The criminal underappreciation of Mukudzei

Arthur Choga

When I tell the story of how Mukudzei Mukombe walked into the newsroom of a local daily and nobody even raised their eyes from their work, it sounds like a joke.

There was no way of knowing that one day he would be globally recognised in just over a decade.

The joke was on all of us.

As artistes do, when they are interviewed, he sang a piece of a song for the journalist interviewing him.

The song sounded okay, but not great.

When Sungano was released about a year later, I kept thinking I had heard it somewhere before. The nagging feeling persisted until I saw a picture of the singer. He was going by the name Jah Prayzah and he was starting out on a journey that would take him places and bring him before kings and queens. It was the young man from the newsroom.

Zimbabwe has been spoilt for musical choice over the last decades.

The 1980s were particularly potent with the music scene alive with composers, singers and bands that lit up stages and created tunes that are still enjoyed today.

Great bands and band leaders loaded with charisma and stage presence as well as an undeniable flair for writing ensured that they created timeless hits.

Leonard Dembo, John Chibadura, James Chimombe, Marshall Munhumumwe, Brian Rusike, Biggie Tembo, Zexie Manatsa, Safirio Madzikatire, Lovemore Majaivana, Simon and Naison Chimbetu, Thomas Mapfumo, Oliver Mtukudzi, Ketayi Muchawaya, Ephraim Joe, Fanyana Dube and many more all found space in the hearts of fans. Each weekend would be packed with music shows at venues such as Club Hideout 99, Job’s Nite Spot, Skyline Motel, 7 Mile Motel, Mushandira Pamwe Hotel and other night clubs that have since shut down.

Music is built on fan bases and for the fans of yesteryear musicians, it was always about who was better: Mapfumo or Mtukudzi. Who did greater songs; Chibadura, Chimbetu or Chimombe.. and it went on. Other fans just chose to enjoy the unending flow of great sounds.

In the 1990s, bands such as Talking Drum, Illanga and Midnite Magic took centre stage with new sounds and creative fusions of genres that created a major buzz among younger people of the time.

The trend followed into the 2000s, when sungura eventually took cente stage with the emergence of Alick Macheso and Tongai Moyo. Other bands like Pengaudzoke and System Tazvida’s Chazezesa Challengers captured niche fans.

Jah Prayzah appeared on the scene when the Macheso/Moyo dominance was still raging and the Zimdancehall movement was gaining ground as the alternative voice for young people.

He came in after the Urban Grooves era of the early to mid-2000s, dominated by artistes like Roki, Decibel, Ex-Q and Xtra Large. Zimdancehall

Jah Prayzah was unlike any of the artistes who had gone before him, and it took fans a bit of time to figure out just how to take him.

He played music that seemed to be jiti-based, but filled his songs with rhymes like hip-hop and played a furious beat when the mood suited, driven by a tight backing vocal set and the driving guitar of Baba Harare.

He tells of his first stage attempts at the old Jazz 105, where he was booed and chased off the stage.

Again, the joke is now on the fans there.

Jah Prayzah is a rare package. He plays instruments, including the mbira. He composes songs. He sings. He dances. He creates engaging videos with clear storylines. He is definitely a pure artiste. The closest one can consider in recent times in terms of talent and being a complete musician would be Chiwoniso Maraire.

Jah Prayzah has developed a music business mindset. He understands his audience and has clearly researched his fan base. Therefore, he will release an album which has some foot stomping beats designed to make people dance. These songs are largely designed to get people filling their cups and dancing days and nights away.

It is when he steps back from the comical rhyming and sits down to explore deeper themes that his real talent comes to the fore. When he explores spiritual themes, personal grief, love and builds songs from the traditional music of his Uzumba homeland, a new artiste emerges.

This is the one who is criminally underappreciated in many circles. He brings a fascinating combination of skills to the industry and has managed to keep the focus on his music.

His non-musical successes and failures are part of his humanity, and remain food for other tables.

His music sets him apart and places him firmly on the road to legendary status. Long after the videos which send tongues wagging have been forgotten, the songs that people do not talk about now, will grow into their own. His current fans will grow with him and mature as he does.

Thomas Mapfumo fans who used to leap around to Nyoka Musango now nod along to Tinodanana. Same artiste, different life stages.

If Jah Prayzah maintains the work ethic that he has displayed consistently over the last decade and a half, then he will sit easily among many of the legends mentioned earlier. Comparing him to past greats just takes away the opportunity to enjoy what he is doing in this moment.

Die-hard fans of these greats will obviously disagree and some fans of his current peers may scream foul, but there is no question that this young man is certain to be remembered for a long time to come.

Arthur Choga is a music fan who follows and appreciates Zimbabwean music of all kinds.