By Pinehas Nakaziko
WINDHOEK-The first music video of Mr Rhee tilted Mekolo, from his latest fourth album Omake is responding well on You Tube and attracting more viewers and listeners on social networks almost every week.
The song Mekolo features local producer Young T, and was released end last year and has been enjoying massive air play on both on local radio stations and televisions. Last year the song only had 800 viewers but this week it reached 1 680 viewers. The Namibian multi-genre singer, real name Richard Shikongo, Mr Rhee released his masterpiece album at the end of last year. The 13-track album has a variety of genres from Afro Pop, Dancehall to Reggae. Mr Rhee says the reason why he titled his album Omake is because looking back at his previous albums there is a huge improvement artistically. He says the title was suggested by his fans. “My fans suggested the name of the album to be Omake after the single, Don’t give up, which attracted so many hearts,” says Mr Rhee. He adds that the difference between his new album and the previous ones is the maturity of writing and composition of the songs. “I am starting to appreciate who I am everyday, and I am not shying away from being African and the village life that I experienced at my early ages, which is rich in storytelling and the majority will relate to it. I am now more focusing on producing African sound mixed with modern rhythm,” explains Mr Rhee.
Mr Rhee says the Omake album is about real life and people’s expectations. “I also look at the business side that people with jukeboxes will return their investment, the last album already showed that, until today. Those who bought the album can testify that my previous album, Kulupa Nayo, which means get old with it is still dominating their jukeboxes. I am still improving and I always surprise many that underestimate me,” he says. His album features artists such as Rau, Dricit, Waka, Young T, M-Jay and Exit. Songs such as Don’t Give Up, Omaxuilili, Portfolio, Summer Come and Mekolo are some giving the album a real foretaste.
Mr Rhee started his music journey in 2003 and has released four albums todate. His first album was Yellow followed by Amplifier, Kulupa Nayo and Omake most recently. His fans are growing fast every day. Starting only with Hip Hop, changing to more matured version of Dancehall which he calls “Tambulah Music”, a combination of Dance, Afro, and African up tempo beats, his life in music is continuing gaining momentum.