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Andrew Moyo —
THE urban grooves era gave birth to a talented dancehall artiste who managed to maintain relevance in the industry for over a decade before his vibe just faded at some point, paving way for a younger generation of chanters to take over the reins.
Despite having been on top of his game for the greater part of his career, Sniper Storm, real name Donald Chirisa, has of late been quiet, which has left many music fans believing that the artiste is now a thing of the past, a relic to be precise.
However, the chanter has a statement to make. He recently released his eighth album titled “Shoot”, which he believes will put him back on the map.
It had been two years since Sniper aka The General, released any significant project with “Silver Bullet” being the last album he put on the market in 2014.
Unlike Winky D, who has managed to maintain his veteran status in the industry by consistently releasing mega hits, Sniper has been failing to keep his fire burning and only time will tell if his new project will rekindle his flame.
The chanter went all out on the album, recruiting some of the best producers in the country with the likes of Oskid, T Man, JMP and Russo among others, bringing their various sounds to the table. Comprising of 12 tracks and an additional four bonus songs, the album is a solid project with both danceable and slow reggae tunes, with the artiste experimenting with new sounds on some of the songs.
Songs that include “Tsvigiri Muhuchi”, “Chimuhwande Hwande”, “Hupenyu Hwakasiyana”, “High” and the reggae number “Zimbabwe”, are testament that the artiste really meant business when he was in the studio.
On “Tsvigiri Muhuchi”, Oskid was up to his tricks, giving it a vibe almost similar to one of Winky D’s current hits — “Gafa Party”, which is certainly going to create a debate on who was better on that particular sound.
Whether this was mischief on the part of the producer or not, the outcome was a brilliant party song that will be a welcome addition to any DJ’s playlist.
Sniper’s strength has always been on social commentary and on “Zimbabwe”, he put out a solid message when he touched on issues that include drug abuse, prostitution and moral decadence, among other things.
Oskid also displayed his vast skills and versatility on this song, creating a mesmeric reggae beat that is likely to hook many music lovers.
The chanter also put out a strong message on “Hupenyu Hwakasiyana”, where he was encouraging people to work hard if they want to have better lives, rather than resorting to unorthodox means to get rich.
Its seems like the artiste has not lost his wit that saw him rise to fame with songs like “One Room”, employing the same tactic by including some humorous lines in his songs.
His storytelling prowess can also be seen in “Chimuhwande Hwande”, where he is singing about having a secretive relationship with someone’s girlfriend. In an interview with The Sunday Mail Leisure last week, Sniper Storm admitted that his career had become stagnant but said he hoped his current release would put him back on track.
“I decided to release this album because my fans have been pressing me to put something out and besides that, I had become sort of stuck,” said Sniper.
“I have just been releasing singles on riddims but after realising that they have not been making much of an impact, I have decided to go back to basics, which is why l put this album together.
“I am confident that this effort will put me back on the limelight.”
He said he was bringing a different vibe so as to stay in touch with current music trends.
“On this album, I think people will be seeing a different Sniper because I tried to bring in a new feel to my music. Despite the fact that I am a dancehall artiste, I have to accept that there are other genres that are also trending so in order to relate with music fans, I need to be versatile by fusing my music with other sounds.”
Most of the songs on the album are dance floor ready, with the artiste saying he wanted people to have something fresh to dance to during the festive season. “Releasing this album at the beginning of the festive season was actually strategic because you will realise that most of the songs are party tunes so I wanted fans to have something to enjoy during the period.”
He added that Zim dancehall is losing the momentum it enjoyed during the past two years and there is need to resuscitate the genre. “For the past two years or so, Zim dancehall has been dominant but at the moment it is sort of fizzling out, there is need for artistes to give it a fresh breath. “If we are to maintain Zim dancehall’s dominance, as artistes we need to be more creative and come up with refreshing music that will keep people hooked to the genre.”
Sniper’s previous albums include “Silver Bullet”, “Salute The General”, “Attention”, “Ghetto Gospel”, “The Voice”, “Ndakabata Mic” and “Don Feng”.
Online Reporter