The Sunday Mail
Andrew Moyo
A NEW breed of Zim dancehall stars is currently causing a buzz on the music scene.
Put simply, the rookies have literally overshadowed veterans of the genre.
Catchy sing-along songs by the upstarts are dominating airplay in all fronts and are proving hard to resist across the generation divide.
Enzo Ishall, Bazooka, Jah Signal, Master H, Poptain, Mad Viper, Uncle Eparton, Hwinza, Boss Pumacol are some of the names that have ruled the music space in 2018. However, December 31 is likely going to be a defining moment for Zim dancehall. The in-form rookies will for the first time clash with the old guard at the “The New Year’s Eve Shutdown” gig scheduled for City Sports Centre.
Also known as KuGomba, the venue is iconic. It has hosted some of the most explosive lyrical clashes in Zim dancehall; in the process settling or further wafting long-standing disputes.
While this event is not a clash, artistes taking to the stage will definitely be out to protect their territories on the industry hierarchy. It will be a perfect opportunity for the current hit-makers to prove they are not just fly-by-night artistes and that they have stamina for live gigs.
With a line-up that also features veteran chanters like Dadza D, Soul Jah Love, Seh Calaz, Freeman, Kinnah and Hwindi President, this is certainly a showdown not to miss. The veterans come armed only with past glory for the shutdown gig.
They are definitely feeling the heat.
For instance, Soul Jah Love, Freeman and Seh Calaz released new albums this year but all their productions have played second fiddle say to Enzo Ishall’s “Kanjiva” or Jah Signal’s “Sweetie” (Shinga Muroora).
But they say live shows are a different case altogether and experience does matter. There are critics that argue the new crop of artistes struggle on stage and it will be worse against seasoned performers like Dadza D, Kinnah or Soul Jah Love.
However, we also have upcoming stars like Jah Signal that have already proved their mettle on stage.
Thus, the old guard certainly has to bring their A-game if they still want to stay relevant in the music industry.
Anything short of a five-star performance will all but confirm death of a generation.
