Let’s develop music that shows love

about making money and not about the love of music.
This is one major reason we continue to have more bubble gum musicians in Zimbabwe.
Even people who are not talented are going into studios to record.
Bubble gum music will always be there come rain or sunshine and the question is how does it taste, is it sweet or bitter and how long will it last?
Quite an interesting debate I listened to on Power FM last Sunday which I then discovered had been generated by the story carried by The Sunday Mail, headlined “Mukanya is right, Winky D plays bubble gum music”.
From what I picked, the issue seemed to highlight that Winky D’s music will not last, be remembered and is not original.
Winky D and the urban groovers do not have the staying power basically.
One thing that we must not take away from the “Bigiman” is that he knows his style and has fully mastered it.
Winky D has the talent and that’s a fact.
Talent is like a spark, some sparks last a day some a month and so on. But inspiration and aspirations in life determine longevity of the spark.
Does Winky D want to stay on the job or move on to something else?
He has toured the world and even upstaged some reputable musicians who have been in the industry for a long time. It’s also amazing how we appreciate urban groovers who sample music from other regions.
Bubble gum or not, the fact is people need to hear some music with a rhythm, melody and harmony that will celebrate their day to day experiences.
It is left to the artist to invest in quality rather than quantity.
If you are my age you will remember Nucleus they did a song “Jam On It”. That song really rocked and made big waves. What else came from those guys I don’t know? When “Jam On It” is played today I go back to my youthful days when we would hangout with peers, bop and have a good time.
The song is bubble gum music but it made its impression, which brings me to the question, is timeless music about relevance or time?
Can you compare Akon to R Kelly? Their styles and experience are not the same and yet they have made marks for themselves.
Mukanya’s music exploits started in the early 60s with cover versions, sang in English and then decided to change to chimurenga music.
The point is, as an artist you keep evolving until you feel comfortable in your style.
Have you listened to Ngoni Kambarami’s new song “Wombira” currently in the top 10 hits?
This is a true demonstration of an artist who is maturing by the day.
The journey for Winky D and many others has only begun so for us to disqualify them and even try to compare them to the likes of Mukanya leaves a lot to be desired.
You can only compare Winky D to his contemporaries the likes of King Shaddy, Guspy Warrior, Ricky Fire, Jiggaz and Sniper Storm.
Every generation has its own heroes, It doesn’t matter whether the adults don’t like it or not because the youths will always appreciate.
The recent dancehall concert showed that the crowd was made up of youths that still have a lot of energy that matched the show output.
The truth is when you pass the youth zone you seem to shun and disqualify their expression because you have out grown it.
The more you listen to R&B the more you think along those lines. I don’t believe there is anything wrong with singing and expressing your musical ideas in any way as long as you do it well.
Let us remember that our every day expressions are a result of our exposure and education levels. How well one speaks English has to do with the schools they attended.
Winky D’s music is crafted and designed for the younger generation “maninja” as he says. The challenge that many of us face with his act lies mainly with the content.
As Zimbabweans we have values that we cherish, believe and so the promotion of anti-social behaviour is not encouraged.
Let’s develop music that shows our love, commitment and recognition of the art and the role it plays in building societies.
l Richard Kohola is a music critic and development expert and can be contacted on the following number 0772 38 2 871or email [email protected]