The Sunday Mail
THE arts industry, just like any other form of business, thrives on aggressive marketing.
And the styles of marketing range from artiste to artiste and depend on the art in question. But in most cases, much of the marketing has been done through the mediums that include print and electronic.
However, it is the different levels that media has been used or is assumed to have been used to promote artistes that has steered debate among arts devotees.
Today marks exactly two weeks, two days since Mukudzei Mukombe or simply Jah Prayzah’s death hoax message was first transmitted but debate is still raging on as the public is still to unmask the source of the bogus information and the objective.
It is, nonetheless, always going to be difficult to identify the origin of the message considering the technologies that have become a part of our lives.
And again this publication by writing about this gossip (or chitchat if you like) somewhat risks playing along to the rumour and its intended objectives as calculated by the originators.
With the music industry fast becoming a dog-eat-dog terrain, only innovative artistes thinking outside the box and creating varied acts as well as forming formidable partnerships are making a living in the cutthroat business.
Some have gone on to suggest that with Jah Prayzah being man-of-the-moment and consequently all eyes on him, he has been driven to limits with regards to keeping the fire burning for his Third Generation Band.
The pundits argue his recent release, Kumbumura Mhute, which is so far one of the top productions this year, has done well to boost the musician’s shows in the past months.
However, as expected, each product goes through a life cycle: introduction (birth), growth, saturation and subsequently decline (death).
Also, another school of thought opines Jah Prayzah’s current album, which features tracks like Mukadzi Wangu and Makanika, has not produced a hit in the mould of last year’s Tsviriyo, hence the artiste is trying to make up.
Visibly, the single Karunyerekupe is meant to help refresh Jah’s popularity within the music circles and possibly spur him to the next level as he now awaits challenges coming from usual competitors within the industry that are set to release their new productions.
What has made the single appear more like a marketing gimmick organised by Jah Prayzah’s camp is the duration it took for the artiste to compose (lyrics and instruments), record and release the song from the time the ‘‘gossip was launched’’.
The death hoax began spreading on the social media on August 30 (Saturday) and under two days the single had been released. Information from well-placed sources suggests the song had long been composed.
This is against the background that on the day in question the musician was performing at the annual Harare Agriculture Show before travelling to Karoi on the same day and Kariba (Sunday) for slated gigs.
“The gossip started Saturday (August 30) afternoon before I travelled to Karoi then Kariba on Sunday. I composed the song on my way to the two destinations. Instrumentation and the actual recording were done on Monday while the single was released on Tuesday. Instrumentation is simple and does not take time,” explained the lanky musician.
Jah Prayzah denied claims that the whole issue was a marketing strategy.
“The news was so disturbing and I was not happy about the whole issue. Whoever passed it should learn to be responsible next time, some issues should not be joked about,” he added.
In the single that is near perfect and does not show any signs of a hurried project, Jah Prayzah mocks the supposed bad wishers or haters, making it clear that he is still around and will be singing until he becomes senile.
He goes on to praise sing Oliver “Tuku” Mtukudzi for ignoring a similar hoax on him earlier on singing: “. . . Vakambonzi vaenda vaenda samanyanga asi nanhasi tichinavo vari kushaura, ziwere-ziwere . . . rinofa richimuka soja, handinyore kufa kwegamba varume rinofa richimuka.”
“The single is doing well at our shows but I don’t know as yet how it is faring online,” says Jah Prayzah.
Last week Jah’s WhatsApp status, including that of his friend and manager, were respectively written: ‘Handina kufa’, ‘Rinofa richimuka soja’ and ‘Soja rinosvika kure’.
This road has been traversed before.
Veteran musician Leonard Zhakata released Gomba Remarara in the 90s while another seasoned sungura musician, Somandla “Soma” Ndebele, released Nyaradzai at the turn of the millennium following similar death rumours.
Tuku, who was some two or so years ago rumoured dead while on his United States tour ignored the gossip and never bothered responding by composing new material to that affect.
Also the late Tongai Moyo dodged the temptation to record song(s) pertaining to such rumours in the period between 2008 and 2011 after he had on more than a single occasion been alleged to have died as he battled cancer.
Soma, who had the opportunity to attend his own “funeral’’, concedes such events are not peculiar to artistes alone.
He supports Jah Prayzah’s notion that tracks inspired by such events are easy to compose.
“I was coming from a show in Nyanga and found people gathered at my house for my funeral.
“The lyrics to the song Nyaradzai came instantly but I delayed releasing it because I wanted the song to feature on an album that I had finished working on (Zvamauya Zvanaka). I had to re-arrange the album that now had seven songs,” he said.
But for Soma the source or reason for the death hoax was easily identified.
The musician used to drive a unique BMW that was similar to one that was involved in an accident in town, claiming the life of the driver.
One of his fans assumed it was the sungura musician and quickly spread the message to the public including a radio station, which was close to the scene of the accident.
“It affected me a lot just as it affected those that actually believed I had passed on. The sight of my supposed funeral almost drove me insane.
“People should know that this happens not only to artistes but everyone else. That is why the police never rush to release names of deceased unless they have full confirmation from relatives,” added Soma.
The veteran sungura musician further noted that the effect of such rumours was both positive and negative depending on the fans’ mood or approach the news.
“Shows, he said, might be boosted by people that want to personally confirm the news while in some instances it would have disastrous effects due to the shocking nature of the news.
