Kuda Ndlovu

I have always rooted for the underdog

Hi, I’m Kuda, which is short for Kudakwashe… Yup, all those letters, and that’s still only my second-hardest name to pronounce. I’m not going to lie; I love it. I love it now more than ever. Can you believe I learned just recently to not only love but appreciate how African I am? That’s not because I never loved my African-ness, I always have, but it’s different when you stumble upon a deeper connection with your roots.

I left home almost a decade ago now. Well... Over two decades ago if the home we’re referring to is where I was born. Home, in this case, is Africa. See, I was born in Harare, Zimbabwe, and lived there for eight years before moving to Kenya and calling Nairobi home for a while. After four years, we moved to Kampala, Uganda, where I discovered my passion for rap. This was all before finally moving to Perth for university, or so my Dad believed.

He was technically right. That’s what got me here, but it wasn’t what I was most looking forward to. I was most excited about reconnecting with my older brother, the person who had introduced me to rap in the first place.

We were going to get back in the studio and become the artists who had first introduced themselves to the world on five rough songs back in the late 2000s. But sadly, it wasn’t meant to be. “Reality” had taken hold of my brother, and he had “adulting” to focus on, and I soon realised I did too.

I quickly learned that pursuing the music career I dreamed of would require 100% of my attention. Impossible for someone who needed to finish a university degree (Accounting & Marketing, Double Major) while working to support me. My dream never stopped being the priority during all of this, but I did need to re-prioritise and focus on more urgent matters while I lined up the ducks. I should probably explain… I didn’t have a backup option. I couldn’t put all my eggs into music without any safety nets because failing to turn up for university means I go back home and building it all up from the ground up. Better to secure my future before taking that risk.

During my degree, I continued to pursue music wherever possible. I even formed part of a rap group called RTT along with 3 other students. We made ‘Afro-Aussie’ music together for a couple of years, releasing a handful of songs and music videos on Youtube. The highlight of our time together will undoubtedly be the opportunities we got to perform as opening acts for touring artists Timaya, Stonebwoy, and even J Balvin in 2014. The time between opening for J Balvin over 5 years ago and his meteoric rise to where he is today serves as a reminder to be patient. To be diligent. To persevere.

That always applies, especially to my own story. Since RTT broke up, I have slowly begun forging my solo career. I felt like I made Afro-Aussie music for the longest time because I was part of an all-African rap group, but I couldn’t be more wrong. That vibe was me. As a creative, I draw inspiration from different sources. Sometimes personal experience or simply living through others and giving the forgotten people, the “outsiders” a voice. My story is ever-changing, and my music will follow in the same fashion.

This is one of the reasons I wanted to share my story. I am proud to be a human of Armadale. I have always rooted for the underdog, and for a suburb that gets overlooked and looked down on, I stand tall and proud alongside all of the incredible Humans of Armadale. Follow @officialkudamic on Instagram to keep up with my journey.