The year is 28 June 1914 and Archduke Franz Ferdinand is assassinated , the catalyst to what turns out to be First World War and decades later this landmark event is referred to as the Sarajevo Incident.
Exactly 106 years later, Zimbabwean Art found itself in a colder winter as the temperatures dropped directly proportional to the number of gigs artistes got as Covid-19 kept them closer to their families than necessary.
The silver lining came mainly in the form of Nash Paints Group and Passion Java who took up the initiative to host online shows with the former building a Platform aptly named Nash TV and the later home-hopping between various media’s as they bridged the gap between the artistes and the fans. The Ground was set for what has now turned out to be a Turf War.
Metaphorically, the Sarajevo Incident has been Jah Master’s monster hit HELLO MWARI which was produced by Levels of Chillspot Records on the Nash Nation 2 Riddim. Jah Master has been bubbling under the mainstream radar for a while and it seems God answered his call on Hello Mwari something that reports suggest has not settled well with Passion Java.
The imperious Java has not held back and has taken the stick to Nash TV claiming that the Hello Mwari wasn’t held in a manner that soothes his ego. While on a local radio station he stated that ..
” handidi kutaura zvakawanda paradio asi pane zvakaitika paOriginal Hello mwari zvandakati ndigadzirise paRemix”
Upon further investigation, a source within the radio station showed information that an inter-station cartel had been established to crowdfund support for Java and the new product Hello Mwari Remix which has been received with mixed feelings.
Star Fm’s Dj Mbale highlited via his Facebook that the turf war might have also boiled into radio stations and online media platforms as he tagged Zimcelebs head honcho in a post that he wrote..
“You invite someone to your show and next thing they steal your hashtags and ideas I think Tafadzwa Rusike Gondo you were right pane vanhu vakuti tsara Mari #nxa #IpaiVanaMariDzavo”
With Jah Master the proverbial lamb , the two giants are going head on and it seems like the tension has been brewing for a long time as one dancehall artiste narrated . .
..”ukuona chi? Passion aizombokandira vapfana ma$50 waiziva saka anoti vapfana Ava ndevangu, sepanyaya ya Roddy(Jah Master) mfana akunzi anofanirwa akashedzera Zita raProphet paHello Mwari waiziya coz ndochidhindo jahman.”
As the story unfolds it will interesting to note how the Hello Mwari Remix fares versus the original and how Nash TV handles the storm on the horizon.
