A Hip-Hop and spoken word artist whose talent shows limitless potential. He is slated to headline at the ‘When Hip Hop Meets Theatre’ show hosted at Reps Theatre; it is also said to be the first Hip Hop show to be hosted at the historical theatre. Nyasha Munashe has been fascinated by Hip Hop music from the age of five and is now on a journey to spread his artistry and passion around the world. 

The ‘When Hip Hop Meets Theatre’ show will be hosted on the 21^st of March with supporting acts including award-winning gospel rapper and producer Jason Gwanzura. We spoke to Nyasha Munashe to get more insights into his work, career and the upcoming event. ^{KM – Kudzai Mhangwa, NM – Nyasha Munashe}

KM: I am so glad to feature you on the magazine. Tell us a bit about Nyasha Munashe. 

NM: Nyasha Munashe is a Hip Hop and spoken word artist whose work touches on religion, politics, academia, theology and just anything I’m able to include between the very academic, introspective, philosophical and also add a bit of a more playful twist to certain things is something I’m definitely going to be exploring in further music

KM: I read that you began memorising and appreciating Hip Hop as young as five years of age. Why did the music appeal to you so much?

NM: I think the music appealed to me very much because I was introverted, reserved and a pensive young man. The music I was listening to at the time like Nas, it reflected that and so it felt comfortable and natural. I think that’s why Hip Hop appealed to me so much. 

KM: When did you decide to become an artist?

NM: I actually decided to become an artist at age 19. My initial plan was to study media, journalism and culture at university which I did do but the plan was to become a music journalist. Before I went to university I had a real encounter with Jesus, I felt a call to start making music. I’d been writing and speaking about music but now was time to take up the challenge and call to make music. 

KM: When did you first step into the studio and record your first work? How was the feeling?

NM: My first ever experience stepping into a studio must have been August 2021 in Harare and it was scary because the whole time I had been recording videos of myself rapping over beats I found online. The instrumental would come from my laptop and I’d rap to my phone camera so none of it was mixed or anything. The studio was a whole different experience now learning about vocal inflections, ad libs, stacking tracks so it was a bit overwhelming. 

KM: In 2025 you released your EP ‘FINI.’ What does ‘FINI’ stand for and tell us how this work came to be? 

NM: ‘FINI’ is not an acronym funny enough and it speaks to two things. I was in the UK and I struggled to find where I belonged as the very deep, philosophical, theological, pensive and also black man. I could also get down to certain theological spheres but now bringing my Hip Hop and Zimbabwean culture felt like a disconnect so I would be the dude performing in clubs and even though they didn’t identify with my faith they recognised my talent then I would go to certain church spaces and I didn’t know if I fit in.

For me it was dealing with that tension and saying I don’t need to fit into specific boxes of what faith and religion should look like. It was a rebellion in many ways and saying this is the end of a chapter and a certain Nyasha. This EP was recorded when I came back home last year, it’s full circle because it speak to me coming back to myself and also my brother is nicknamed Fini (real name Phineas). It was the end of a certain chapter of Nyasha but also a loop back to who Nyasha was and what better way to represent that through family and my brother who is always there. 

KM: How has response towards this work been so far?

NM: Response for this work has been good, it’s been interesting to see how people perceive the work because a lot of people think that the EP is about my brother but I tell people that EP will make sense in the future. Line for line, bar for bar. There’re so many different aspects that people haven’t understood as yet but even with their understanding it’s been a good reception for a first project. To get a first project out and hear that people are able to piece things together and enjoy the product. 

KM: One stand out piece from this work is “Please, Mr Preacher” which also has a powerful video to accompany it. You tackled such gritty topics with that piece! How was it putting it together?

NM: Funny enough that was the first original piece I performed. It was originally a spoken work piece I wrote for a conference I was asked to speak at. I would go to London and all these different places as an open mic piece and people were blown away by it. It stemmed from a very real question about; where do I even belong in these white Christian spaces historically? I channelled that through the voice of a black Christian slave but a lot of the frustrations are things that I had been feeling in my own way and in my own time and it vicariously spoken through the voice of a black Chrisitan slave. And we’ve been feeling all of these things for hundreds of years and I felt it very acutely and I wanted to address it. 

KM: I also loved “I lost my leg.” Could you talk more about this piece.

NM: The final song written and recorded for the EP! It was a real metaphor, I tore my ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) I had a very bad knee injury last year so I had surgery and this was right after moving back home and I was so excited to be outside, see all of my friends and reintegrate but then you tear you ACL and your confined to four walls; you can’t walk on your own, you’re on medication for pain and its making you drowsy. So it came after a period of introspection; maybe we all have ‘legs’ we need to lose to see who we really are which is why that reference of the legs meaning our status or fame or the crutches we stand on to find meaning or identity. 

KM: You are hard at work preparing for “When Hip Hop Meets Theatre” which is also said to be the first Hip Hop show to showcase at Reps Theatre. Tell us what we can expect from the show?

NM: Yes! So my relationship with Reps Theatre goes back to last year, that’s where we shot the “Please, Mister Preacher” music video. I feel as though with the concepts that I speak about through my music I am uniquely positioned to put up a show like this. There’s a lot of aspects of literature and academia which people don’t associate with Hip Hop but studies will actually tell you that Hip Hop artist have the widest average vocabulary amongst all (musical) genres. I want to shift the perception that Hip Hop is loud, aggressive, meaningless and unsubstantial noise and actually display what Hip Hop is and can be. It’s going to be a good time. 

KM: Tell us about Nyasha outside of his artistry. 

NM: Nyasha Munashe is a big sports fan, he loves basketball! Loves Manchester United. And as much seriousness, thoughtfulness and introspection my music shows, there is a whole different side of me that’s a clown and very expressive, loud and boisterous. The upcoming music I have is going to reflect that. That’s something people would be surprised to hear. 

KM: Thank you so much for giving us the time to chat. What are your final words for readers?

NM: Thank you so much for this wonderful opportunity. If I have any words for readers, it’s that thank you for reading through this, thank you for connecting with me, I hope to see you at the show and there is so much synergy that can happen between an artist and the audience. I would love to connect on any level. I’m reachable to talk about sports, faith or music, I love a good conversation. See you at Reps. 

Tickets for the ‘When Hip Hop Meets Theatre’ show are on sale via the Reps Theatre website.