One of Zimbabwe’s brightest hip-hop and R&B stars has built a reputation as a formidable hitmaker who strikes a perfect balance between vulnerability and bravado in his songs. It started while he was a student in the University of Cape Town, where he taught himself to produce, and finessed the internet to his advantage; he had vitality down to a T. Hillzy’s 2017 breakout hit “Muroora” is a heartfelt love song where he croons about having found the one—and he’s been consistently churning out hits ever since. He caught the attention of Mr Eazi when his song “You Are Enough”, an empowering self-love anthem, was released through the Nigerian star’s Empawa talent incubator and treated to fitting visuals in 2019. In 2020, Hillzy linked up with fellow Zim-born, SA-based pop star Sha Sha for the chart-topping breakup pop ballad “Goodbye” from his EP Chisikana, which also came with the Afrobeats-infused “Destination”. On his 2022 album, In The Building , Hillzy continues to explore Afrobeats (“Signs”, “Better For Myself”) and pop (“Only You”)—all steeped in heartfelt R&B and chest-punching raps.