early life

Zemus was born in 1968. His self-consciousness started at Kabulonga Secondary School in Lusaka together with the likes of Augustine Lungu and Maiko Zulu. It was further enhanced through the gathering of the Rasta community at the University of Zambia grounds where they used to meet every Saturday.[1]

Music career

He joined a group called "Zion Dub Squad" with his friend Papa Zai. The name Zion Dub Squad was coined by Brian Shakarongo, who with Papa Zai and Ras Tammuz, were probably the three most influential people in shaping Zemus’ way of thinking as a musician and a philosopher.[1]

His first album was called "Salaula" and was produced by Papa Zai. Zemus was behind the introduction of popular Zamragga, the localised version of the internationally recognised ragga music and won wide recognition from his eight-track album "Chibaba".[2]

Influence and style

Zemus’ main musical influences during his transition were Shabba Ranks and Paul Ngozi. Ngozi also localised his version of rock music fused with local blends. Shabba Ranks represented cross-over success and the ragamuffin style that he adopted as his style of expression. He was motivated by the will to succeed, so he started evolving as a musician and as a thinker to explore various sounds, diverging from his earlier Rasta roots reggae foundation. Zemus created his own style and brought in the other guys to flavour it with particular cross-over elements.[1]

Discography

Chibaba album

The album was a third release by Mondo Music. It was released on Christmas eve of 1999 and received tremendous airplay. It went on to top the Sounds Top Twenty chart until April of 2000. The album featured other artists such as C.R.I.S.I.S, Lindi and Mainza.

Chibaba received massive airplay and was a favorite among dance floors, homes and would go on to transform the complexion of local music in later years, thus setting the tempo for the Zambian music renaissance long after Zemus had passed. Songs on this album included "Anyamataa", "Juju Lover", "Fatness", and the title track "Chibaba".[3]

Death

Zemus died on 3 January 2001 after an illness. He was 32 and was survived by a wife and two children.[2]

References

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  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 What was Daddy Zemus’ legacy?, Zambia Daily Mail, 12 February 2015
  2. 2.0 2.1 Zambia: Zemus Is Dead, AllAfrica, 4 January 2001
  3. Daddy Zemus: The real king of Zam Ragga, The Doctor of Zambian Music, 6 June 2013