13-year-old Young Zee in love with criminal swag

By George Wabweyo

After his awe-striking appearance at the Channel O awards, Swangz Avenue signed rapper, 13–year–old Zachary Mukiza whose stage name is Young Zee, seems hell-bent on making a major statement this year.

His latest effort is Criminal Swag, never mind that the name is a tad profane for a 13-year old. Criminal Swag is probably coined from one of the lines in the song’s chorus about a girl, who is the object of Young Zee’s affection.

If you get the vibe of today’s slang, the word bad actually means good or nice as it is in this context. So, Criminal Swag is in no way related to law–breaking, but the unshakable demeanour of a girl.

What will draw you to the song is Zee’s surprisingly husky and crisp voice. Then, of course, his seamless rhyming comes as a great feat for someone of his age.

His delivery is awless both in the verses and when he is crooning the bridge after the chorus. The only fault with this track might be the shallowness of the lyrics. “I   love it when you call me Young Zee,” he says.

Well, that would mean he probably loves everyone who calls him by his stage name. Then again, we could dismiss that diatribe by saying he is just 13 years old and he will probably grow into it. It is a good thing that he apparently writes his own music.

The instrumentals are crafted by Swangz Avenue honcho, Benon Mugumya, who delivers a somewhat Afro-house combo; danceable with some ethnic percussions and an infectious repetitive vocal sample creeping in the back.

The track is layered with synths reminiscent of some of the current music from West Africa and some popular Dance music tunes. It is a great effort from both producer and the rapper though it is debatable on if this will be a wildfire any time soon.