Gerald Synik Mugwenhi

Gerald Mugwenhi, known professionally as Synik, is a Zimbabwean rapper, songwriter and producer based in Lisbon, Portugal.

Synik began rapping driven by a desire to tell his own story through hip-hop music. With a largely introspective approach, his subject matter is diverse, ranging from personal reflections to politically-charged lyrics. His releases include The Beta Version EP (demo), God Within, as well as the ground-breaking debut album Syn City which was lauded as one of the more accomplished hip-hop projects to come out of Zimbabwe. From Harare’s spoken-word and hip-hop scene, Synik went on to perform at various festivals in Zimbabwe and other African countries. Apart from his solo work Synik has done a number of collaborations in Zimbabwe and beyond, including working with Depth as the duo Soular Rayze and being part of Jazza Experiment (Lisbon) which released an eponymous EP in 2017.

In 2019, Synkik released The Soulsteez EP with Austrian producer Phil Chronics. Having perfomed on various stages in Portugal including festivals such as Outjazz, Festival Todos, +Jazz (Acores), as well as being featured on Portugese band f.e.r.a’s album Space (2020), Synik is already finding a space for his brand of hip-hop on the Portugese scene and, on 10 March 2022, he released his second studio album A Travel Guide for the Broken for which he pre-released the single Rukuvhute (feat. Vusa Mkhaya). The album enlists a global array of musicians and contributors.