Ti Gonzi Biography | Early Life | Education | Music Career| Kure | Assault | Awards
Ti Gonzi is a Zimbabwean hip-hop artist who is known for his popular tracks such as “Zvenyu” and “Hurombo”. He is also the founder of Hipu Hopu YekuGhetto, a movement that aims to inspire the ghetto youths and change the face of Zim Hip Hop.
Ti Gonzi Early Life and Education
Ti Gonzi Biography [Image: Ti Gonzi/Facebook]
Ti Gonzi was born on 13 April 1993 as Tinashe Gonzara. He grew up in the dusty streets of Mufakose, a high-density suburb in Harare. He attended Ruzivo Primary School and Mhuri Imwe Secondary School for his primary and secondary education respectively. He later moved to Mount Pleasant, a low-density suburb in Harare, where he completed his form 3 and form 4 education at Mount Pleasant High School.
Music Career
Ti Gonzi started freestyle rapping as a teenager, which earned him a reputation in his neighbourhood. He began recording professionally in 2008 and released his first six-track album in 2009 when he was 16 years old. The album was produced by Spencer Masango at Track Records, but it did not achieve much success due to poor marketing and distribution.
In 2012, he released his second album titled M.P.M (Moyo Pfungwa neMweya/Motsi Piri Muyedzo). The album had 12 tracks but failed to reach mainstream success.
Ti Gonzi Biography [Image: Ti Gonzi/Facebook]
Ti Gonzi rose to fame in 2015 when he dropped his hit single Zvenyu. The song became very popular nationally, both in the streets and on radio stations. It topped the Star FM charts for over nine weeks and dominated the charts on Power FM and Zi FM radios. The song also featured another rapper, Baller, and it won the Best Collaboration Award at the 2015 Zim Hip Hop Awards1.
In the same year, Ti Gonzi also won the People’s Choice Award and the Best Freestyle Artist Award at the Zim Hip Hop Awards. He defended his title as the Best Freestyle Artist in 2016.
In 2016, Ti Gonzi released his most successful album to date, Hipu Hopu YekuGhetto. The album had several hits, such as Hurombo, which featured singer Cindy Munyavi; MaEx Angu, which DJ Tamuka produced; Photo Album; Chirungu; Kwatabva; and Ende Makaoma, which featured dancehall artist Ras Caleb. The album also included his previous hit Zvenyu.
In 2017, Ti Gonzi released another album titled Best Mero, which had singles such as Tisvikewo, All I Need, Chii, and My Statements. The album was produced by Bilberry and Gray Beats.
In 2019, Ti Gonzi collaborated with Ishan on the single Kure. The song became a national hit and the song of the year across all Zimbabwean charts. It also made Ti Gonzi the first Zimbabwean rapper to reach a million views on YouTube.
International Shows
Ti Gonzi Biography [Image: Ti Gonzi/Facebook]
In 2017, Ti Gonzi was chosen by Shoko Festival to represent Zimbabwe at an African Festival that was hosted in Senegal. He also performed at other international shows, such as the Lake of Stars Festival in Malawi and the Africa Nouveau Festival in Kenya.
Assault
In March 2019, Ti Gonzi was stabbed several times by robbers who attacked him on his way from the studio. He sustained serious injuries and was hospitalised for some time. He later recovered and resumed his music career.
Ti Gonzi Awards
Ti Gonzi has won several awards for his music, including:
- Best Freestyle Artist Award at the Zim Hip Hop Awards (2014, 2015, 2016)
- Best Collaboration Award at the Zim Hip Hop Awards (2015) for “Zvenyu” featuring Baller
- People’s Choice Award at the Zim Hip Hop Awards (2015)
- Song of the Year Award at the Zim Hip Hop Awards (2019) for “Kure” featuring Ishan
- Best Male Artist Award at the Zim Hip Hop Awards (2019)
- Best Hip Hop Hustle Award at the Zim Hip Hop Awards (2019)
