Lovejoy Matare (born 13 September 1991), popularly known by his stage name L kat, is a Zimbabwean hip hop recording artist originally from Kwekwe, Zimbabwe.[1] He records mostly in Shona, his native tongue. In 2005, he released his first single "Wandinoda" as part of his high school compilation album dubbed Manunure High School Mic Fever 1. In 2013, he released his debut studio album Goodlife while signed to Maskiri's record label, Mhondoro Music. The album was supported by the singles "Ndinotya", "Ndiudze", "Tisanyadzise", and "Kupiko". On 6 April 2015, he released an EP album The Golden Episode. The album's singles include "Zita Rako", "My Special Munhu" and "Rudo Ma1".[2] L kat has won several music awards, including multiple Midlands Music Awards and also have been nominated in the Zimbabwe Music Awards.

L kat
Birth nameLovejoy Matare
BornKwekwe, Midlands Province, Zimbabwe
GenresHiphop
Occupation(s)Lyricist, rapper
Years active2007–present
LabelsKats Music Group

Early life and music career

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L kat was born in Kwekwe, Zimbabwe. In 2005, he decided to pursue a career in music. In 2010, L kat has opened for Oliver "Tuku" Mtukudzi, Winky D, Psyfo, Dj Cndo, Biblos and Andy X in their Kwekwe concerts.

2011: Handaiziva

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In February 2011, L kat released Handaiziva, the single which did well on Power FM. The song features POZee.

2012 – present

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In May 2012, L kat released "Ndinotya", "Kupiko", "Ndiudze", "Tisanyadzise" as lead singles off the Goodlife album. "Ndinotya", which features Maskiri, was well received throughout Zimbabwe landing him the Song of The Year Award and Best Producer Award at the 2012, Kwekwe Music Awards.

In November 2013, a concert was put together to launch the Goodlife album which received positive reviews from music critics. The album features guest appearances from Maskiri, Diana Samkange, POZee, Goodchild and others. The Goodlife album earned L kat a nomination for Best AfroPop Music at the Zimbabwe Music Awards[3] and also won Best Digital Album at the Midlands Music Awards.[4]

L kat was supposed to release an eight-track album titled Margaret on 28 March 2014. The album leaked before release date forcing L kat and his management to postpone the album release.[5] L kat launched his own record label, Kats Music Group in November 2014. L kat also released "Rudo Ma1" which features Maskiri and The Golden Episode EP album under the label.

On 19 November 2015 L kat received a Nomination for Best Hiphop Music with his single Zita Rako from Zimbabwe Music Awards.

Discography

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Studio albums

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  • Goodlife (2013) [6]

EP albums

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  • The Golden Episode (2014)

Philanthropy and Humanitarian Initiatives

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L kat is generally recognized as one of the most prolific philanthropists to ever come out of the Zimbabwean music industry.

Using the influence he has in the Zimbabwean community as a multi-award winning musician, L kat positively impacted lives of thousands of youths through campaigns and outreach efforts focusing on serious social issues such as drug abuse, HIV/AIDS among others.

Awards and nominations

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L kat awards and nominations
Totals[a]
Wins6
Nominations10
Note
  1. ^ Certain award groups do not simply award one winner. They acknowledge several different recipients, have runners-up, and have third place. Since this is a specific recognition and is different from losing an award, runner-up mentions are considered wins in this award tally. For simplification and to avoid errors, each award in this list has been presumed to have had a prior nomination.
Year Event Prize Recipient Result Ref
2012 Kwekwe Music Awards (KWEMA) Best Producer Won
2012 Kwekwe Music Awards (KWEMA) Song of the Year Ndinotya Won
2012 Kwekwe Music Awards (KWEMA) Best Hiphop Music Ndinotya Nominated
2014 Midlands Music Awards Best Hiphop Goodlife Won [7] [8] [9] [10]
2014 Midlands Music Awards Best Collaboration Tisanyadzise featuring Goodchild Won
2014 Midlands Music Awards Best Music Album Goodlife Won
2014 Zimbabwe Music Awards Best Afro Pop Music Goodlife Nominated [11] [12]
2015 Midlands Music Awards Best Hiphop Music The Golden Episode Won [13] [14] [15]
2015 Midlands Music Awards Best Collaboration Rudo MaOne featuring Maskiri Nominated
2015 Zimbabwe Music Awards Best Hiphop Music The Golden Episode Nominated [16] [17]

References

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  1. ^ "L kat's Biography". MTV. Archived from the original on 20 August 2015.
  2. ^ "L kat "Zita Rako" Review". Big Times GH. Archived from the original on 24 July 2015. Retrieved 24 July 2015.
  3. ^ "ZIMA Awards 2014 Nominees". Three Men On A Boat. 4 September 2014.
  4. ^ "Goodchild Shines at Midlands Music Awards". The Chronicle. 1 July 2014.
  5. ^ "Hiphop Artist to Release Album". Southern Eye.
  6. ^ "Hip-hop artiste to release album". Southern Eye. 24 February 2015.
  7. ^ "Midlands Music Awards a Success". Zimbo Jam. 1 July 2014.
  8. ^ "Midlands artistes honoured at awards ceremony". The Herald. Zimbabwe. 2 July 2014. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  9. ^ "Goodchild shines at Midlands Music Awards". Chronicle. 1 July 2014.
  10. ^ "Inaugural Midlands Music Awards Planned". Zimbo Jam. 21 May 2014.
  11. ^ "ZIMA Awards 2014 Nominees". 3-MOB.COm. 4 September 2014.
  12. ^ "Zimbabwe Music Awards 2014 Winners". Pindula. 29 October 2014.
  13. ^ "Tasarina honoured at Midlands Music Awards". Newsday. 29 June 2015.
  14. ^ "Midlands Music Awards Winners List". Groove Magazine. 29 June 2015.
  15. ^ "All set for Midlands Music Awards". Chronicle. 26 June 2015.
  16. ^ "Zima Awards 2015 Nominees List". 3-MOB.COM. 18 November 2015.
  17. ^ "Zimbabwe Music Awards Announces Nominees". Groove Magazine International. 18 November 2015.