Chronicle Editor
Enigmatic musician Tarrus Riley rolls into Harare on Tuesday for his debut dance on sacred Zimbabwean artistic soil, but it is a patch of land currently red hot and in the wake of Jah Prayzah’s launch of his album “Kutonga Kwaro”. And although the rocker has a myriad fans looking forward to his performance, the “Sorry is a Sorry Word” star has to watch out for the local act that almost always silences the visiting voice; that he is coming as Jah is riding on a resurgent wave couldn’t make Tarrus’ visit any easier and certainly a battle is at hand.
While it is hardly a contest when an international act comes, it always ends up as one as pundits dissect the shows and seem to suggest that the local acts almost always upstage the visitors, who have now become wary of this tend no doubt.
“Yes Tarrus heads to Zimbabwe on Tuesday and we encourage people to come to the airport to give him a warm welcome; as entertainment republic we celebrate more the collaboration and don’t see these events as a competition,” a spokesperson for the host company Entertainment Republic was quick to say.
“We are pleased that Jah Prayzah has rave reviews over his newly launched album and this will be his first major show sampling songs off that album but it is not a competition but a game of artistes complementing each other to please the masses,” the spokesperson added.
With a Galácticos of the current best artistes in Zimbabwe concentrated on the same venue, there is set to be an explosion at the Harare International Conference Centre come October 28, with Killer T, Jah Prayzah, Seh Calaz and Soul Jah Love making the local contingent of names to grace the event alongside Tarrus and the legendary saxophonist Dean Fraser who will also perform with the Blak Soil Band. The stage is set for a battle of the stars no less.
“We wanted an eclectic line-up of names. One that caters for a wide range of tastes. Hence the decision to include Jah Prayzah who is not quintessentially of this palate and genre as well as Gary Tight who will be unveiling a new sound to his music and making a new mark in his career,” the spokesperson said. Jah Prayzah, armed with demonic energy and pomp, has almost always lit up every stage he has graced, leaving those in his wake smarting after failing to live up to his verve. The re-ignition he has struck at the hands of Kutonga Kwaro means he is in drive mode and will not be stopping, pulling any punches nor taking any prisoners as only Jah knows how to do.
“We have the best entertainment line-up of the weekend and all that is left is for the stars, both international and local, to deliver a polished performance and give our treasured patrons value for their money,” said the spokesperson.
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