Jah Prayzah, Winky D Homecoming misfits?

By Bruce Ndlovu

As one would expect, the confirmation of Jah Prayzah and Winky D as part of the ensemble of artistes that are set to headline this year’s Kalawa Homecoming was met with excitement both online and on the streets of Bulawayo.

While some saw it as a progressive stance by the Homecoming show bosses, others proudly and loudly wondered whether organisers of the gig, which features predominately South African stars, who are usually on point with their artiste selection, had this time erred with their choices.

Some wondered how the selection of the two, who fall outside the consistent diet of South African kwaito, house and hip-hop artistes usually served on every December 28 at the event, had come about.

“It’s a celebration of music across the floor. People may think that it’s a Kalawa affair perhaps because of the association of it with Oskido, but the party is for all artistes from around the continent and globe,” said Kalawa Jazzmee spokesperson Arthur

“Scotch” Mathenga when he confirmed the two as participants at this year’s extravaganza.

While Scotch’s remarks make perfect sense, it is arguable that commercial interests also played a part in the selection of the two.

Despite what his sometimes dishevelled appearance may suggest, Oscar “Oskido” Mdlongwa is a shrewd businessman who can crunch the numbers just as much as any man in a suit can. While his hair, which sometimes seems to be rebelling against the scalp that holds it, may suggest a disorganised man, beneath it lies a brain whose keen sense of business has kept Kalawa Jazzmee afloat and at the apex of South African music for over two decades.

With that being the case, he and his team would have known that in what has been a barren year, only two artistes consistently pulled awe-inspiring crowds at the gigs they were involved in Bulawayo.

If they were stars before, Winky D and Jah Prayzah have in 2016 somehow further brightened the world of Zimbabwean music, leaving both their peers and the country’s legends in the dust as their fame soared to stratospheric levels.

Visits from artistes ranging from Oliver Mtukudzi to Alick Macheso have received at worst cold responses and at best, lukewarm acknowledgment from Bulawayo concert-goers who have felt the pinch of a shrinking economy.

Putting Jah Prayzah and Winky D on the bill guarantees a crowd and riding on the wave of two successful albums, a festive season gig seems ripe for their taking.

Most who complained against the presence of the two pointed out to the fact that they were not fit for the gig.

Kalawa has in previous years served a diet of kwaito and house acts, two genres that have a firm foothold in the City of Kings.

While the two genres observe different tempos with Winky D a dancehall music local king, it is with no doubt they share the same DNA.

While afro-pop, afro soul and hip-hop acts have also found a home at the extravaganza one thing links all those who have performed: they are South African, mostly from Kalawa Jazzmee. The line-up for this year is yet to be made public.

So most wwondered how the two Zimbabwean stars, whose sounds are alien to the revolutionary dance sounds manufactured at Kalawa Jazzmee’s hit-making studios, would fare. A Kalawa Homecoming comes ready-made for dancing feet and so far, Oskido’s selection of artistes has supplied the soundtrack that has made sure the grass at Queens Sports Club rightly.

Will Jah Prayzah and Winky D come to the party?

Winky has already shown that he can blend seamlessly with house artistes, having received the biggest welcome and cheers of an exciting night when Bucie and DJ Zinhle came to Bulawayo in September. After Djembe Monks had given a master class in tribal house, Winky followed it up with an equally impressive performance that made one wonder whether house and dancehall were some distant, long lost cousins that are yet to discover each other.

While Winky D is tried and tested, question marks will hover around Jah Prayzah. The Mdhara Vachauya hit-maker is yet to perform in front of an audience exposed to mostly kwaito and house throughout a night. Will the intercourse between Jah Prayzah’s mbira and the dance tunes of South Africa’s house acolytes give birth to the right festive mood or will the former be rejected by a tough to please Bulawayo crowd? On the morning of December 29, Bulawayo will have answers to these questions and more.

Another complaint that emerged after the announcement of the two was that their presence marginalised Bulawayo artistes.

In truth, no artistes in Bulawayo or Zimbabwe have the pull of these two in Bulawayo at this point and if ever the Homecoming was to include artistes from the northern part of the country it would be the Gafa and the Soja.

But indications are that Bulawayo artistes will also form part of the bill for this year’s festivities as they have always done and so the inclusion of Jah Prayzah and Winky D does not change the equation on their part. While cries of marginalisation might be valid, in this
instance they feel like stray shots taken in frustration. Sunday News