The Marriage of Music & Storytelling: Mnqobi Yazo Growing Strong With His Latest Album
Storytelling in the form of oral tradition is one thing rooted in Black South African culture, a common denominator that underscores cultural identity and celebrates the richness of native narratives. Born and raised in Maphumulo, KwaZulu-Natal, Mnqobi Msimango, popularly known as Mnqobi Yazo, is an artist who exemplifies what this phenomenon means, exploring stories and being a willing vessel for the artform in music and on the silver screen.
Although many might recognise his face from television, his work in the music scene has been the crowning glory of his artistry, having released four albums since 2018, with his latest one, UBHOKO, being released on the 26th of January 2024. When asked about the genesis of his music, he cited that talent was what got him into the music business and his love for telling stories.
“It’s just talent because for me as an artist, when I create a song, I need to paint pictures so that you can visualise the song using the audio alone. That’s how, I believe, we should write as musicians. After all, music is just another form of storytelling,” Mnqobi said.
Mnqobi Yazo
His latest album, UBHOKO, was released on the final Friday of January, encompassing 19 songs. The LP features artists such as Igcokama Elisha, Olefied Khetha, Yallunder, Ndabaz, and Njilour. Describing himself as a deliberate songwriter who is fast in crafting individual songs whilst taking his time in the construction of full albums, he conceded that thematic scope was of great importance to him when it came to shaping the album.
In naming the album “UBHOKO”, Mnqobi opened up about the meaning of the name being significant in that he was exploring his signature sound in a novel way. His aim, with his fourth LP, was to lean more into musicality compared to previous works which touched on various influences, ranging from trap to dance and reggae. Intentional about being musical, it was all about hitting the studio, singing his way from track one through to the outro, and being specific with his pen.
“Because I’m slow in making albums but fast when it comes to songs, I had about 200-and-something. From all those songs, I had to choose particular ones that would fit the narrative and the theme of UBHOKO. As an artist, I am very concerned about the theme of a project because I don’t want it to sound disjointed and unpleasant. I don’t want awkward moments. An album should be listened to from beginning to end without any skips. That’s the art of arrangement,” the “Zamalek” singer said.
“UBHOKO” album art
Choosing the best 10-ish percent of songs from a heap of over 200 wasn’t an easy task for Mnqobi. But after what had to be done was all but sealed and packaged, he singled out “Nondaba” as his personal pick.
“My favourite song in the album is ‘Nondaba’. Whenever I make songs, I do it at my house, since my studio is where I stay. But this time around, as I was listening to myself on the song, something told me that it needed a choir. So I started looking for one and stumbled upon a team with elderly members, most of whom are from the police. So I went to Durban to record them and took the vocals back home with me. But after careful listening, I wasn’t happy with the tone, so I ended up scrapping the whole thing. I then decided to go for young kids still in high school. I got them a studio eMthwalume, and they nailed it. It took a lot out of me because I had to go down to KZN to obtain that ingredient I wanted for the song,” he said.
When it came down to his influences, he confessed to having an old soul.
“When it comes to influences, my inspirations come from legendary musicians. People such as Baba Caiphus Semenya, Oliver Mtukudzi, Baba Mshengu, Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Jabu Khanyile are significant to me because of the way they made music. When I combine their sounds and styles, I try to glue them together and present them under the guise of the new school so that younger audiences will be able to relate. That’s how I formed my sound, repackaging the old in a way that’s viable to the new generations,” he said.
Billing himself as an artist concerned about the art and the hearts of those it has reached rather than sales and clicks, Mnqobi revealed that his wish, as far as expansion goes, was to experiment on electronic genres in the future.
“People would be shocked if they found out that some of the genres I’d like to venture into are rock and electronic music. I’ve always wanted to dip my toe into such sounds. It’s similar to maskandi in a sense, and I’ve always felt like it would be worth exploring just to get the feel of another culture,” he said.