. . . either it shuts down

Garikai Mazara

On face value, many might be tempted to conclude that Zimdancehall is a Harare genre, that outside the capital there is no dancehall happening.

But truth is, the country’s leading music genre has thousands of artistes spread across all the cities and towns, with hundreds of established and underground studios.

Even though it seems like a Harare genre, in Harare itself, the genre is concentrated in and around the ghettoes, with no major artiste having been “born” outside the ghetto. But that is not to say that dancehall has not been embraced by the northern suburbs of the capital.

Being capital to the country, and where everyone who dreams it big come, Harare has been a cauldron of sorts. And as expected of such a cosmopolitan settlement, poverty, at times grinding, is one of the ingredients in that cauldron.

And dancehall which has, to a large extent, been associated with ghetto life and driven primarily by poverty, has thriven in these ghetto settlements.

As much as other towns have ghettoes – and by extension, poverty, – Harare has been a leader when it comes to the growth of dancehall primarily for two reasons, the first being the numbers and secondly the proximity to radio stations, which are the outlets for the music.

With a sprinkling of ghettoes like Mabvuku, Chitungwiza, Mbare, Kuwadzana, Dzivaresekwa, Kambuzuma, Glen Norah, Glen View, Budiriro and Mufakose, it is little wonder that any dancehall show, especially if it is of the magnitude of Friday’s “Dancehall Shutdown”, brings the whole town to a standstill.

Appealing mostly to the ghettoes yutes, what is likely to increase the numbers this time around is that the Shutdown comes at a time when schools have closed down. Those who missed the recent Sting, because they were at school, have every reason to smile and be part of the Zimdancehall celebrations that will bring the close to the year.

Partson Chimbodza, popular as Chipaz, who is joining the dots together for the massive gig, said the skirmishes that characterized the Sting clash will not be repeated and has taken every precaution, especially given that the numbers are expected to be higher given the school holidays, to ensure that Friday night will pass without incident.

To add decency to Friday’s line-up will be Winky D, who has never ever disappointed whenever a full house, which is expected, is before him. One of the pioneering and enduring figures of Zimdancehall, Winky D’s catalogue ranges from the comical to the political to the satirical as well as to downright socially conscious messages.

And of late, he has found a rather unfamiliar partner in Soul Jah Love, who many have put forward rather as a sworn rival. But events on the ground are suggesting otherwise, especially if his appearance at Soul Jah Love’s birthday celebrations at Tashinga recently, are anything to go by.

Borrowing heavily from Jamaica, both in terms of lyrical content and style, it is not surprising that local dancehall artistes have often had run-ins with the law. Whether those run-ins are calculated or mere misfortunes could be debated to no end, but what might not have missed many’s attention is that many of these “misfortunes” have been turned into chart-topping songs.

A dancehall gathering of the magnitude that is expected on Friday would not be complete, or exhaustive, without the inclusion of Judgement Yard, the flag-bearers when it comes to local MC-ing. The duo of DJ Fleva and Etherton Beenie have been there and done that, and who more recently and more prominently represented the country at the Big Brother house Friday party, where, expectedly, they brought the house down.

Templeman, another larger-than-life character in local dancehall circles, adds experience and maturity to the line-up, that will also see Killer T, Dadza D, Kinna, Ricky Fire, Lady Squanda, Terminator, Badman, Jiggaz, Cello Culture, Jay C, Bounty Lisa, K Queens, Garry B and MNG Sound complete the line-up for what is likely to be a dusk-to-dawn celebration of music.

“For effect, we have also lined up a surprise guest artiste for the night,” added Chipaz. “For obvious reasons, we will keep dancehall fans guessing as to who this could be, that should be part and parcel of the build-up to the Shutdown.”

 

. . . or it locks down

Mtandazo Dube

“This whole year has been about reggae and ragga gigs. This is a different show, which appeals to a different crowd and we know people will love it,” said Harare Lockdown organiser Simba “Simmad” Madziwa last week.

The Simmad Entertainment boss has put together superstar Oliver Mtukudzi, South African duo Mafikizolo, “Shaina” hit-singer Alexio Kawara and dancehall poster boy, Tocky Vibes.

The mammoth gig takes place at the Harare International Conference Centre (HICC), this Friday.

Mafikizolo has already confirmed their trip to Zimbabwe, which makes part of their hectic festive season programme, which will see them going around the African continent.

Their last visit to Harare in September last year attracted thousands of music lovers whom they left asking for more with a vintage act. The group, which is famous for their fashion sense and energetic dances, belted hit after hit at the unforgettable show.

In their posts on social networks, the group has promised to “bring down the house” in Harare. Their latest album, Reunited, has endeared them to music fans, young and old. It is that album, which marked their comeback after a lengthy hiatus and has taken Africa by storm.

Since the album’s release, Mafikizolo has gone on to do collaborations with top African acts including Nigerian mega stars, May D and Davido on the songs “Happiness” and “Tchelete” respectively.

Mafikizolo boast a rich catalogue featuring an array of top South African and Nigerian artistes. The duo has previously featured stable mate, Zonke, on a song “Flowers”.

Their chart topping song “Khona” features Uhuru and Mapiano while “Happiness” features Oskido, May D and DJ Micks.

They are currently one of the most sought-after groups in Africa and their visit to Zimbabwe this week is just what the doctor ordered.

Combine that with Mtukudzi aka Tuku’s star power and his endless list of hit songs, and the gig is already a mega event.

Tuku recently released his 62nd album, “Mukombe Wemvura”, which is slowly gathering pace with most of the tracks proving to be popular with the singer’s multitudes of fans.

However, Simmad Entertainment still went ahead and added dancehall’s man-of-the-moment, Tocky Vibes. Tocky Vibes has been hailed for having a cross-over appeal as he is loved and adored by a cross section of Zimbabwean music lovers.

The “Mai” singer drives the ghetto youths crazy every time he performs for the youthful crowds while the nation has watched him whip into a frenzy hundreds of thousands of worshipers at Walter Magaya’s church.

Mature music listeners who have long complained of dirty lyrics in Zim dancehall music have found Tocky’s message refreshing.

The show is likely to be the highlight of this festive season as most international acts that had been lined up to perform in Harare – from John Legend to Morgan Heritage, cancelled their shows.

Tuku’s manager and drummer, Sam Mataure, is relishing his band’s encounter with Mafikizolo.

“This is a huge show. Look at the kind of crowd we had when we performed with Zahara, it was a full house. Tuku music fans are going to come out in droves for this show and I can safely say this is our Christmas gift to our fans, of course and the album itself,” said Mataure, adding “there is no better way to end the year.”

Mafikizolo knows no bad day in office when it comes to their Harare shows and with their fresh West African inspired beat, the upcoming visit is set to be no different.

Mafikizolo made its first breakthrough in 1997 with a self-titled album. In 1999 they released “Music Revolution” before their best-selling “Gate Crashers”.

However, their international success was to come after their 2002 chart-topping album, Sibongile, which they released after escaping a near death experience in a car crash.

Sibongile’s success saw the group start to perform internationally while at home they scooped several awards.

In 2004, the group lost one of its members Tebogo Madingoane but went on to release “Kwela”, “Van Toeka Af” and “Six Mabone” before going their separate ways in 2008.

Their eighth studio album “Reunited” came when the duo decided to regroup in 2010 and for two years worked on the album which hit the stores in 2013.