RayZe’Em for greater heights

preference.
This mail came from an Australian-based Zimbabwean who was updating me on some of the best things happening Down Under musically.

I was really chuffed when I discovered that one of the best tunes in that country at the present moment was done by none other than a Zimbabwean based in Malaysia.
Sometime back as some of you might remember we talked about this young Zimbabwean dude RayZe’Em, real name Reinhard Mabika, who is setting the hip-hop world in Asia alive.

Ray, who has added another moniker Bodybag Ray, has a new song “Boy Talk” featuring Neezy as the group Amazing, that is sending crowds wild in Australia and tapping the charts as well.
“Boy Talk|” is one of the most requested songs on urban music in that country and rising website www.urbanempirehq.com had big words for the collaboration.

The website had kind words for the local lad who it said has a very bright future and with much more consistency and exposure he surely is poised to go places in his musical sojourn.
Ray said the song is from his upcoming but yet untitled album which he has already finished working on and shall be hitting the international and local markets in the future.

According to Ray’s brother Tress (Ronald Mabika), who is his local manager and also happens to be a producer and rapper of note, the album will be available locally and will prove that Ray is one of the best MCs the country has ever produced.
“Some of the music is available on the internet where it is causing a big stir, and surprisingly most of the people refuse that the stuff was done by a Zimbo. I don’t know what they mean by that, but it surely is coming as a shock to some of them that Zimbabweans are that good musically, considering some of the things said about us,” said Tress.

Well that was good news to me and I am just keeping my fingers crossed that youngsters like RayZe’Em will keep on raising our flag in the international entertainment circles.
If other countries like Senegal with their Akon, South Africa with their Lucky Dubes and High Masekelas, why not us.

One thing I like about Ray is that he is very proud of his heritage and brags about his country unlike some of our stars who disassociate themselves from Zimbabwe, once they step foot on foreign lands.
Well, if you have hawk eyes like I do then you might have seen a rather mighty spring in some of our youthful singers especially the urban groovers of late.

The guys are literally painting the town red and whenever they are, a party atmosphere is always looming – they seem to be like small kings having all the nice food, drinks and women as well.
Even their dressing has suddenly changed and they are now sporting brand spanking new apparel and I was at a loss of words to the new change of fortunes until I was told that Zimura had paid off royalties to our musicians.

Zimura over the past few weeks has been paying royalties to our musicians and I hear that our urban grooves made a windfall from the payments.
Leonard Mapfumo’s manager, Jose Machingura, said they got a modest killing from the royalties and are now investing in making their act even more powerful.
“Nowadays you have to invest in music if you want to have good returns in the future. We want to have a band as that is now the norm everywhere else and that helps with the live shows. We want to take our act to another level,” Machingura said.

However, I feel all the musicians who got their dues should invest them wisely to further their careers and make it a point to buy some state of the art equipment to develop their careers rather than to spend it on booze and ladies.

We have seen many a time musicians wasting their monies on material things at the expense of things, which bring them more bread and that, should change now.