Ngoni Dapira

IT will be a litmus test for the multi award winning artistes Jah Prayzah and Tocky Vibes that have back to back shows in the eastern province of Manicaland this weekend.

The lanky man-of-the moment, Jah Prayzah, will be performing tonight (Friday) at a show in Watsomba in Mutasa district where he will share the stage with Jah Signal of the ‘Sweetie’ fame that literally became a national anthem last year.

Tocky Vibes will on the other hand tomorrow (Saturday) perform in Mutare for the first time in this year at the new look Flavourtown Nightclub at Macs Place in Palmerstone. The dancehall sensation who is also ridding high with his “Villager’s Money Volume 2” album released end of June, but is yet to be officially launched, is a lyrical genius that needs no formal introduction in the local music circles.

The following of Jah Prayzah will be put to test in the remote growth point of Watsomba which is approximately 40 kilometres out of Mutare, where he traditionally performs in the central business district. The ‘Watora Mari’ hitmaker who took the continent by storm with his duet with Tanzania’s Diamond Platnumz in 2016 has since then turned platinum recording many chart busting collaborations with famed regional artistes, churning perennial hit songs after hit songs on each album.

The gig which will be at Mandel Night Club, is part of Mutare based socialite and businessman, Lovemore Mandimutsira’s 40th birthday celebrations. He decided to host the show as a corporate social responsibility gesture to his rural folks, where he hails from, that rarely have the privilege of interfacing with their music icons such as Jah Prayzah and Jah Signal. Fans will be expecting to hear live, hit song such as “Dzamutsanamutsana” and “Chikomo” whilst from Jah Signal his hits such as “Stonyeni”, “Sweetie” and “Mubako” among others.

Jah Prayzah’s manager Keen Mushapaidze confirmed the show and said they were ready for the showdown. He expressed confidence in his artiste drawing a large following anywhere he is invited citing that he has now come off age as a prolific musician. “We are ready for the show and we are urging our fans to come in their numbers and be part of this event,” said Mushapaidze.

The cover charge for the show will be local currency $40 for advance tickets and $70 at the gate — EcoCash and Swipe will be available.  “The complex is spacious and we believe it will accommodate more than 2 000 people. We created a VIP section for those respectable guests that usually enjoy privacy during shows. I am honoured to have these two celebrated artistes as part of my birthday celebrations,” said Mandimutsira.

Tocky Vibes another serial hit-maker will also be out to prove his mettle as a crowd puller when he invades Flavourtown Nightclub in Mutare the following day.  The show is part of his promotion of his latest offing “Villager’s Money Volume 2”, an album recently released end of June.

The Zimdancehall chanter whose real name Obey Makamure, shot to fame through tracks such as Mhai and Tocky Ayenda Nenyika, and ever since he has been a serial hit-maker in the dancehall genre.

His manager Temptation Chirenje confirmed that they will be performing at the new-look Flavourtown Nightclub in Mutare which will be officially hosting its first artiste since it rebranded. He said the new album comes with a new sound from Tocky. “The new album is different this time because in Tocky’s previous works, he talks about problems facing other people, but this time around, he is focusing on his life, and you shall come to know some things you didn’t know about Tocky, because the album will explore a lot about his personal experiences,” said Chirenje.

On the other-hand the new-look nightclub Flavourtown situated at Macs Place in the low density suburb of Palmerstone is promising to be a big competitor. Its upmarket location has seen it draw new uppity revelers ever-since it underwent renovations last month. The cover charge for the show will be $30 advance tickets before 9pm then $50 afterwards.

Last week Friday the club was full to the brim till the wee hours of Saturday morning whilst a fortnight ago local dancehall DJ Ras Kumbu also drew a large crowd at his show at the same venue. Spokesperson of the club Tafadzwa Chakonda said the official opening will be done soon after final touches are done at the club, as they also want to create an open-air setup, but the Tocky Vibes show is part of their series of shows lined up towards the build-up for the official opening of the club which will also serve as trial runs to hear what revelers want.

The well-traveled 25-year old multi-award winning dancehall star who was recently in the United Kingdom on a tour said the Volume 2 album, unlike Volume 1 released early this year, will be available on CDs for easy access by his local music fans.

Having started his musical journey as a teenager in 2009 through “Tiri kumhanya” since then, he has raised the bar with a string of hits, among them “Amai”, “Aenda Nenyika”, “Ndini Ndinorira” and “Dziripo Hama”, to name just a few. He has remained consistent in releasing music — with songs such as “Tushiri”, “Maoko Mudenga” and “Mari”, among many others which were chart busters and his latest offing is already threatening to produce some hit songs.