By Tawanda Chari
Corona Care Package EP is a raw, social commentary project as
VI The Law ponders the troubles of the times we are in. He talks about how
people live life through distraction as they run away from themselves. He
asserts the theme of fear - people doing the most extreme things to get distraction from all the hardships. Something that is often referred to as
living in the moment.
Napoleon Hill's "Fear of Death" comes to mind. The
devastating psychological effects of the likes of Instagram, partying like there
is no tomorrow.
In the track H.O.P.E (Hold On Protect Everybody), VI
The Law explains perhaps a widely natural and unfair principle that some people
experience better hardships than others. When a crisis hits people, the effects
are never uniform. He implies everyone is affected by the coronavirus globally,
but out here in Africa, Zimbabwe specifically, it is hard to hold on to HOPE or
FAITH even if it is what most people bank on. And that is because of the class
differences which COVID—19 has exposed in Zimbabwe.
The healthcare system is in shambles and it has been like
that for a while. The elite have better medical institutions. Those with less
incomes have to deal with a miserable fate. Hope is one of the major themes of
this project but it is however intricately put in a concept that is
pragmatically foreign to what the word is normally used for.
FAKE NEWS, is arguably the best track on the EP. VI The
Law talks about ignorance in all its multiple facets. The adverse effect of the
digital world is the ease in which fake news is peddled around in an alarming
rate. Everyone was searching for more information on Covid-19, and as a result
false information was passed around as much factual information, and as a
result, panic ensued.
Likewise, the opposite happened, some have accurate information,
but choose to ignore it (no respect for social distancing rules for example). So,
information about any important subject always has to be verified, for one
cannot take chances especially if death is a possible outcome if there is
ignorance. However, that being said, others still choose to disregard the
truth.
The Box Remix, which is a bonus track, reveals a reflection of
being trapped. The actual experience and not merely feeling trapped. There is a
lot pressure that emanates from social media. People generally spend a lot of
time online and with the Covid-19 pandemic prevalent, the time an average
person spends online massively increased.
Social media can distract you, and make you lose focus of
your own goals. There is too much pressure and focus on being a good joker or
an internet troll, too much focus on numbers, followers, subscribers, all that
is not developmental. More importantly he encourages people to not lose focus
on their goals and how it is important to log off and unwind.
Another song worth taking note of is wuHAN SOLO (which
features Chimbs) mainly because of its impeccable production and the fact-dropping
that is heavily inserted in the lyrics. VI The Law asserts his worth in the
song while at the same time voicing the frustrations of urban life. The frustrations
of lifestyles not achieved – the cars not bought. The vocal confidence
expressed by VI The Law in wuHAN SOLO clearly brings to the fore all the social
issues on his mind. And in the song, he says the joy of life has never been a
money thing. Deep.
The track KYD! sees VI The Law bringing Keith JFK and 3.T in the mix.
And this is one thing we love about VI The Law. His choice of features has to
be one of the best in the Zim rap game. The
whole song is just a rap galore and what more with the kicking drums that the
beat serves us with. Something you would call a perfect song.
The project is a cohesive beauty from start to finish.
Fairly technical and there is balance for both heads and casual fans. The production
is top-notch – something of a mastery of perfection. VI The Law makes it a
point to serve listeners with reflective, meditative lyrics that at the same
time stimulate your sensitivity to the inequalities of Zimbabwe and the world
at large. Corona Care Package EP is also a body of work that seems to express
the distrust of social media – the distrust of modernity on the overall. (As
can be seen by the IG Live Interlude). While at the same time still acknowledging
the huge role that social media has on people, especially in these Covid times.
Corona Care Package by VI The Law is a solid piece of art
that reveals an artist who pays extensive detail to what happens around him, to
his surroundings.
You can download Corona Care Package EP by VI The Law via this link.
Watch wuHAN SOLO visual experience here.
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