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“NDINI dancehall Queen handife ndakakundikana, muchida kundimisa moto tanga mafamba kumaporofita emweya kana kun’anga, vese vakandimaka hamusati matanga, pamangoma ndiri gandanga,” declares Lady Squanda in her song, “Squanda Fire Ndini”.
It is no secret that only a handful of ladies have made it in the Zim dancehall genre.
But I feel the few ladies that are representing the multitudes of women in this country are letting them down.
Lady Squanda, real name Sandra Gazi, has been left with too much space. She has gone unchallenged for long and now feels she is the alpha and omega of Zim dancehall.
Ninja Lipsy, Juwela, Bounty Lisa, Expatriot, Lady Bee, Empress Shelly, Stami D, Lady Banks, Angel P and Empress Fyna are some of the top names that have helped shape Zim dancehall. In that regard, they should also make sure that they do not let the future and direction of the genre be determined by a single individual.
Clearly, Squanda has no respect for her counterparts. But interestingly, she sees war in each one of them, though she always reiterates that they are not a threat to her career.
In fact, she bluntly states that she only recognises competition from men within the genre and no one else.
To borrow from one yesteryear American wrestler, she claims to be “the best there is, the best there was and the best there will ever be”.
But what can we expect? She has been given the liberty to do so.
“I’m alone; there is no competition among the ladies within Zim dancehall. I feel I can only compete with men or myself,” boldly declares Squanda.
So does she think men are better than women? Who knows!
Before being officially crowned “Queen” at this year’s edition of the Zim dancehall awards, Squanda had long crowned herself. And her actions reveal the artiste is prepared to defend the title using everything at her disposal including uncouth strategies.
Apart from her unquestionable talent, the chanter has shown in no uncertain terms that she can take her battles to unimaginable levels. She is prepared to do anything just to keep the limelight on herself.
Sadly the situation has been made worse by fellow female chanters that have somewhat succumbed to her “bullying” tactics. It appears her rivals have opted to watch her rant from the terraces. It has become apparent she will literally do anything to remain at the ‘top’. Late last year, the musician went on to physically assault fellow chanter, Tendazvaitwa Chitimbe aka Lipsy during a gig in the capital.
The incident came shortly after the musician had initially faked her death a few months after being involved in a messy divorce with her ex-husband and manager DJ Staera.
Her reasons for attacking Lipsy remain vague to date – all that has been is just speculation.
Not even a police report could force her to back down as she publicly promised more violence on Lipsy. In the process she composed a song, “More Fire”. The track mocks Lipsy to the boot.
“I could never compete with Lipsy because she is the worst female Zim dancehall artiste in this country. Her music is not dancehall though she rides on our Zim dancehall riddims. She is nothing in the industry,” remarked Squanda.
And she is not stopping as her egotistical behaviour unfortunately continues to blossom.
It seems the controversial chanter seems to find solace from tormenting her peers. She is ever in search of feathers to ruffle. And she targets the so-called highly visible characters within the genre as they guarantee publicity. At present her arsenal rather venom is aimed at Bounty Lisa real name Lynet Musenyi.
Squanda squared off with Bounty Lisa at the last year’s infamous Sting and she was declared the winner due to her lyrical prowess over Bounty and Expatriot. But the victory was not enough to massage and cool her massive ego. In a new song, “Hameno Akamutengera Altezza” Squanda comes out guns blazing saying crude things over Bounty Lisa.
The Zim dancehall queen mocks Bounty Lisa’s physical appearance saying she is so ugly that she resembles her husband so much that they look like twins. She further goes on to question why Bounty Lisa calls herself “Chimhamha” when she and hubby Soul Jah Love are not yet blessed with a child following their marriage.
It is important though to note that feuds among musicians in dancehall and any other genre are not uncommon. Jamaican dancehall divas Lady Saw and Macka Diamond have had a cat and mouse relationship. They sometimes exchange harsh words both on social media and through songs.
But it is the number of people and rate at which Squanda picks the feuds that is worrying.
Lipsy argues there is no greater person among the female chanters in Zim dancehall. She says, only misguided elements speak ill of others and assume they are better than everyone else.
“We (female chanters) are all on the same level and working hard to push the genre forward. However, they are some people that mistakenly think they are superior. It is only the fans that have the right to decide who is top among us,” she said.
“Squanda tries to use these squabbles as a marketing gimmick for her work. She should just focus on delivering good music and do less bickering. I listen only to my fans. They are the ones that tell me when I get it wrong or right, not some other troubled artiste,” said Lipsy.
Edlyn “Juwela” Mapuranga echoes Lipsy’s sentiments.
“I don’t think there is anyone among the female chanters that has reached the levels set by our male counterparts like Winky D. We are all working hard to match those standards. Our music and fans should do much of the talking, not us. If the fans say you are the queen, so be it. Self-praise is always wrong and a danger to one’s career,” notes Juwela.
Online Reporter