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MY heart bleeds for Winky D, real name Wallace Chirumiko. Those who attended the Pacific Zimbabwe Sunsplash last weekend at the Glamis Arena know what I am talking about – the Ninja President faced resistance from his fans.
A combination of fatigue and competition appears to be weighing down the once vibrant performer such that he is now finding it difficult to thrill fans.
His unmatched live performance act, which has seen him retain the dancehall crown, failed to save him. Winky D simply has no new material.
The new crop of Zim dancehall artistes seems to be on top of the game, releasing hit after hit.
Therefore, the million-dollar question is: is Winky D still the dancehall king?
Since storming on to the music scene, the energetic chanter has always delivered the best for his fans both in the studio and on stage. His act has always been above average.
And for years the artiste has easily outshone visiting and local artistes. He has come into the fray not as a curtain-raiser but an equal. However, the trend seems to be fading – the Ninja President’s allure is diminishing.
Fans are beginning to resist his act as it has become monotonous. The chanter got a rude awakening on April 10 during the inaugural Pacific Zimbabwe Sunsplash gig held in the capital at the Glamis Arena.
The Ninja President had a nasty experience.
In fact, it is a day that the reigning Zim-dancehall “Best Live Performer” would want to quickly forget. Winky D’s set was so tired and did not in any way match or come close to his previous set standards. I found it difficult to believe that this was the same guy who gave Beenie Man a good run for his money at the Old Hararians Club in 2010.
At the show which also featured Jamaican star Luciano, Winky D failed to rise to the occasion. He had a bad day in office as fans jeered and waved him off the stage.
Such treatment had recently been reserved for the misfiring Tocky Vibes, real name Obey Makamure. Surprisingly, Tocky came prepared for the show and did not disappoint.
For the record I do not have anything personal against Winkyy D, I just feel that gig went a long way in proving a point or two to the revered entertainer.
Signs of a rebellious fan-base started showing way back but the musician has been arrogant to address the predicament. Bluntly, he has been taking his fans for granted.
While his counterparts are busy releasing numerous singles and albums to maintain relevance, Winky D has opted to remain quiet. His last hit song was “Paita Party”, which was released a year or so ago. And his last album, “Life Yangu”, was released in 2012.
His manager Banda defends the developments.
“There might be pressure for us to release an album, but that is not the route we wish to take. Personally, I’m against albums, not that I have a problem with those that are releasing them,” explained Banda.
“I have tried to put my ear on the ground and I don’t see justification for an album release. The alarming levels that piracy has reached in this country sums it all up.”
At present every top Zim dancehall artiste has a new album. Tocky Vibes, Seh Calaz, Killer T and Soul Jah love have all released “Toti Toti”, “Bhandit Rebirth”, “Ngoma Ndaimba” and “Kuponda Nhamho” respectively.
Automatically attention is on them. Seriously the veteran dancehall artiste cannot hope that his old stuff (fame included) can keep competing with the new material.
Zim dancehall has evolved. There are now hundreds of artistes battling for honours hence the market is now about significance and latest material.
Gone are the days when Zim dancehall meant Winky D or vice versa.
But despite the increasing competition within Zim dancehall, Winky D has somewhat elected not to frequently rub shoulders with his counterparts, he rarely shares the stage with them.
Unfortunately the artiste is being left out in his cocoon.
Week-in-week-out riddims are being created and he rarely features on them. This has contributed to the Ninja President gradually losing relevance to his fans. Of course, given his status fans do not expect him to feature on every riddim, they just expect him to feature on some.
Particularly, music enthusiasts feel that Winky D’s absence on popular riddims like “Xmas Money”, “Bodyshine” and “Platinum riddim” has had adverse effects on the musician’s career.
Most of the tracks that have helped top dancehall artistes Seh Calaz, Kinnah, Soul Jah Love, Killer T, Freeman and Ricky Fire maintain the spotlight have come from popular riddims. It is on the riddims that fans get to know who is doing what.
However, Banda argues that his camp is in touch with developments. He points out that they have a unique way of dealing with their market.
“We have a lot of singles in the pipeline. The last two singles we released were meant for market testing. We just wanted to see the reaction. It was good and encouraging,” said Winky D’s manager.
“The dancehall releases are coming. One of the tracks is on a riddim that was done by Russo. After the release of “Life Yangu”, we adopted a system whereby we release a singles collection with an average of four tracks.”
Active artistes in-Zim dancehall point out that their fans are highly demanding. Each performance has a different set of results and lessons. Artistes are not judged by their brands, but deliverance on the day in question.
The likes of Dadza D and Sniper Storm rarely deliver sloppy acts. Reason: they are always in the thick of things. They share the stage with the new breed of dancehall artistes, never mind the challenges or threats that this comes with. And on that standpoint they know the prevailing mood within the dancehall fans.
Put simply in the marketing matrix, Winky D has reached saturation point. For those who know the product life cycle, the next stage is decline. This decline is inevitable unless he re-invents himself in line with prevailing market drifts to regain his waning fortunes.
Music fans miss the energetic and fizzy Winky D who gave us the hits, “Musarova Bigman”, “Controversy” and “Mafira Kureva”.
Online Reporter