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Respect to Jah Prayzah

January 7, 2014 Entertainment

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.