Online Reporter
Tafadzwa Zimoyo
Zimpapers Entertainment Editor
IT’S the comeback no one saw coming — or maybe everyone did.
Tonight, Baba Harare will take to the stage with his latest album – ‘The Return of the Jiti Godfather- Greater and Wiser’.
And already, tongues are wagging.
The album title is already sparking debate.
Is Baba Harare mocking the Christian community by suggesting he only became “greater and wiser” after dropping the King David gospel cloak?
Or is he simply reclaiming his throne as the true giant of jiti, declaring that he has learnt from his detour and come back stronger?Either way, the title feels loaded — part boast, part challenge — and fans are left to wonder whether this wisdom comes from growth, or just from running back to the comfort zone he never really abandoned.
Surprisingly, no songs have leaked from the album or, maybe, I missed the leaks.However, Baba Harare has tossed away the Bible verses and dusted off his jiti crown.
The big question?
Is this a triumphant homecoming or just the same old Baba Harare recycling the same old script?
For a year, the once high-flying hitmaker preached and sang gospel tunes, convincing some that he had finally “seen the light.”But others weren’t fooled.His YouTube page never stopped carrying the Baba Harare name.
His social media handles never abandoned the jiti identity.
Even then, fans suspected the gospel stint was nothing more than a side hustle. And now, with his new album dropping, they’re asking if the gospel fracas he had weeks back was just a marketing gimmick for his grand return.
Some say Baba Harare is like a chameleon — changing colours depending on the crowd. But, as one fan brutally put, it: “A chameleon might change, but a snake will always be a snake.”
The criticism cuts deep.
Was gospel just his experiment, testing the waters while waiting to storm back into the beerhalls?
Or was he pushed out by an industry that never truly embraced him?
After all, Baba Harare once confessed he was “abused” in gospel — underpaid, sometimes not paid at all, and was even begged to perform for peanuts.
He painted the gospel industry as cold and unwelcoming, a place where his talent was undervalued.
Yet gospel music gurus hit back – gospel isn’t about money, it’s about ministry.
If Baba Harare expected riches, then, maybe, he never belonged there in the first place.And what happens now to King David — the persona he paraded when he wore the gospel crown?
Does he bury him silently and hope fans forget? Already, his new album title screams contradiction.
It’s almost as if Baba Harare knew all along that he would return to the sound that made him. But fans are split ahead of today’s launch.
Supporters are rolling out the red carpet. “Jiti is your home, Baba. Welcome back! Gospel was never your lane,” one follower posted. Others are less forgiving.
“You don’t play with God like that. Today gospel, tomorrow jiti? That’s not growth, that’s confusion.”
The launch of ‘The Return of the Jiti Godfather’ has now become more than just a concert — it’s a litmus test.
Can Baba Harare reclaim his throne, or has he alienated part of his fanbase for good? Does the church community still have room for him after he called them out for underpaying him?
Or will they shut their doors forever?
All eyes are fixed on him as he shares the stage with Feli Nandi, Culture Love, and Captain Britan, among others.
