admin
Bruce Ndlovu
Due to the competitive nature of music, rivalries have been part and parcel of the industry since the first drum was beat and the first note was sung.
While in sport the competition between individuals or teams is direct and thus easier to determine, in the arts the jostling for a higher standing is more subtle, as who emerges on top is dependent not only on their talent but how they are received by the public.
While the hip-hop genre, due to the tough guy stance that most in the genre take, has had the highest incidences of hostile rivalries of a�?beefa�?, other genres have also had their fair share.
Soul label mates James Brown and Joe Tex had a long standing feud in the 70s which culminated with the former seeking the latter with a blazing shotgun in hand, which led to several innocent people getting injured. Deceased pop stars Prince and Michael Jackson also had long standing cold war, which Prince finally went public with the song Life a�?Oa�� The Party off Princea��s 2004 album a�?Musicologya�? whose lyrics are thought to be a direct jab at Jackson:
a�?My voice is getting higher/And I aina��t never had my nose done/Thata��s the other guy,a�? he sang.
Back at home Sungura stars Alick Macheso and Tongai Moyo were thought to be involved in a similar cold war.
In the last few years, feuds between local artistes have also become common place, particularly in the hip-hop and dancehall genres were wordsmiths spar on a regular basis.
While one cannot be too sure how genuine a feud between artistes is, one cannot help but wonder if the frequency of the feuds reveals a deeper motive from the artistes involved. What make the beefs more suspicious is how quickly they are squashed and how the formerly feuding partners are seemingly willing to hug it out as soon as they have had enough of punching each other in the ring.
Most recently Cal_vin and Junior Brown (ABOVE) were involved in a spate, started by the latter sweeping accolades at the Zim Hip-hop awards, which threatened to divide the countrya��s hip-hop scene along city lines. However the two called a truce over a week ago, at the same time conveniently announcing collaboration.
Trevor Dongo and Mudiwa were also involved in a feud which lasted a few days before it was ended as the later apologized for his behavior. Mudiwa seems to be perpetually in one beef or the other, as he was also in a feud with Stunner which also came to an end with a song between the two.
With all these feuds coming and going at the wink of an eye, one wonders whether the public is being taken for a ride as artistes look for publicity through controversy.
According to Jibilika dance competition director and Zim dancehall awards organizer Plot Mhako, most of the beefs are manufactured feuds artistes start for publicity.
a�?A lot of the beefs are just publicity stunts that the artistes start because they want to build hype for what they are doing. If you are privy to the goings on in the industry you will know that these feuds help turn attention towards the artistes,a�? he said.
Online Reporter