The rise and fall of Tocky Vibes. . . How a cocktail of unprofessionalism and arrogance led to chanter’s fall

By Bruce Ndlovu

On the eve of the release of his third album, “Tsamba”, one would be hard-pressed to find anyone other than die hard Tocky Vibes fans looking forward to the chanter’s latest offering. 

As the title suggests, the album is meant to be a letter to his fans, an apology of sorts after Tocky spent the best part of the last two years giving what some feel is less than his best.

“. . . I’m confident that this album will restore me to my former glory,” said Tocky about the new offering, an album set to be an early Christmas gift for his long-suffering fans.

But how did a man who was riding the crest of the dancehall wave only two years ago, get to the point where he needed to pen a whole album to make it all up to his fans? How and why did he lose this “former glory?”

When he first burst on the scene as a fresh-faced dancehall phenomenon barely out of his teens, Tocky spoke the language of the everyday youth.

The grit and struggle of urban youth was palpable in his lyrics. The rags to riches anthem that was “Aenda Nenyika” was a hit with Zimbabwe’s down and outs: those that wake up with the sun from the country’s slums and try to elevate themselves from their less than modest surroundings.

Who can forget how Tocky took possession of a mother’s shoes, walked in them and gave the country’s young men and women a cautionary warning about the hazards that await them when they reach the greener pastures they aim for in”Mhai”? It is a warning many have heard before from mothers hoping their words will shield their sons from the bright, bewildering and seductive city lights.

At its best, his music characterised what was best and loved about the Zimdancehall genre: catchy melodies packed alongside lyrics and chants that spoke to a country fighting against high youth unemployment and a stagnating economy.

All this was of course complimented by beats that invited the listener to the dance floor. Socially conscious, infectious tunes with timeless lyrics written by the young voices of the age. Here was a genre ready to give older siblings in the music industry a run for their money and in Tocky it had one of its most compelling voices.

A few years later, all that appears to be all but lost. At the centre of Tocky’s problems is perhaps a crisis of identity. While Killer T has made himself the hit-maker who can talk about the ghetto’s problems while he dances with a smile on his face, Souljah Love has become the trusted ghetto spokesperson, an energetic chanter whose many mistakes can be forgiven because he represents the common everyday man.

At this point in his career, one is hard pressed to think of who or what Tocky represents.

Of course, it would be too simplistic to blame the decline of Tocky’s fame and fortune on any perceived identity crisis. At various times in a short but turbulent and controversial career, Tocky has stood accused of various offenses that range from arrogance to plain indiscipline.

One of Tocky’s vices, if word from promoters and show organisers is anything to go by, is rampant unprofessionalism. At the height of his fame, when his tunes were blaring from almost every speaker in the country, mudslinging verbal duels between Tocky and his paymasters were a regular thing.

There was the bust up with the now equally infamous Chipaz after one of the promoter’s runners threatened that Tocky would be finished by year-end after he allegedly refused to trash talk a rival promoter during a radio interview.

Then there was the infamous Mafikizolo incident, which saw the chanter prematurely walk off stage despite being one of the main supporting acts during a night featuring one of Africa’s most revered duos. It was a staggeringly daft move, one only a 20 year old, drunk off his own sudden fame and fortune, could make.

“To me, he did not perform at all. All he did was to come for the show just to get paid without working for it. If he was a self-respecting man he could have returned the money I paid him or at least apologise for being so unprofessional,” fumed Simmad Entertainment Director Simba Madziwa.

Whether that apology came or not, remains unclear. What is clear however, is that when his star was getting brighter, Tocky was beating out the flames of his sizzling career by accumulating a few powerful enemies.

Local music pundit Plot Mhako picks the December 19, 2014 Mafikizolo incident as the moment when public opinion began to sour towards a chanter who before that had seemed destined for things; far greater than those he had already achieved.

“I think Tocky’s career took an unpredictable down turn since the infamous chair performance at that 2014 December concert where he was part of the supporting acts at Mafikizolo show. I personally think he prematurely assumed he had arrived yet he was only still starting,” said Mhako.

It did not help of course that a combative Tocky also decided to go head to head with the media. At one time, the artiste cancelled a scheduled interview with ZiFM Stereo only 18 minutes before the scheduled time to go on air. Before that infamous incident, ZBCtv had been at the receiving end of Tocky’s unprofessionalism when he had again ditched an interview in the 11th hour.

Prior to that, The Sunday Mail had been subjected to the same treatment by the chanter. Picking fights with those that purchase ink by the barrel-full is never wise and neither is standing up against those whose voices reach thousands. Tocky had not learnt to pick his battles.

The decision to switch music styles with his second offering, “Kwata Zonke” might have also contributed to driving fans that were still faithful to Tocky into the arms of rival chanters.

As he strove to broaden his musical horizons, Tocky lost those fans that were only just warming up to his unique style. Without a period of gradual adjustment, Tocky simply weaned his fans too quickly from the diet of socially conscious hard hitting dancehall that they had previously fed on.

“Success got into (sic) his head, a bit of arrogance set in and whilst people were still enjoying his unique music style he abruptly switched lanes and started doing a different sound. That lack of consistency in a competitive industry affected him. If you look at Killer T, he has maintained whilst improving on his craft,” said Mhako.

When Saturday Herald Lifestyle got in touch with him this week, Tocky was defiant as ever, saying detractors were just too eager to write his obituary when he was clearly still running with the big boys.

“People who say I’m not as popular as I once was are just lying. It’s not true at all and my upcoming album will prove it,” he said adding that those who wanted to see that he had not lost a step just needed to come and watch him in Kwekwe and Harare on Friday and Saturday respectively. The Herald