CELEBRATED Zambian hip-hop artiste Jackson Banda, alias Jay Rox has clarified long-standing speculations surrounding the end of iconic hip-hop group Zone Fam, revealing that the group actual never broke up.
Zone Fam was a pioneering Zambian hip-hop group based in Lusaka, composed of Sam Sakala, Jackson Banda (Jay Rox), Reginald Lube, and formerly Tim Chisenga, who left the group on April 1, 2015, which was formed in 2009 after all four members were signed to Slam Dunk Records.
Zone Fam quickly rose to national prominence with their breakout single “Shaka Zulu on Em”, which dominated local radio charts and gained international attention through YouTube.
In 2012, the group secured their first international recording deal with Taurus Musik of Kenya. Under the label, they released hits like “Translate” and “Contolola” from their anticipated second album Barcode. “Contolola” went on to win Best Group at the Channel O Music Video Awards, solidifying Zone Fam’s place among Africa’s top hip-hop acts.
In the years that followed, the group parted ways, with each artist focusing on solo projects and speculations about the group’s split began circulating, as fans offered their own explanations for what led to the end of Zone Fam.
But featuring on KennyT One on One podcast, Jay Rox revealed that the primary reason behind Zone Fam’s separation was financial strain, explaining that while the group was heavily investing in their music career, the returns were not sufficient to sustain, ultimately leading each member to pursue individual paths.
He stated that the fans that never understood the whole concept of how members structured Zone Fam will have all the conversations regarding what happened.
“I think for me it wasn’t a breakup, it was more of a conversation to say guys, is this really making sense right now? And considering how much we’ve invested in this thing, can we try and do things individually until it makes sense,” he said.
“The Zone Fam that people have in their mind is the Zone Fam Chikali, all those big shows and everything that used to happen.”
Jay Rox further revealed that before the group stepped back, they had released a song featuring Patoranking and Ice Prince, which they believed would be a major hit, but it failed to perform as expected.
He also shared how confusing it was that songs that won international awards failed to win even one locally.
Jay Rox added that all rappers were in sinc with the fact that “it wasn’t making sense.”
While explaining what made Zone Fam members to stop making music together, Jay Rox shared how he and other rappers of his time helped shape Zambian Hip Hop.
“Rappers of my time had to shift the mindset of Zambians from Zambian Hip Hop that focused only on story telling, to making it so entertaining.
He noted that Zambian hip-hop became so captivating that for three minutes, it could make listeners forget their problems and simply enjoy the moment with laughter.
By Sharon Zulu
Kalemba September 14, 2025
