Gabriele Filippi
September 2020
3 min.
821 views

Starting from an early age as a rapper, Desh.Dubs managed to make a name for himself and collaborated and worked with the Black-Pact, the Rap Prophets, and the Zambezi Symphony, just to name a few.

Together, they aimed to shock Zambia with songs and performances that reached populations far beyond national borders.

In 2006, he joined the ArtScience department of the Royal Academy of Arts in the Hague (the Netherlands), the Royal Conservatory, and the Media Department of the University of Leiden, where he combined his music with visual arts.

He continued his work with the university by completing his Master-degree in African Studies. He has continued to take a critical look at academia and its role in society by studying how African Studies have been interpreting African heritage features, including many African cultural forms such as performance, oral history, indigenous knowledge, etc.

As an art researcher, Desh combines art and science in his projects, focusing his works on the way human beings understand social, cultural, and political realities and how they respond and interact with the news media.

Using new technologies and spanning across various mediums, including video, audio, Desh design interactive devices and installations. Trying to analyze the similarities, contradictions, and differences in how we perceive space, sound, and vision, news media plays an essential role in many of his work.

While Desh’s primary goal is not to solve the world’s problems, it is clear how he wants to provoke visitors and audiences with his art, moving people to think about crime, corruption, and discrimination.

As a musician, sound is ever-present in his artwork. “It also plays an important role in addressing psychological, emotional feelings,” he explains.

Among his latest works, we discovered ‘Champion’, the lead single from his forthcoming album titled ‘Above The Wicked’, which brilliantly anticipates its sound and vibrations. While leaving us eager for what it’s set to come, ‘Champion’ is an energetic number, clearly capable of standing up on its own.

An upbeat, bouncy, and infectious track with a fusion of Dancehall, R&B, and Afrobeat elements, this is a song about that good relationship that can make one feel … like a champion.

Thanks to his affable songwriting skill and more broadly by his general artistic statement, with ‘Champion’ Desh brings to the table a succulent and polished work. The lyrics offer an apparently endless sequence of hooks that lead to reflection on the aspects and nature of the topic relationship.

So, while his husky and strong vocal touch pull us into this captivating piece, Dash inevitably leads us to push beyond our reflections, provoking us with witty lyrics.
Just to give an example, the second verse is worth quoting:

The way you are wine girl turn me on
You have gotten a top spot pan the million
Body hot, who cares if it’s silicone
Mi give you my heart, my soul not sex alone
You the true definition of woman stallone
Mi not perfect but mi no go and do you wrong
Man has to make the vow and carry on
You the queen because mi love how you gwan

Dash’s ‘Champion’ is a tremendously catchy song capable of making you feel optimistic thanks to its positive aesthetics and compelling sound. Last but not least, thanks to its lyrics, it can give you new food for thought at every listening.

Definitely unmissable, it is a safe addition to any weekly playlist.

Listen now to ‘Champion’, the lead single by Desh’s forthcoming album. Find and stream it on your favorite digital platform via hyperurl.co/desh.champion

To know more about Desh and his music, find and follow Desh.Dubs all over the web by checking the links below: