By Trevor Makonyonga
2020 has been a year filled with crazy events. From the total shutdowns, the various losses made due to the economic meltdown a lot of people are currently facing. It has not all been gloomy this year as the music industry has had some new talent discoveries and even the old and seasoned have managed to bounce back with cool tunes.
As is now the new custom, most musicians are releasing their music on YouTube and get instant views. Most people would say the more the views the better the song but that’s not always the case as some artists just ride on their already made names even when the music is not so good.
The latter is not important at this juncture as there has been good music from little known artists. The focus is on the new songs released by Holy Ten, Fidel Country boy and the unignorable potential return of Guspy Warrior on a Mbeu track.
Holy Ten
‘Holy ane kathis Holy ane ka that’ this could yet be the street endorsement line that the artist made for himself. So this rapper wowed the streets with an awesome track titled Ndaremerwa. The track brought so much attention to his brand that he became an instant hit. He then featured on tracks with Probeats, Takura and Quonfused where he proved to be a force to reckon with. On the featured tracks, he obviously had to show his prowess on partnering with other artists and it is clear that the power in his vocal will push other artists to push even harder when having him on tracks. Truth be told, the young man is owning it and has been consistent thus far. Music lover have to check out his new song, Kumba kune vanhu. Like on Ndaremerwa, HolyTen provides a social commentary. This time he focuses on girls explaining the hardships they face, the choices they make, the labels they receive and how they have to bear the burden. It now seems like every time he says “Kutongotaura nyaya semaziviro andinoiita” the conscious powerful social commentary bars involuntarily flow out of his mouth. Kumba kune vanhu is available on YouTube on the Holy Ten channel. It seems that’s one channel worthy of hitting the subscribe and notification buttons.
Fidel Country boy
The 2020 Fidel story started on an awkward tip. Earlier this year, Seh Calaz posted a video of a young girl singing a cover of Fidel’s yesteryear song, Dhomo. Fidel had recorded the song previously and was his signature song at passa passas and other shows. When Calaz posted the song, he redid it with Maz producing the should have been hit song. The song didn’t blow up but it was the least expected Tangai Bhawa which did the unlocking. He once told this publication that he never doubted his creativity but he just didn’t expect Tangai Bhawa to be the song that did it for him. Just to digress a bit, his young brother Prince Buoyah has also come out with a crazy song titled Buri. And both songs, Tangai Bhawa and Buri, have been featured on The Comic Awards on the Chekupenga of the Month category. What are the odds that one family achieves that terrible feat? Now in the capable hands of DJ Tamuka, Fidel has shown signs of not fading. He brought out a relatively good Musango. It is his latest release titled Pedza Navo that brings back that Tangai Bhawa and Ten Pakufamba groove. Released with its video, the visuals feature fellow dancehall artist Lady Bee. This is a definite party song and one wouldn’t be surprised if some ladies out there start a #PedzaNavo challenge.
Mbeu and Guspy Warrior
Earlier on this Saturday this reporter bumped into Mbeu and jokingly made fun of how he is bringing back to life old songs from yesteryear legends like James Chimombe and Thomas Mapfumo. His response was even funnier as he said the generation 2000s deserve a feel of such music. Some might not know that Mbeu has a cool rendition of Chimombe’s Emma which is a pretty good listen. His latest song, Usasindide, is yet another remake of an old song. This time he chose to sample the great Thomas Mapfumo’s 1982 hit, Ruva Rangu. Of course it is his song and his light is already shining bright but it was his choice of collaboration on the song that was astounding. Guspy Warrior the preacher’s son is also on that track. Noone can ever doubt Guspy’s talent as he already gave Zimbabwe many hit like 31 October, Mukadzi Wemunhu, Bus do shot and Seunononga. Breaking his silence on a Mbeu joint is probably the biggest musical surprise of the year. The unexpected twist to the song is that it is taken off Guspy Warriors new Lost Dreams Riddim. Mbeu has always been jazzy and reggae all at once which helped him sing on the Riddim and probably accommodated Guspy easily. Coming in with a melody similar to Adele’s Hello, Guspy really nailed his verse and the signal is clear, the people are ready for new music Mr. Manyeruke! The Lost Dreams Riddim is cool too with such artists as Mannex and Ras Caleb.
Surely Holy Ten and Fidel might just have denied to fall under the one hit wonder list.
