Sniper rules at OK gig

Brenda Phiri Entertainment Reporter
Dancehall musician Sniper Storm proved he is like the proverbial cat with nine lives when he defied odds and thrilled the audience at the OK Grand Challenge after-party held over the weekend at Borrowdale Racecourse.

It is no secret that the chanter, whose real name is Donald Chirisa, has been struggling to keep up with the new breed of vibrant youths who are ruling the roost in Zim dancehall.

In fact, the genre has evolved so much over the years that new “riddims” emerge each week.

Countless artistes battle for supremacy on new riddims and the victors become prominent features at Zim dancehall shows.

Sniper has not featured on posters lately and yet he was the genre’s representative at the annual OK Grand Challenge. He admitted to feeling the heat prior to the show but rose to the occasion to the best performer against seasoned artistes Suluman Chimbetu and Jah Prayzah.

“I’m only human and the pressure was obviously there. A lot has happened and there is now a younger generation that appeals more to the younger fans. It was even more competitive to perform between Jah Prayzah and Sulu but I was confident and pulled through,” said Sniper.

Chimbetu and Jah Prayzah’s acts were also exceptional and both had an army of band members.

Sniper said the odds were against him as he had a small band that was performing to what he called “Soul Jah Love and Killer T fans”.

He attributed the success to his brand that has seen him produce music that appeals to different people.

Quizzed on why he had not been visible on the entertainment scene of late, he had this to say:

“Last year I had a number of personal matters that affected my music but it was also the year that I was most productive. My album ‘Silver Bullet’ won awards and follow up singles like ‘MaFans Angu’ did well”.

“Besides, these days there are now many artistes and show promoters have a variety to choose from. But I’m thankful to God that my kind of music stands out because it is timeless” he said.

The musician also revealed that his absence from many local shows has been due to misunderstandings with promoters that try to short change him.

The artiste was diplomatic about the issue, saying at times during negotiations, promoters offer unreasonable charges for shows which forces him to opt out.

“I do not want to blame anyone so I plan to improve his visibility on the market. The music is there but because I’m not being found on most of the shows, people end up believing that I would have disappeared,” he said.

Zim dancehall pundit Simbarashe “Godfather Templeman” Maphosa spoke about the disappearing tendencies of artistes.

He gave examples of Jamaican stars like Bennie Man who have been on top of his game since the early 1990’s.

“This is a trend worldwide in dancehall. There are good artistes who sometimes seem to be out of the game but they would not have produced hit songs.

There is always a battle to constantly stay relevant by appearing on latest riddims and collaborating with new artistes,” he said.