Mzwakhe Mbuli is the people’s poet. Mzwakhe Mbuli was the people’s poet. Poems of his, like “The Spear Has Fallen” released around 1988, shows how substantial his work was in opposing the previous regime. These days, however, the living legend lays claim to being a resounding must-fallist: pinpointing everything wrong around us with fervour. A cultural figure reduced to being a hashtag-poet par excellence. We rounded up Mzwakhe Mbuli’s most cringe-inducing attempts at dealing with societal issues (both good and bad), using what must now be a patented formula of opportunistic repetition. Have a gander if you can stomach the clichés.

“#DrugsMustFall”

With the drug scourge in the country at an ever-disturbing high, Mbuli figured he’d have an anti-drug soundtrack that only affects the scourge by assaulting the senses. This one is imaginatively titled “#DrugsMustFall”. Sigh.

“#NoLoveNoLife”

It’s not enough to put it in black and white, so our patron saint came up with a melody challenging the pervasive racism in the country. The song has yet to make a dent in the attitudes of racists, but it probably irritated them along with the rest of us. The title; “No Love No Life”. Like, really?

“#RunCasterRun”

From addressing societal issues to venturing into the personal, Mbuli teamed up with Rebecca Malope to praise Caster Semenya on her accomplishments at the Olympics. I skip this song with the speed of Caster’s running, when it comes on. Have a listen. If you have the stamina.

“#ThankYouSABC90%”

From heaping praise to effectively praise singing. Hlaudi Motsoeneng came in for direct thanks on this one. We couldn’t make out what was more cringe-worthy, serenading a percentage or the obsession with the former SABC COO. This song is called “Thank You SABC 90%”. Smh.

Indeed how the mighty have fallen. The next time you feel some typa way about something and think it must fall, compose a little tune in your head and repeat the last word three times… rhythmically. Do this more than once and I’m sure you’ll agree cringey hashtag poetry must fall, must fall… must, fall. Especially when Mbuli is doing it, it’s as awkward as your granddad dabbing. 

Holding image via YouTube