THE JOURNEY OF CYCLONE

By Andrew Magombo

Lilongwe, MANA: Born Patali Mkorongo,  revered hip hop artist Cyclone’s love for music is well documented for the last two decades having ventured into the industry since his youthful days.

His rise to fame started off with the now defunct rap group The Basement which also comprised Randy Jr and  Abambo AB popular for his witty lyrics.

The trio conquered the local music scene with three albums;  Nu state of mind, Talk of the Town, and Fortune and Fame which had many hits dominating airwaves on both radio and television programs.

Cyclone and The Basement enjoyed critical success in the late 2000s cementing their place as local hip hop heads with bangers like Bwanyamulenge, Kadona Kanga and Kaduwa

However, at the turn of the last decade, the trio parted ways and Cyclone branched off to work solo, dropping his debut album Eyes Wide Open in 2010.

The album received warm reception and it was spiced by guest artists like Maskal, Soul and the late Frank CN with hits like Mwini Wake and La Lero Latha.

“Seeing I was coming from a group, this album contained some ideas and thoughts I never really explored and the concepts were diverse for almost all audiences.

“One thing that remained was to keep it mellow for an attentive ear because it was full of expressing myself more and how I viewed the world,” he says

Building on the momentum of Eyes Wide Open’s success, in 2011, the rapper collaborated with Hip Hop icon Hyphen to release a dual project of Pauchidolo the Mixtape.

The project had a number of hit songs including Pauchidolo and Do or Die featuring renowned Afro-pop artist Onesimus who traded by the name  Armstrong at the time.  

“Since then I have been on and off the music scene but there is no need to starve my fans so every now and then I drop something to bless their ears,” says Cyclone who is also an IT expert outside the music circles.

In recent times, the rapper has featured on popular songs like the award winning Legends by Phyzix, Nyali mu Mdima remixby Abambo AB  and Barry Ones Sindingayiwale which also features Hyphen and Dette Flow.

So far in 2023, Cyclone has released The Journey,a slow-tempo hip hop ballad whose thematic expression anchors mental health issues and how often they are ignored before it is too late.

“Once upon a time, it was a dream till I got out of bed, bent my knees and prayed to him. Every good journey starts with a prep. In this case a prayer was good enough just needed the first step, ” he raps in the opening line.

“This song  tackles what bothers me deeply, what I experience but I don’t really understand and how I feel about it all.

“In the end it is just part of life as we know it, like they say ‘life is a mystery’. If one can relate then they must have had a confusing experience at one point or another.”

In the three-minute single with no hook which was produced by God’s Favourite, Cyclone washes his linen in public talking about his personal flaws, alcohol addiction, health problems, and a peculiar perspective of life in moments of struggle.

As the song continues, the rapper switches tones and moods varying on the issue being addressed at hand as it is richly engrained with positive life lessons .

In essence, much as the song delves deep into the personal life of Cyclone, it hugely touches on how mental health problems are handled both negatively and positively by the patients or those surrounding them.

The maturity in lyrical content of conscious rap and a hard flow delivery stamps authority in promulgating how the rapper has survived through difficult times and offers an array of life lessons to those who feel stuck.

Currently, the Blantyre-based rapper is working on a number of projects expected to be released soon.

“I am working on a few songs that will be out to the public, inclusive of some features, but I just want to give people the Cyclone they love and miss. Music is therapy, you never know who I might touch and heal,” he says.

With the hip hop game now saturated with both old guards and rising artists, the rapper has nothing but love for both generations saying everything has to improve lest it will die a natural death.

“Hip hop is still celebrated among the youth and leaning towards the old generation as well. I would say kudos to all hip hop heads, we have progressed thus far,

“My advice to the young artists is; be yourself, do not mold yourself to fit in, do what you presume you are good at and let people come and fit in your circle,” he says