ALPHA CENTAURI is an emerging international hip hop artist who incorporates elements of funk, r&b, afro-beat and indie rock into his music. In an era of polished, pre-packaged acts, ALPHA CENTAURI remains a rare, unfiltered voice. His rise has been defined by a "grind-first" mentality, pulling influence from the roots of classic hip-hop and injecting it with a sharp, contemporary edge that defies easy categorization.

Originally from Zimbabwe but now based in Nanaimo - his songs echo socially conscious themes of hope and struggle with unforgettable hooks performed by a true showman.

In Zimbabwe, ALPHA was educated (and later worked) as a lawyer. However, soon after passing the bar and becoming licensed in his homeland, he realized that the legal life was not the right fit for him. He changed gears. He instead got on a plane for Canada with the intention of giving his music career a serious shot. 

He made quick use of his new location by releasing a single (with fellow ex-pat Zimbabwean Swisher) about his experience leaving home (“Away” in 2016) which was produced by himself on a 12 year old laptop on his apartment’s kitchen table. “Away” was recently placed as the theme to a feature film, EVELYNE, which is now being streamed on the Roku channel worldwide.

ALPHA then set his sights on getting in front of local live audiences - performing shows with local hip hop artists such as Junk, EMOTIONZ, Moka Only, Illvis Freshly, Mo Moshiri (of Sweatshop Union) and Sirreal to refine his craft. During this time, ALPHA began a surge of songwriting - which then continued into the COVID lockdowns of early 2020.

ALPHA then caught the ear of record producer / music industry veteran Wes Smith and acclaimed mixing engineer Justin Hicks. Eight songs were recorded with a full band between January 2022 and October of 2022 - with the first single resulting from these sessions, the afro-beat flavored “I’ll Fly”, released in January 2023 internationally on all streaming platforms.

His 2nd single “Get Your Money Up” is a funked up anthem about making dreams a reality  - about showing up and putting one foot in front of the other to move forward.  ALPHA explains:” There are a lot of people that do nothing more than brag about their goals and dreams - but 80% of it is fabricated. This song is about seriously pursuing your dream - whether it’s music, the arts, a side hustle, education, or a life goal. Nothing happens unless YOU put the effort into it over the long term. There are no cheat codes to success in the real world”.

In 2024, ALPHA entered the studio again with his band and producer Wes Smith to record 10 more songs.

ALPHA CENTAURI released a 4-song live EP at the beginning of 2025 (“Live Alive ’25”).

His 3rd single “Grow” was released in July 2025 - an infectious hip hop/ funk song with a positive message about moving forward collectively as a society. It also features a rather glorious dual stereo sax solo by Vancouver sax veteran Dominic Conway on the extended outro. Make sure you check that out as well! 

"Grow” also features scratching by Canada DMC champion DJ ALLGOOD (Peter Poole).

In 2025 he also featured on Jr. Atlas’s debut single “Wasted/Lonely” - a summer vibed sad-boy rap song wrapped up in an upbeat, happy groove. Jr. Atlas often performs as the co-emcee in ALPHA CENTAU live band. 

His 4th single “Higher Up” was released in June 2026. The jazz-tinged hip hop track is a song about motivating yourself - getting yourself out of the situation that you’re in - and moving to a higher level.

ALPHA CENTAURI explains “The song starts with ‘I’m in the kitchen, Cutting through all my overtime’ - because I was in my kitchen actually cutting up some food when I was making the record. I was thinking about the lyrics, the motivation for everything I wanted to say, the personal journey I’ve had to endure to get to this place in my life and commit to my art. I thought ’It’s just like a well balanced meal. I needed to get all the ingredients in there”

“The song then gets deeper. It’s about the struggle that artists go through for their art. Parental and family pressure. Personal pressure we put on ourselves to be a responsible adult whilst keeping focus on making music. Financial pressure. It’s about exceeding expectations. It’s about prioritizing my own needs as an artist over what others keep telling me I should be doing instead.”

“I want my words to really speak to people. To give a sense of optimism. To inspire.Ignore the haters and work towards a target. Too many seriously people drop out before they have an opportunity to peak. My journey has had a lot of conflict - but I never gave up the dream. I’m still here.”

ALPHA CENTAURI’s debut album “The Future Right Now” is scheduled for release September 18th, 2026 and is preceded by the singles “Never Be” and “We Rise”.  The album’s track listing is as follows:

1. We Rise
2. Get Your Money Up 
3. Grow
4. I’ll Fly
5. Evermore
6. Higher Up
7. Never Be 
8. Expect Us 
9. Rugare
10. Arias Lullaby

Notable guest musicians on the album include sax players Brent May (Five Alarm Funk) and local jazz master Dominic Conway, keyboardist Johnny Tobin, and background vocalist Aurah Ariko (Edmonton).  Regular band members Richard Brown, Cuyler Biller, Owen Owen Owen, Alli Bean, and Max Zipursky also feature. Guest rappers Ashes 5thborn and Jr. Atlas also appear on several tracks. 

Other non-single tracks include the chaotic “Expect Us” about political uprising; “Rugare” (with Jr. Atlas)  - a song about being hopeful for peace; “Evermore” with Ashes 5thborn - an intriguing track about impatience; and the touching closing track “Aria's Lullaby” - a deeply emotional love letter from a father to his daughter.

ALPHA has two other projects coming out in the fall of 2026. 

Star Maps is ALPHA’s pop project. A single “Juliet” produced by Wes Smith and mixed in LA by Matt Bishop (U2, The Killers, Modest Mouse, Taylor Swift) is awaiting a release date. Several more singles have been recorded and will be released in 2027 culminating in an album by the end of the year.

ALPHA’s other project is THE GOLDEN HOUR COLLECTIVE focuses more on upbeat r&b flavors. Two singles are scheduled for release: “Sunrise” in the fall of 2026 and “White Lights” in the first quarter of 2027 - with an EP due towards the end of 2027.

ALPHA CENTAURI generally plays live with a full 8-piece band. He has opened with artists such as Method Man/Redman, Ja Rule, Chali 2na/ Cut Chemist (of Jurassic 5), The OBGMs, Tanika Charles, and more.  Each summer ALPHA CENTAURI plays a handful of summer festival dates. Some highlights have included the official Canada Day (Victoria), Khatsalano (Vancouver), the Calgary Stampede, Pachena Bay Festival, Cumberland Wild, Black History Month Vancouver, the Black Block Party (Vancouver), and many more. 

ALPHA CENTAURI was scheduled to play the 2026 TRUE RHYTHM FESTIVAL in Penticton, BC, Canada with PUBLIC ENEMY, G-EAZY, COLLIE BUDZ, HONESTAV, SNOTTY NOSE REZ KIDS, BEDOUIN SOUNDCLASH, JUNK, and others.  Unfortunately, that event has been postponed to 2027 due to August wildfires in the area.  

ALPHA CENTAURI has pending Cross Canada and European/UK tours with major U.S. Grammy winning hip hop artists (to be announced soon).

ALPHA CENTAURI plans several more singles, acoustic versions, and remixes over the next 12 months leading to his sophomore album towards the end of 2027.