The Sunday Mail
Takudzwa Chihambakwe
ON March 28 the much anticipated video for the hit single “Mukoko”, by Tytan featuring Ammara Brown, was released.
Like the song, the video received a lot of attention from music fans and critics, and it went on to garner 100 000 views on YouTube in its first week and doubled those statistics on Facebook within the same period.
This is a record for pop music in Zimbabwe as hits such as “Alleluya” (ExQ and Roki) and “Number 1” (Roki) failed to get so many hits within their first week.
“Mukoko” is a brilliant track – the arrangement, lyrics and the beat are spot on. This is the best from Ammara Brown and Tytan to date.
But can the same be said about the video?
Credit goes to the director for coming up with a cool dance concept that complements the up-tempo tune, but the same cannot be said about the picture quality.
The idea was cool, more like “Eminado” by Tiwa Savage featuring Don Jazzy, but in this case it just did not come out well.
“The video has a nice concept of love though the picture could have been better as would have been the angles and shot selection,” said veteran filmmaker, Elton Mjanana. “I also love that they made it a dance video, befitting the beat.”
As a nation, we are looking for that local product that can compete on the international market and this song had all the qualities but the video lacks that killer edge when compared to what other African artistes are dropping at the moment. Probably had there been huge financial injection into it, we would have been seeing the video on platforms such as Channel O and MTV Base.
“I think the ‘Mukoko’ video is a really great production. It has well-practiced dance routines, awesome performances by the artistes and a great concept. Technically, the video is well lit, well directed and edited. I feel we can always do better in our productions until we get to that international level and I feel this is a step in the right direction,” said Zimbabwe’s animation guru, who in 2014 was named in the top 10 of Africa’s most innovative creatives according to Google, award-winning producer Nqobizitha Mlilo.
Reigning Zimbabwe Music Aawards video music producer of the year, Andy Cutta said: “The video is very entertaining, they sold the plot well. The choreography was well done, the main strength rides there. The weakness for me was the location of one of the solo performance shots. The right location would have done justice for beauty and made the video more wow.”
Many have come out crying that most of the credit is given to Ammara Brown and a little is said about Tytan who is said to have actually written the track, though the former says it was co-written by the two; but when you watch the video it just has Ammara oozing her class all over.
Her dancing and undeniable beauty – not forgetting her sweet vocals – make her standout.
“There’s really nothing not to like about that video, but it’s entering into the one genre in Zimbabwe in which standards are very high. Generally, for a music video to be considered outstanding today, it needs killer visuals, solid sequencing or storytelling and that other worldly feel that separates the fantasy world of music video from ordinary dramas and news,” said veteran filmmaker and actor, Ben Mahaka.
“The one element that doesn’t quite hold together for me in this video is the story, which can be put down to direction.
“The performance and dance sequences are good, but the story with the characters meeting and talking about the honey is flat, slow and a bit confusing.”
