Tony Cummings reports on the Zimbabwean Brit with exceptional rapping skills, DC3

DC3

Currently, the hottest rapper in UK Christian music is the Zimbabwean born, Northampton-based DC3, whose real name is Daniel Chenjerai. With his current Cross Rhythms playlist gem "Keep Moving", he's clearly on his way to international success. How did the young rapper come so far, so quickly? He told Chantelle Johnson, "When lockdown hit, it affected all of us. We had to change the way we lived, and it forced us to stay inside. I found a lot of boredom during that time because I was so used to hanging out with friends and doing different things. Being stuck in the house with nothing to do made me feel a bit useless. So I just started doing a lot of freestyles. We had a community in the rap scene for upcoming artists, and we used to support each other. I kept going from there, and it just didn't stop.

"When lockdown eased and we were able to go outside again, that's when I started going to the studio and really writing songs. 2020 was important for me because I was able to build quite a few supporters who were rocking with my music at that time."

In his interview with Chantelle Johnson he explained that being into rap music caused some surprise. He said, "Because most of my life is rooted in the church, it wasn't really a problem, but it raised some eyebrows. In African tradition, rap music isn't really viewed as a positive thing. My parents would always say, 'Why not Christian rap?' and I just thought, 'Nah.' But last year, I made that change, and I saw the positive effect it had - not just on my family and how they view music, but also on other people. It showed them that Christian music isn't just this cringy thing you don't listen to. It's not popular, but you can actually make it listenable for everyone.

"Trying to be closer to God came naturally from being in church because my dad is a pastor - I couldn't really avoid it even if I wanted to. But when I was in my early teens, I reached a crossroads. I remember sitting in a sermon where someone said, 'Just because you come from a church-going family or your parents are involved in the church, it doesn't mean you automatically go to heaven.' That really hit me. I've learned that just being around people who worship God isn't enough - you have to have your own relationship with God. I always thought that because my dad is a pastor and my mum is involved in the church, I was kind of set. But that doesn't mean anything. Now, I view my relationship with God the same way I do with my parents. I don't just talk to my mum and dad in the morning and at night - I talk to them throughout the day. That's how it should be with God."