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Bruce Ndlovu
Minutes before Jah Prayzah took to the stage last month at the gig that was dubbed the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) shutdown show, anyone from outside the venue would have been forgiven for thinking that the night’s star attraction was in the midst of a compelling performance.
In the dust and cold of Hartsfield, the crowd was close to rioting, dancing their feet numb and screaming their voices hoarse. They stomped, they gyrated, shaking and tossing their bodies this way and that in attempts to match the thumping music blaring from the speakers.
Surprisingly, when one took a glance at the stage, there was no live performer in action. Instead, there stood just a pair of DJs, twisting knobs on the decks like a grandmother pulling at the ears of a naughty child.
Although they controlled the party’s tempo, sending the crowd wild at the switch of a track, the DJs were not responsible for riotous mood at the venue. The man in control of the pulse of this party was over 430kms away, causing yet another stampede at the Glamis Arena.
The DJs at Hartsfield had turned to the music of Winky D to try and warm up the crowd for Jah Prayzah, and by the time the Military Touch supremo came on stage, they were undoubtedly overheating.
The crowd’s reaction to that set convinced one of the show’s promoters, Mduduzi Mdlongwa of 3D events, that Winky had to grace Hartsfield sooner than later. On the 24th of May his wish is set to come true.
“The Winky D show came about as a result of Jah Prayzah’s appearance at the end of the Trade Fair. The crowd’s reaction to someone who wasn’t even there convinced me to bring him for a live performance. It proved to me that people are hungry for his music and as a promoter you’re better off working with someone that the people want,” he said.
A Winky D performance following hot on the heels of a heavily subscribed Jah Prayzah appearance however, will lead some to question whether any other act, from anywhere, can pull the crowds that they pull whenever they touch down in the City of Kings.
Being a promoter in Bulawayo is now a risky proposition, and a large percentage of shows hosted in the city over the last two years have been dismal failures.
Dan Tshanda’s Splash, Babes Wodumo, Rebecca Malope, Alick Macheso, Oliver Mtukudzi and countless other acts from within the city have all tried to host blockbuster shows only to end up with egg on their faces when they count their loses at dawn.
The only acts that have consistently managed to pull big crowds in Bulawayo are the two men who are regarded as rivals, fighting for the top spot in Zimbabwean music: Winky D and Jah Prayzah.
Even the much vaunted Kalawa Homecoming gigs has turned to the two performers in the last two years as they try to shore up their numbers.
With all other performers seemingly shunned by tough to please crowds, some might conclude that in the City of Kings, Jah Prayzah and Winky D are the only artistes that can claim to be royalty.
“Those two are indeed bankable artistes especially in Bulawayo. You can’t go wrong with them,” said Mdlongwa.
For DNosh of 2 Kings Promotions, this should not be surprising as the two have a proven track record.
“It’s not just in Bulawayo, it’s everywhere. They’re tried and tested and people shouldn’t be hating. Every year a hot artiste emerges but these two are consistently at the top year after year,” DNosh said.
Online Reporter