King Troy: An artist On The Rise

Story by Guest Write: Buhlebenkosi Nkomo

Music transcends colour, background and age. It is a unifier that connects people from different backgrounds such that even the artists themselves transcend genres. One such artist is Bulawayo born artist, Ashbell Kamanga also known as King Troy who fuses Hip-Hop, Afro-Trap, Afro-Pop and Kwaito.

When asked about what influences his music, King Troy had this to say: ” I listened to a lot of Hip-Hop, thanks to my father , and I also studied classical music growing up. I am currently really into Afro-Pop and Hip-Hop (or whatever I’m listening to at the time). I am the source of my own musical inspiration.”

Moreover, “When I’m writing music I want be alone and think about what I’m writing about.The truth about me is I write about things happening in the city, the ghetto and the rural areas. I give people the message they need to hear,” King Troy reiterated.

Upcoming Album

Furthermore, his lyricism is evidenced in his upcoming track titled,” Panda Pusha which drops on the 27th of November 2023. There he wooves in the realities of youths living in Zimbabwe by highlighting their fighting spirit, hustle/entrepreneurship and how their determination can push them beyond glass ceilings.

“The song is about hustling siyaphanda siya phusha. We sleep in the street to get paid for our art work, we pray about it and we wake up and work for it ( This track was inspired by Rod Wave ft Lil baby),” King Troy said.

His song speaks volumes about the harsh realities of being a hustler by acknowledging that there’s no time to rest and the daily struggle to make money and still invest it in yourself. It also doesn’t make life sound rosy but acknowledges that life is not as golden as others make it out to be.

Stay True & Hurstle

” I do Hip-Hop but I realized people love my music when I’m doing different genres but I focused on Hip-Hop and Afro-Pop but as an artist I could do anything to spread my message.”

” I speak truth about how people live and encourage the youth to hustle and remain real and stay out of drugs because this life isn’t easy and we have to cope with many issues including mental health, unemployment and substance abuse,” he said.

Lastly, King Troy earlier released a single called,”Sondela featuring Sophia and Jonas Brown. It was produced by Portland and mastered by Tflow. It is a love song that again intertwines Hip-Hop and Afro-Pop.