Tanaka and Tafadzwa Chiriga, two brothers who go by the name Black Fin, have released a 15-track album titled Hokoyo

Harare-based Tanaka and his sibling Tafadzwa who resides in New York believe they have released an album that takes Zimbabwean and African hip-hop to uncharted territory.

The brothers believe various elements gleaned from Zimbabwe, South Africa and vibrant New York City, have made it possible to create a truly unique hip-hop album which has unique sounds and styles.

"It was this competitive and worldly environment that brought a level of expertise that was yet to be seen by Zimbabwean or African hip-hop artistes to date," 24 year old Tanaka told the Daily News.

"It took over 12 months and the involvement of musical professionals spanning Harare to Paris to meticulously craft 15 golden-era inspired tracks that make up Hokoyo, our debut mix-tape."

Tanaka added that the 15-track album is a melting pot of two cultures.

"My brother contributes the New York style while I incorporate the Shona style. We started working on it late 2013. We decided to merge the two cultures to bring out a different sound," he said.

"As well as introduce the Zimbabwean culture to the world through hip-hop; we want to give the truth out there about our country.

"Hokoyo brings Zimbabwean-inspired stories to listeners sonically but visually as well. Through world-class live action and animation music videos, in addition to a cutting edge interactive web experience, Black Fin splashed on to the scene in a ground-rattling fashion."

The songs range from personal experiences, experiences of people who move from the developing to the developed world and other stories.

Save for two tracks that were done in South Africa, most of the tracks were recorded in Zimbabwe before being mastered and mixed in France.

Tracks on the album that will potentially win over hip-hop lovers include The Future, Paranoia and Distortion in the Music Industry and others.

Tanaka is convinced that their debut mix-tape which embraces fresh ideas and concepts will make Black Fin a household name in hip-hop which has been largely dominated by American artistes in the roughly 35 years of its existence. Hip-hop has been exclusively dominated by American artistes.