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supposed to bring an emphatic close to an eventful 2011.
The promoter, Clint Robinson, postponed the concert to January 27, 2012.
Dancehall fans have had to live with promises of Vybz Kartel, Jah Cure and Beres Hammond who all failed to come for various reasons.
As for Vybz Kartel, nothing concrete really ever came out, Jah Cure was supposed to come courtesy of the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority for their Tourism Night but the deal was shelved after it clashed with Delta Beverages’ Lion Lager Beerfest.
However, Cocoa Tea and Fantan Mojah turned up at the Beerfest and gave fans a real treat.
There were accusations and counter-accusations surrounding Jah Cure’s contract with promoters making endless promises to bring the chanter with little success.
So the two biggest dancehall promoters in Zimbabwe this year, C&A Entertainment and Nhamo Chitimbe have had their share of outstanding shows as much as disappointing no shows.
Dancehall fans are now left with the Red Fox Sting Festival set for December 23, which also saw renowned reggae crooner, Jah Cure, pulling out of the concert and a certain Mr Easy stepping in.
That was a disappointing turn of events as Mr Easy, real name Ian Dyer, cannot fit into the shoes of Jah Cure.
Mr Easy was described as “a man overflowing with music and melodies that deal with the more harmonious aspects of life and living”.
His discography is made up largely of mellow love songs which have made him a curtain- raiser and not a main act.
The hope is, he lives up to expectations.
It comes as no surprise that many reggae and dancehall enthusiasts will confirm that Zimbabweans have over the last two years gained power to choose which artistes to go watch and which ones not to.
They have even shown their hand by “dissing” artistes that come without a live band, with Elephant Man being an exception.
The people are empowered to the point that artistes like Mr Vegas, Sean Kingston and Brick and Lace received criticism they didn’t expect from seemingly uninformed Africans. Zimbabweans know their reggae music and they know what to expect from international artistes, which is why the country remains a fertile ground for Jamaican artistes and will remain so for the foreseeable future.
This makes the Red Fox Sting Festival an intriguing event given the line-up that does not look too convincing.
Okay, Red Rat has had a hit in Zimbabwe, a track aptly named “Rise Up Zimbabwe”, which was probably his biggest single in the last decade.
People may come for the sake of seeing Red Rat and his protégé Pascalle.
Fans will also be disappointed to know that Winky D has been conspicuously absent from the line-up yet this would have been the most opportune time to see a local artiste finally collaborating with international
artistes especially with the rotation “Rise Up Zimbabwe” got in the country.
However, this does not mean the festival will flop because in spite of the rather washed up artistes from Jamaica, the presence of renowned BBC Radio 1 disc jockey Chris Goldfinger and the massive four sounds
from Zimbabwe namely Legendary, Stereo One, Red Fox Sound and Judgment Yard, big tunes will be unleashed while Power FM’s Smiley’s reputation is growing by the day.
Suffice to say local artistes in Mic Inity and a host of others will add to the flavour.
Online Reporter