Angelah Nothando Mlotshwa
1990s mbira hip-hop outfit Peace of Ebony are back on the scene with a body of work featuring collaborations with a host of today’s artists.
The hip-hop group has so far collaborated with Dendera Prince, Sulumani Chimbetu on a single called ‘Temptation’. They have also done a track with veteran female ‘Word Smith’ War games.
However the most notable collabo for the ‘Pretend it never happened’ hit makers is with Chengeto Brown the daughter of the late mbira queen Chiwoniso Maraire who was one of the original members of the group back in the 1990s.
The group revealed that Chiwoniso’s daughter Chengeto will feature on a cut called “Tryna” a song that they recorded in honour of the late great Mbira crooner ‘Chi’.
“We wanted to honour Chi and to do it with Chengeto was such a blessing. Chi was all love and when you think about her that’s all there is so a love song on Valentine’s Day was the perfect occasion for this dedication”, said Herbert Schwamborn.
The current line-up of Peace of Ebony is made up of founding members Tony Chihota and Herbet Schwamborn, the duo who recruited Chioniso Maraire back in the early 1990s.
“That ‘gap’ could never be filled but we can and will honour her at every opportunity and that is by working with musicians she herself would have loved to make music with. Then of course we are so blessed to be working with her daughter Chengeto on this next song and it is incredible how she sounds, looks and is just so much like her mother. We were also very good friends with her father Andy Brown whom she equally embodies so it is such an awesome trip!”, said Schwamborn.
It should be noted that Chengeto Brown is not only Chiwoniso’s daughter but her father is also the late great guitarist and singer Andy Brown of Mapurisa fame.
Peace of Ebony broke onto the scene with an album called ‘From The Native Tongue’ which was a hit nationally, regionally and internationally.
It’s success got the group appearances in the Media for Development Trust (MFD) Film More Time staring Prudence Katomeni- Mbofana that was shot and released in 1993.
The group also captured the attention of Radio France and other International media outlets.
“A Peace Of Ebony consisted of Metaphysics ( Herbert Schwamborn), Chiwoniso Maraire and me Chief Capone ( Tony Chihota). Our critically acclaimed debut album ” From the Native Tongue” was produced by Keith Farquharuson of Ilanga fame. Laygwan Sharkie (George Phiri) was an honorary member of our group for a while. We have all gone separate ways since then but the original duo remains as solid as day one!”, said Tony Chihota a.k.a The Chief.
“Last year we celebrated our 30th anniversary which is what prompted us to come together again. Music is always evolving but unlike rock, jazz and other genres Hip Hop was a relatively new one however as it reaches its 50th year mark we find that it has more appetites to feed. At the end of the day good music is good music and timeless so we just do what we love to do and that is to make quality sound with solid content”, chipped in Herbert Schwamborn a.k.a Metaphysics.
Tony Chihota a.k.a The Chief is currently promoting his autobiography called ‘The Beginning’ which also mentions the history of the group. He has previously appeared on South African television as a presenter on a musical show.
Metaphysics a.k.a Herbert Schwamborn has recorded solo albums and got involved with a group called Kataclism. Chihota was involved with a group called “Black Foot Tribe”.
Their late former group mate Chiwoniso Maraire became a backing vocalist in her late ex-husband Andy Brown’s group ‘The Storm’. She also churned hit albums such as ‘Ancient Voices’ and ‘Rebel Woman’.
Together and separately the group has contributed over the years to several motion picture sound tracks for movies such as More Time (1993), Everyone’s Child (1996) and Tanyaradzwa (2005).