Buffalo Souljah floored by Guspy Warrior
By Tendai Kamhungira
HARARE – Emmanuel Manyeruke better known as Guspy Warrior on Thursday stole the thunder from the billed main act of the night, South Africa-based artiste Thabani “Buffalo Souljah” Ndlovu.
Guspy Warrior brought the roof down with an energetic and exceptional performance, hence upstaging Buffalo Souljah during the Harare International Festival of the Arts (Hifa) dancehall alliance.
In a showcase staged at the Zol main stage, Guspy Warrior proved that he is a force to reckon within the dancehall genre as he reduced Buffalo Souljah to just an “ordinary” artiste.
Buffalo Souljah, who has won several Channel O awards, failed to live up to the hype associated with his name.
While his performance seemed flawless, the audience could not associate with his kind of music, which they said had a strong bias towards hip-hop more than dancehall.
The Zimbabwean export performed songs like Soja Riripo and Izandla Phezulu.
The audience could only cheer up more during a collaborative act in which Buffalo Souljah shared the stage with Guspy Warrior and other local singers.
But that was all to talk about for the South African-based artiste who grew up in Mufakose.
It was however Guspy Warrior who left hundreds of fans eating from the palms of his hands, as he belted his popular tunes including Seunononga.
Fans could not get enough of his act, safely making him the main attraction of the night.
The dreadlocked artiste was welcomed by a cheering crowd.
People could not wait for his act that came way after 10pm.
Several fans braved the chilly weather just to have a glimpse and feel of the Zimbabwean dancehall music, through the gospel artiste, Mechanic Manyeruke’s son.
Guspy Warrior has shared the stage with Sizzla Kalonji, Turbulence, Red Rat and Elephant Man, among other big dancehall gurus before.
His acts have developed over the years, making him a household name.
Guspy Warrior and Buffalo Souljah’s performances were spiced by Ghanaian female chanter Kaakie.
Kaakie, put the icing on the cake and proved the reason for her presence at this year’s Hifa, which has evolved over the years to become a world class event.
The Ghanaian gave a beautiful and well-polished performance that kept fans on their feet.
Her mouth-watering dance moves left fans asking for more.
With a funky haircut and a white jump suit, Kaakie did not disappoint.
Having shared the stage with the likes of Mavado and Busy Signal, Kaakie, showed she has a lot of tricks under her belt.
Gracing the show was also Zimbabwe’s DJ Smiley.
Though the Magetsi singer did not spend much time on the stage, his presence could not go unnoticed.
He received wild-cheers as he made his grand entrance onto the stage.
The one-hour-plus act ended while fans were still clamouring for more, as they drank and smoked the night away. Daily News
