Legendary Jamaican dancehall chanter Beenie Man has claimed that he not only inspired the Zimbabwean strain of dancehall that has become popular in the country over the years, but also coined the term ZimDancehall itself.
Until now, it was widely purported that the popular sub-genre got its name from UK-based disc jockey Slaggy Yout.
Speaking in patois on Radio Jamaica, Beenie Man said he had given guidance to Zimbabwean artistes when, at the time, they seemed lost on how to take the genre forward in their country.
“Zim-Dancehall, a me meck it enuh. A me meck it. A me name it too – Zim-Dancehall,” Beenie told host of Radio Jamaica’s Two Live Crew, Dahlia Harris and Christopher “Johnny” Daley.
“Caw mi buck up a whole heap a artiste over there an dem nuh know weh fi do.
Suh wi jus seh ‘studio!’ An wi guh a di studio an wi start mek riddim an seh ‘play dis, play dat’; play dis; guh suh. Guh roun suh. Gimme da base yah; gimme dah keyboard yah.”
Beenie Man’s claim is likely to fuel further debate about the true roots of the sub-genre in the country.
A January 2015 article published in Music in Africa, titled The Rise of ZimDancehall, noted that the sub-genre “owes its origins to Jamaican reggae music which was popularised in the country by Bob Marley’s memorable performance at independence in 1980”.
According to the publication, subsequent visits by other Reggae artists, including Shabba Ranks in 1993, as well as Sizzla Kalonji and Capleton in 2010, among others, had given the country a dancehall heritage that subsequently led to a groundswell of followers of the sun-genre.
While foreign acts were a hit, the 1990s so the breakout of local stars such as Major E, Booker T and Potato, who all gave the genre a distinctly Zimbabwean flavour.
He is right isu dzedu imbira dzenharira kwete dancehall
Collen Zireva haa xaa nyatso tsvaga history ye zimdancehall anepenga uyu akatozouya zita ratenderera kare
i know whats up… They will end up planning a clash with winky d to prove him that hes a baby
It’s always good to learn from legends. Thank you sir!
It’s true, he found Zimbabweans as people who are easy to use for him to be continue as king of dance hall around the world he discovered that Zimbabweans have much interest with Jamaican music than our local music, ZimDancehall will remain a bubble gum music in Zimbabwe, if people has opened minded it’s suppose to ban because it is destroying many talents in Zimbabwe, since it was formed ZimDancehall failed to reach Sadc region airplay to radio stations e.g likes Metro Fm, Jacaranda fm etc, ama piano comes about 3yrs ago but the music is rocking airwaves around the world, afro beat from Nigeria is best music from Africa just rose to fame few years ago but ZimDancehall was already established, people must learn that adoption of Jamaican music mad them laughing stock around Africa, if people learn to prompt music of legendary Oliver Mtukudzi Zimbabwe music can raise to fame and many artists will archive interest in music industry, we have local bands like Mukomba they are not popular in Zimbabwe, but are the most performers from Zimbabwe around world tour when it comes to afro music they represent us without introducing others genres of other countries, artists must stop singing in Jamaican languages yet they are singing to Shona people its sign of being lost.
Alford Chidziva you nailed it. There’s no originality in Zimdancehall which is why other nations who value identity and originality have no time for copycats.
Alford Chidziva wakecha wamecha zvendewe mashewe hayiwayi 👀
Alford zim Jamaica I don’t there’s a problem if these artist work together ,we all no dancehall comes from Jamaica # roots reggae
Alford Chidziva its because its done by Zimbabweans. This world values nothing from Zimbabwe. You can’t possibly say Mapiano is better than Zimdancehall. Never. Zimbabwe is being underrated on everything. No one respects anything from Zimbabwe. If Macheso was from South Africa or Nigeria, wouldn’t he be the richest musician in Africa? Or the Best musician in Africa, if not half of the world? Zimbabwe is being mistreated. Amapiano is Absolutely nothing. Paper fire. 10 years to come mapiano will be dead but Sungura of Macheso will still be hot as brand new. Zimdancehall is better than Mapiano but underrated.
Frank Chinembiri for your own information, in Zimbabwe people don’t invest in music majority of promoters are criminals, it’s our duty as Zimbabweans to lifting up our sungura music but the problem is that those who call them prompters don’t support that music or they don’t want to take around the world, the amapiono and that Nigerian music you hear today it’s like South Africans support their genre and they invest on it same as Nigerians, when it comes to us Zimbabwe someone decide to prompt Jamaican music through creating ZimDancehall for his profit that’s why you see the genre is only popular in Zimbabwe only, just check how afro jazz from Zimbabwe the impact it has around Africa it’s lie to say Zimbabwean music is not welcome till today the music of Oliver Mtukudzi still continues to be fame, remember in 1992 sungura song Chitekete by Leonard Dembo was played on miss world, why? It’s because someone decided to prompt the song that time at higher level, music is not politics as long you produce something vibrant it’s easy attract rest of the world, if you travel around the world especially in Europe many small African music groups the perform on the streets their local genre meaning traditional songs, whereby us Zimbabweans we attached to Jamaica genre when it comes to perform people ask who this singing like Jamaican artists then answer will be a Zimbabwean, from that it’s give bad picture to Zimbabwe looks like we don’t have music of our own, for Sungura music to be come popular it’s our duty for us Zimbabweans to invest on our music like what South African and Nigerians do.
Saka arikudei
As long as ari many moods of Moses tongozvitabira .most of the youths who know foundation of dancehall do not dispute what the king 👑of dancehall Beenie. Says .even our own veteran chanters who hog the lime light 💡 we’re once upon a time Disk jockey 🏇’s and by that time they would make sure not to omit Beenie man from their playlist .some even became famous to date having been inspired by him moses.generation yana Beenie man knows he’s the king of dancehall .
Beanie Man akutaura Beans manje lol!
Demo music its a Yawope music
Chokwadi chorwadza,hatina zvedu ,we dont believe in zvedu,we do believe in zvawo,kutotadza chirungu in Zim unosekwa yet mutauro wedu Shona tinawo ,unotohwa mai nemwana mumba wachitaura chingezi and later sonbing around kuzhe uku kuti aaa mwana wangu ari intelligent Shona inomunetsa
Akabatwa, muregei anodzika manje manje, he is still high.
Ari kuwanza mbanje uyu he is self proclaimed dancehall king yes anogona bt as fo me nekanyaya kake aka ndatomubvisa ma marks…akutaura zvkumama uyu tsvagai history ye zimdancehall yese yu can c kut akazouya zvakufaya…