Jah Prayzah
It
takes me a long time to warm up to any new music artiste. I have to be
convinced first that he or she is not a fly- by-night or a one-hit
wonder. That is the case with me and Jah Prayzah. After listening to
“Gochi Gochi”, I thought that was the end of Jah Prayzah, but he has
proved me wrong. He has, since the release of that monster hit, grown from strength to strength.
To
ensure that 2014 gets off to a shimmering start, my recommendation to
the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe’s adjudicators is that they give
Jah Prayzah a NAMA at its 13th awards ceremony in February this year.
I
will tell you why. Jah Prayzah is one man who has shown great passion
for what he does and makes every effort to see that he does it properly.
On
New Year’s eve, while waiting for the arrival of 2014, I took time to
watch his Jive Zimbabwe and Diamond Studios-sponsored “Tsviriyo” DVD and
I must confess that this well-produced package is what inspired me to
write this article.
The DVD itself is professionally produced by
Slimaz Productions and it takes one’s senses and imagination to their
farthest extremes. The DVD, which was handed over to me by Benjamin
Nyandoro, the executive director of Jive Zimbabwe, has six tracks which
are from the “Tsviriyo” album.
The first track, which is the
album’s title track features Oliver Mutukudzi, Alick Macheso, Kapfupi,
Peter Moyo, Progress Chipfumo, Pastor Charamba and several other
musicians. It is a well thought out, imaginative and eye-catching
concept.
The rest of the tracks, “Machembere”, “Mwanasikana”,
“Yambuka Rukova”, “Ngoda” and “Tsamba” convincingly establish Jah
Prayzah as the rising star who has now come of age and a unique musician
in Zimbabwe.
It is easy to lose yourself in the experience of this generous release as it does not underestimate its audience.
NAMA
will find it impossible this year to ignore the effort of this young
man. That is my prediction. This year, in Bulawayo, every member of the
audience will be singing along to:
“Mumwe ari kwaTuku kungoma ya Samanyanga;
Mumwe ari kwa Macheso arikuzora butter;
Kwababa vaSheron ndiko kwavanozunza mukaka;
Ari kumhanya nedendera, Sulu achiti kata;
Sahwira wangu Kapfupi mudariro kushereketa;
Vasikana kwayiwe sisi toita basa;
Pane ati Halelujah ndibaba Charamba;
Tsviriyo tsviriyo . . .”
Last year Jah Prayzah did not receive the award when he entered the
album which features “Gochi Gochi” because there was controversy over
the originality of the song. Another artiste had claimed that he had
written the song, hence it was not entered into the nominations list.
Mukudzei
Mukombe, aka Jah Prayzah was born in Uzumba Maramba Pfungwe on July 4,
1988 .His father, Mr Mukombe is a retired headmaster while his mother,
to whom he has dedicated a song, is Shelley Savanhu.
He has been
at the forefront of Zimbabwe’s music since 2006 after leaving Kambuzuma
High School in Harare where he was teased by other school kids who
called him “father” because of his lanky figure. He wrote his first
well-received album “Rudo Nerunyararo” in 2007 and has since enjoyed the
success of hit after hit.
Though
Jah Prayzah has been involved in the music industry way before the
release of his debut album in 2007, recognition only came after he
released this second album titled “Sungano Yerudo” (2009), which carried
the monster hit “Sungano” and featured the legendary Chiwoniso Maraire
and Somandla Ndebele. Ever since then, his graph has been on an
escalation trend.
But it was his third album, “Ngwarira Kuparara”,
that catapulted him to stardom and won him awards. “Chirangano Cherudo”
was voted the most popular song while “Gochi Gochi” came second on
Radio Zimbabwe’s Top 50 competition held in 2012.
His video for
the song “Maria” was voted the best on ZBCTV’s shutdown chart show.
Backed by his Third Generation Band, the contemporary Afro-fusion, jit
and reggae musician embarked on a countrywide tour to market his latest
offering.
In March 2013, the artiste launched his latest and
fourth 10-track album titled “Tsviriyo” which enjoyed public acclaim and
propelled his career to greater heights. To spice up the new work on
“Tsviriyo” and increase its appeal, the musician roped in the services
of superstar Oliver Mtukudzi on the track “Sisiriya” and that of fiery
lead guitarist and vocalist Progress Chipfumo on “Yambuka Rukova”.
The
video to this track included Tuku, Alick Macheso, Progress Chipfumo,
Sulumani Chimbetu, Kapfupi, Charles Charamba and others. Indeed this
effort needs recognition at the 13th NAMA ceremony.
But it is the
title track “Tsviriyo” that proved to be the public’s favourite even
before the album launch as it sent revellers into spasms of delirium
each time it was played.
Prominent members of society who have the
bug for excitement started singing praises to Jah Prayzah and pledged
to donate a housing stand and musical instruments worth US$12 000.
It is not confirmed whether these pledges were ever fulfilled as Jah Prayzah neither confirms nor denies having received them.
Other tracks on the album include “Vana Muchimana”, “Machembere”, “Mwanasikana”, “Sunga”, “Rufaro”, “Ngoda” and “Tsamba”.
Jah
Prayzah is married to Rufaro and together they own several properties
and assets. For a young man who had decided to dedicate his life to
being a soldier in the army, he is not doing badly at the age of 25 and
should be recognised for that. This is why receiving a NAMA is a must
for Jah Prayzah this year in recognition of his talent.
The
inaugural NAMA was launched in February, 2002. It was through this
platform that for the first time in the history of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwean
artistes, musicians in particular, were given the recognition that they
deserved for outstanding achievements in their field.
Since 2002,
NAMA has conferred awards to outstanding musicians in categories which
include: Outstanding Music Video, Outstanding Musician/Group, Best
Selling Album, Most Promising Musician/Group and Outstanding Song of the
Year.
Jah Prayzah fits in very well into the first and last
categories of NAMA stated above. NAMA is the forum where NACZ recognises
outstanding achievements within the arts sector. By rewarding excelling
artists, NAMA stimulates more interest in the arts and raises the
profile of the same. The awards are a means of encouraging creativity
and excellence in the quality of the arts, making Zimbabwe a force to
reckon with on the international arena.
Jah Payzah is already making waves in places like South Africa, Britain and Canada.
Winners
of NAMA over the years have included well known musicians and groups
such as Oliver Mtukudzi, Alick Macheso, Simon Chimbetu, Safirio
Madzikatire, Charles Charamba, Fungisai Zvakavapano-Mashavave, Shingisai
Suluma, Filbert Marova, Hope Masike and Sulumani Chimbetu.
