“Cheuka Ndaenda”, Nicco C, Mufudzie create a song for all generations

Robert Mukondiwa

There is a human folly, a trait among many: the tendency to focus on trivia and fleeting existence while beauty surrounds us, often unnoticed and unenjoyed.

So while Zimbabwe battles around the so-called ‘big artistes’ a little quiet revolution swept past that only the eyes of the gods deserve to appreciate.

Somewhere in the crevices of Harare, little-known artiste Nicco C (real name Nicholas Chademana) unleashed a vicious, powerful, haunting gem of a song that embodies all the hallmarks of truly good music as it was made from the day of old.

The result is the song Cheuka Ndaenda. From the multi-faceted, didactic yet simple hook to a bed of expertly woven instruments. From the lyricism that could speak to a thousand circumstances to the simple yet profound video accompanying the jewel, everything speaks of perfection, deliberate thought, and a young man whose sense of musical appreciation is no doubt living his umpteenth life by way of some reincarnation.

Featuring a fresh talent in the world of vocal discovery is Mufudzie (Mufudzi Richard Makurundundu), whose androgynous voice captivates audiences. The hook he sings torments, tortures, and scares, yet enchants the ears in a ghostly, uniquely beautiful way; constantly reminding you of the loss you will incur if you remain complacent and don’t turn back—”ukangocheuka ndaenda”. (If you do not look back I will leave you all forlorn). In biting cold loneliness.

While most music being churned out in this day and age appeals to a pigeonhole – Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, Gen Z; this is one song set to break down all the walls and appeal to one generation. The generation of everyone alive and breathing.

There is bravery too to their juxta positioning as humans. A Bowie-esque Mufudzie and a rap protégé in Nicco C, evoking the DNA of a young Slim Shady finding his feet and balance in music. Something that has not been done in local music perhaps at all, and something the rest of the world hasn’t done in recent times.

There is a deliberate matching of the untamed voice of Mufudzie, bound by no known walls and boundaries, to the haunting monotone that Nicco projects and maintains.

All things said the duo restore hope in the art of creative achievement in the crafting of music, maintaining hope that there are a million more miracles set to be unleashed upon music lovers in Zimbabwe and beyond from this Southern African country of unending surprises.

The hope is that Nicco C is not going away anytime soon and this is the beginning of more magic to come even in Mufudzie’s case.

It would be a shame if they decided to leave if we blinked as their song suggests!