Style, swag and all the glam

By Andrew Moyo

Organisers of the recent Zim Hip-Hop Awards at Harare’s Club 1+1 Happy pulled off an exceptional event that ranks right up there with the best such shows in years gone by. Unlike previous editions that have been accompanied by truckloads of negative comments, this year’s gig has been applauded across the divide.

From the red carpet to the main stage, things worked like clockwork and glitches were kept to a minimum. Although all eyes might have been following proceedings on the main stage, the fashion, accessories and fancy gadgets on display in all sections of the club were not hard to miss.

One might have easily mistaken the awards ceremony for a fashion show, with the majority of hip-hop fans and celebrities who thronged the venue showcasing creative innovations wardrobe-wise. In the true spirit of hip-hop, most opted for the trendiest urban wear: some went for the classic evening wear while others opted for the African print.

Perhaps this was because there was a prize for the Best Dressed artiste on the night. Mudiwa, who scooped the Best Dressed Male on the night award, was emblazoned in colour, with an outfit that included a red jacket, black waistcoat, yellow shirt, blue trousers, rainbow-coloured socks, black shoes and sunglasses among other colourful accessories.

South Africa-based Queen Vee was honoured as Best Dressed Female, thanks to her seductive black-laced jumpsuit which was complimented by a tail, knee-high boots and exquisite eye wear. Other celebrities donning exceptional outfits included Stunner, Tytan, Cindy, Tiara, Tehn Diamond and Anonzi Xndr, just to mention a few.

Trending gadgets like hover boards, which are two-wheeled and self-balancing smart scooters priced at between US$300 and US$1 000, were all the rage. To top it all off, the artistes put on exquisite acts fit for an awards ceremony.

Those who stole the show were Tehn Diamond, Tiara, Probeats, Stunner and T-Gonzi among others. Sadly, during the ceremony, there was an incident that took the crowd back to 2009’s VMA awards when Kanye West stormed the stage to protest the award that had been given to Taylor Swift, claiming that Beyoncé should have won instead.

This time around it was Briss Mbada who charged the stage to protest that he should have landed the Best Male accolade after it was awarded to Cal Vin. Security had to intervene and the rapper was thrown out of the club along with his entourage.

Cal Vin and T-Gonzi were the biggest winners at the ceremony, scooping three awards apiece. The former walked away with the Best Album, Best Male and Song of the Year awards while the latter took the Best Freestyle, People’s Choice and Best Collaboration awards.

Cal Vin told this writer, “I’m feeling awesome man. This is one of the best moments of my career. Winning all those awards is so encouraging and next year I will definitely work hard and dish out more music.”

On Briss Mbada’s infantile show, he said: “Briss Mbada has been saying that I am not popular in the streets and I am out here wondering which streets he is talking about because what I know is that my music has been popping everywhere.

“If we talk about ‘Zikhupani’, it is not just playing on the local scene but that song has gone international — so I don’t know what this guy is talking about.”

The Luveve-based rapper further addressed Jnr Brown’s Facebook post in which he seemed to claim that his song “Mariia” was bigger, hotter, had more downloads and probably deserved to win the Song of the Year award.

“You know what man? This does not surprise me at all because everybody believes they deserve to win. People might want to claim that I bought the award but look, I am just a broke dude from Luveve and there is no way I would afford to pay for any award,” he said.

Cal Vin added that he did not want to be part of any beef and would rather concentrate on making music. This, he said, was the reason why he kept his cool after losing out at last year’s awards.

“Last year I lost to PeeKay but I didn’t go around posting stuff on social media because I am not a blogger and I would rather let my music speak for me.” The Sunday Mail