By Jeffrey Murimbechi
The annual Zimbabwe Hip-Hop Awards ceremony hit a new low as a hubbub of confusion and massive mismanagement were the order of the day, much to the chagrin of the Deputy Minister of Information Supa Mandiwanzira, who was a vip guest.
Chief among the problems that marred proceedings was the withdrawal by the panel of judges from the event on the morning of the awards ceremony, presenter Vimbai Mutinhiri’s no-show and a host of other technical glitches.
While Deputy Minister Mandiwanzira acknowledged the efforts of those who were trying to host the awards ceremony, he pointed out that there is a wide gap between the standards that Zimbabwe should be aiming for and the mediocrity that promoters are subjecting local fans to.
“There are standards that are required in terms of putting together a show and they are well known. There is a difference between a show in Zimbabwe and where you have Nigerian artistes like D’Banj or P-Square. The approach taken in arranging a local show is very different to when international artistes are coming to Zimbabwe.
“We need to see an end to that, we want to go to a show that has an all Zimbabwean line-up but whose arrangement is the same as it is when D’Banj is coming or any other international artiste. If we can get to that level I think our music would have matured,” he said.
The minister lauded the artistes for their performances but pointed out that the standard of awards ceremonies has to be edified by a great deal to make it worthy of television just like the BET awards which are a pure reflection of American artistes.
“The musical effort was good but the organisation was not good enough. Most of these things do require a lot of money to be able to pull off a fashion that is totally world class, we recognise the efforts that the young people put but, of course, more needs to be done to make it world class so that even if it is converted to television it will be good content,” he said.
The sum of all fears came full circle when the Awards show’s chief sponsor, Carex Condoms, pulled out of its relationship with the event barely 48hrs after the show.
Carex Condoms marketing manager Eddy Dhliwayo was quick to voice his concerns on the amateurish running of the event, which has had a bad reflection on the music genre itself.
Dhliwayo said his company was pulling out of sponsoring next year’s Hip-Hop Awards, highlighting the lack of seriousness by the organisers who failed to deliver the barest minimum of standards.
“As sponsors we were expecting something better than what we saw, especially considering the amount of money we had put in. We don’t expect unprofessional things such as judges pulling out because things were not well organised and a host of other problems we witnessed during the night of the awards.
“It is obvious that we will not be a part of this mess next time because we have realised that it is a waste of money, even the turnout was not what we expected.
“The whole thing lacked an element of seriousness, compared to the Big Chill, which is well organised and the numbers keep increasing. We can keep putting more money on that,” he said.
The annual awards, meant to honor the country’s best artistes and contributors to the genre throughout the year, was held on Wednesday last week at their traditional home, the 7 Arts Theatre.
This came on a night where Few Kings trio of Junior Brown, Take Fizzo and Tehn Diamond walked away with six gongs to cap off a truly exceptional year.As a collective, the trio was named the Best Group and their offering, The Feeling Ain’t Fair, was named Best Album, while Take Fizzo took the Best Producer and Tehn Diamond was the Best Male Artiste of the Year.
Jnr Brown went home with Most Valuable Player and Song of the Year for his hit Madrinks. However, that was to be the major and only highlight of the night, as technical glitches before and after the event ruined the show all together. Sunday Mail
Winners list:
Best positive social contribution : Jibilika ( only nominee)
Best solo dancer : Adrean Zinasi
Best corporate brand supporting hip hop: Arizona Spur
Best album art : Road to Fame
Best High School: Overdose
Best dance crew: Hood Crankers
Best promoter : Magamba
Best diaspora: Kapital K
Best radio DJ: Davies Mugadza
Best producer: Take Fizzo
Best club DJ: P Styles
Best collaboration: Zvidhori remix
Best album: The Feeling Ain’t Fair – Few Kings
Best video: Mudiwa 10/10
Best newcomer: Marcques
Lifetime achievement award: Chiwoniso Maraire
Best group: Few Kings
Best Female: Trae Yung
Best male: Tehn Diamond
Best gospel: Mudiwa
Best freestyle: Alka Nemo
MVP : Jnr Brown
People’s Choice: Mudiwa
Song of the Year: Madrinks – Jnr Brown
