Hugh Okechukwu Ozumba (born May 12, 1989), known professionally as Mazbou Q, and formerly Unchained XL, is UK-born, Auckland-based Nigerian New Zealand hip hop artist, producer, and social media content creator and educator.
Early life
Mazbou Q and his parents are from Nimo village of Anambra state of Nigeria, which is Igboland also known as Biafra. His parents moved to England, where he and his sister were born, Mazbou Q in Liverpool. The family moved to New Zealand in the early 1990s and Mazbou Q grew up in Manurewa, Auckland. He says there weren’t many Africans in the country at that time, so he saw himself as a pioneer in establishing a Black culture in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Musically, Mazbou Q started with classical piano, then moved into heavy metal, fronting the Auckland band East of Eden. After creating some raps with a friend, he made the switch to hip hop in 2016, with influences from West African Highlife and East Coast-inspired boom bap.
Music career
Unchained XL
Mazbou Q chose the professional name Unchained XL in 2016. He had been producing music for some time and liked the independence he saw in self-producing and performing hip hop live. On the other hand he found the independence isolating and lonely at times, so sought to form collaborations. His metal experience influenced the energy he brought to live shows, which were a priority for him as an artist.
In 2016 and 2017, he released a series of singles, was included in the Alt Carols Christmas albums and events at St Paul's Auckland, and performed live at Festival One at Mystery Creek. Unchained XL called his unique music style "Afrofunk hip hop'' and "Afro-roots hip hop", a blend of the West Africa Afrobeat of the ‘70s and early ‘80s, and modern hip hop, utilising a combination of live instruments and synths.
In 2018 he left his full-time job at music software company Serato to become a full-time rapper. As Unchained XL, he released his 2018 debut EP "Foreign Legacy", including the acclaimed "What You Said". He also toured the UK with shows in London, Bristol, Sheffield, Leeds and Cardiff, performing with artists Mungos HiFi, Afro Cluster and Eva Lazarus, and supported by his live band.
In 2019, as Unchained XL, he continued to produce singles and a second EP titled "The Migrant Mind", and a music video called "2 To The 6".
Mazbou Q
In 2020 he changed his professional name to Mazbou Q which he explained was "encoded from my birth name", but left its meaning unexplained. The change coincided with the release of singles, "To The Gates", and "Blacklight" featuring Mo Muse and Phodiso. The two tracks and their videos received tens of thousands of streams across multiple platforms, and were included in Mazbou Q's distinct Afrofuturism debut EP, "Afroternity", featuring Oklahoma rapper and producer Kevin Posey. At the time Mazbou Q said, “My music remains unapologetic in its political message – one of anti-racism and black consciousness. On previous records it hasn’t left much space for confidence in self, perhaps as a subconscious concession to New Zealand’s tall poppy syndrome. In "Afroternity", I evolve past that – I’m not afraid to shine on this EP.”
Mazbou Q released his self-produced debut album, "The Future Was", in July 2021. Featured artists included Raiza Biza on "G.O.A.T Problems", Jane Deezy on "Letter to My Future Self, Pt. II", Myele Manzanza on "Just Let It Go", and Cee Blu on "Best Of You". The album was noted as a rare New Zealand rap album because it sounded so "focused and fighting fit", helped by the high energy seen in Mazbou Q's live performances.
From 2020 to July 2022 Mazbou Q featured on nine singles, EPs and studio albums by other artists. He was in the New Zealand Womad lineup for 2022 which was cancelled because of COVID-19 disruptions. He is in the New Zealand Womad lineup for 2023.