POPULAR hip hop dance group, Antivirus, is at crossroads with all four members of the group seemingly pulling in different directions.
The group which has dominated the Bulawayo urban dance scene for the past few years, last year expressed a desire to pursue music in addition to their nimble footed moves on stage, as they felt that dance did not give them sufficient room to showcase their vast array of talents.
The group seemed to be on course to achieve the success it desired last year when the video it released for the song Pokello, a dedication to popular former Big Brother housemate Pokello Nare, managed to get 10 000 views in one week on You Tube, a feat previously unheard of on the local music scene.
However, things seem to have gone downhill since then, with the rest of 2014 being a largely forgettable affair for the group which bagged the Jibilika Best Dance Group trophy and Zim Hip Hop award for Best Hip Hop dance at the end of 2012.
Things seem to have come to a head late last year, when group founder and leader Ricco Andrews started pursuing a solo career, leaving the group leaderless and largely directionless. Two other members, Anthony Banana and Victor Madzura also left the group citing work commitments.
However, in an interview, another member of the group, Prince Dube said Antivirus was still very much alive although Andrews was now a non factor in the day to day running of the crew. He said Andrews was now fully focused on his solo career, thus the group’s needs were now playing second fiddle to his own individual aspirations.
“Antivirus as a group is still doing just fine. The leader of the group, Ricco is the one who is now fully focused on his solo career but I and Victor who is in South Africa right now trying to sort out issues concerning the group, are fully focused on continuing the legacy of the crew,” he said.
Dube said that as things stood, the group had no ties linking them to Andrews who was now aggressively pursuing a solo path.
“Antivirus has nothing to do with Ricco because he is focused on himself as an individual right now. At this very moment I would say Ricco is out of Antivirus,” he said.
In a separate interview, Andrews confirmed that he was indeed pursuing his solo career. He said that he could not confirm the ambitions and direction of the other group members as he wanted them to speak for themselves.
“I am pursuing my solo career currently but Antivirus is my baby and I can’t deny that. I however, cannot disclose what the crew is planning at the moment because we are family and that will never change,” he said.
Andrews said going solo had already given his career the push that it needed as it opened many doors for him and exposed him to audiences that he previously had no access to.
“Going solo has been great for me. I have had the chance to tell people how I see things as an individual, like on my recently released video for the song Zvinhu I feel like I managed to give people of Africa and the world a real feel of how life is like in Bulawayo,” he said.
Fellow group member, Anthony Banana, said that although he had been the first to leave the group due to work commitments, he believed that this year would see the group revive its fading glory. He said he had not abandoned the group although he no longer fully participated in performances.
“I am still using what I learnt during my Antivirus days. I teach young guys around the city about dance at a studio in Bradfield but I am missing out on performances because of work constraints,” he said.
Banana said although he was no longer privy to the day to day goings on in the group, he was not convinced that Andrews had chosen to make his solo move with the best interests of the group at heart.
“Personally I haven’t had a chance to talk to him so I don’t really don’t understand the reasoning behind the move. Since he left the group and is not doing anything to help it, I would say the move is entirely for his benefit,” he said. B Metro
