The Sunday Mail
Tendai Chara
FOR quite some time, Zimdancehall has been the dominant genre on the urban music scene.
Over the years, this music style created superstars, with the late Soul Jah Love and Winky D, arguably leading the pack.
The Zimdancehall dominance seemingly drove other music genres such as RnB and Afro-pop into oblivion.
However, a closer look at the latest developments clearly indicates that Zim hip-hop has once again gained traction.
The genre is slowly, but surely, becoming the most popular music type on the urban music scene.
Ti Gonzi, one of the most popular hip-hop stars said a Zim hip-hop “revolution” was currently underway.
“Whether you like it or not, hip-hop is the in-thing. It is now like a religion. We have managed to bring it to the ghetto and the masses are loving it. This genre is here to stay,” Ti Gonzi said.
Recently, a Zim hip-hop musical show was held at the Harare Gardens and attracted an unexpectedly huge crowd.
Multitudes of revellers graced the event, which was a shift as several shows had struggled in the recent past.
The gig featured some of the most exciting Zim hip-hop artistes, among them Holy Ten, Volts JT, Takura, Crooger and Kiki Badass among others.
Ti Gonzi was the only notable absentee.
On a different day, a dancehall show to mark Kinnah’s birthday was held at the same venue.
The event featuring most, if not all, of the top acts, equally attracted a bumper crowd. But it was the Zim hip-hop turnout that surprised many.
Zim hip-hop has slowly worked its way back up the ladder posing serious competition for Zimdancehall.
Yes, it is hard to separate the two since they are all offshoots of the Urban Grooves movement, but, there is a clear distinction.
Zim hip-hop is fast capturing the attention of many.
Unlike in the past when this music genre was rarely played in cars and other public places, it is now common for one to hear the music blaring from car radios.
The artistes have also been able to penetrate the high-density areas, which are generally considered Zimdancehall fortresses.
Probably this also explains why some top Zimdancehall chanters are now incorporating some hip-hop touch in their songs.
But what can be attributed to this new trend?
Mike Mutapa, a staunch Zim hip-hop follower, said deliberate efforts to market and grow this genre are being made.
“If you notice, Zim hip-hop artistes are aggressive and are having these ‘beefs’ in which they appear as if they are fighting among themselves. This is a marketing gimmick that produces wonders,” Mutapa said.
The “beef” between Holy Ten and Ti Gonzi has made it onto social media platforms, drawing the attention of fans in the process.
‘Beefs’ are an integral part of hip-hop in the United States, a country with leading stars in the game.
When comparing the popularity of Zimdancehall and hip-hop, it is abundantly clear that the scale is now tilting in Zim hip-hop’s favour.
Observers argue that Zimdancehall is seemingly failing to recover from the death of Soul Jah Love.
Although the likes of Enzo Ishall, Freeman, Seh Calaz and many other chanters are trying hard, Soul Jah Love is proving to have been cut from a different cloth.
However, music promoter Partson “Chipaz” Chimbodza said people should not read much into the said shows and current trends.
