Blog of a Proud Zimbabwean, capable of speaking fluent Shona, Ndebele and English - Other Notable Languages of Zimbabwe Are Venda, Kalanga, Tonga, Chewa, Nambya, Shangani, Sotho and Xhosa
Who are the best dressers in the Zimbabwe
music industry? Between Sungura, Dancehall, Hip Hop and other music types,
which group has the best dressing artists? Which Zim musicians have swag?
If you have observed the dressing style
across music genres in Zimbabwe, you will notice a specific pattern among
various artists. Normally, the dressing style is associated with the type of
music that the artist sings, for example Rappers may wear bling bling (big
chain necklaces, gold teeth), baggy jeans, hoodies, sneakers, basketball
shirts, sports jackets, track suits and orange prison garb. Regardless of the
music background, there always will be artists who dress better than the other.
These are artists with swag and style, the trend setters. There are music
genres where artists are known to have a good fashion sense and categories
which have some of the worst dressers.
In Zimbabwe, the most popular types of
music are Sungura, Dancehall, Hip Hop, Urban, House, Afro Soul and Pentecostal Gospel
music.
Without a doubt, Sungura music has one of
the best dressers in the country, thanks to the smart and dapper Simon Chimbetu
(Mr Viscose), who always had a large collection of suits and shoes in his wardrobe.
His influence can be seen in some of the succeeding generation of Sungura
singers. Like the Transporter (a famous movie), Sungura artists such as Leonard
Karikoga Zhakata and Sulumani Chimbetu are always looking good, clean shaven
and sharp in high quality suits.
Zim Jam Signal Trio
Not to be outdone are Afro Soul /Urban/Pop,
RnB and House singers. The likes of Zim Jam Signal, Ammara Brown and Tytan know
a thing or two about swag. These guys always look presentable for a red carpet
photo shoot.
The Gospel music genre, especially the
Pentecostal groups have smart and presentable dressers among them. This
includes Fungisai Zvakavapano, Pastor Mahendere and Zimpraise. Fungisai
Zvakavapano is an outstanding fashion diva.
Zim Rappers and Hip Hop artists are
supposed to be up there in the swag game, but a lot of them are so disappointing.
If you know smart and stylish Hip Hop artists such as Pharrell Williams, DJ
Khaled, Nelly, Tyga and LL Cool J, then you will realize that Zim rappers have
a long way to go in terms of swag appeal.
A lot of Zim Dancehall artists, as expected,
do not dress to impress, and therefore they are at the bottom of the list. They
are not into swag or style, preferring the robe and ghetto attire instead. Winky
D is one Dancehall artist who tries his best to look good and stylishly
different from other artists with his colourful and matched signature costumes.
In this age, there is no reason for Zim Dancehall musicians to dress like the Taliban
or average man in the streets. Some of the greatest Jamaican Dancehall artists
such as Sean Paul and Shabba Ranks had style and swag.
Shabba Ranks was stylish
Sean Paul is also stylish
Stylish / Best Dressed Zimbabwean
Musicians [ PICTURES ]
They say pictures speak louder than words.
Here are some of the best dressed musicians in Zimbabwe, who always raise the
standard. Judge for yourself, but these artists make it a point to look good on
and off the camera:
Popular Zimbabwe Music Hits 2017 - STAR FM
and YouTube
Ammara Brown Performing at Zim Achievers Awards in Dallas USA - 2016
Which Zimbabwean music tracks have millions
of views on YouTube, and which is the most popular Zimbabwean artist on
YouTube? Which Zimbabwean artists dominate the local charts? Which Zimbabwe artists
are popular in Africa and on the international stage? Would you like to know some
of the most popular continental collaborations featuring Zim artists?
Or maybe you want to watch the Top 15 High Quality Music Videos by Zimbabwean Singers >> Click Here
Post Summary
To help you digest the content, the post contains the following
sections:
Zim YouTube Leaders
Radio Charts vs. YouTube vs. Concerts
Fresh Zimbabwe Hits That You Would Like
Popular Zimbabwe Top 50 Hits on STAR FM Radio
Popular Zimbabwe Hits with Millions of Views on
YouTube
Zim Classic Music – Golden Oldies
Gospel Music Featuring Zimbabwean Artists
History
Zimbabwean music has evolved and
diversified over the past three decades since 1980. In the early 80s, Rumba
used to be the most popular music, it was then superseded by Sungura music in
the 90s. Sungura is originally Zimbabwean, it had a wide fan base, even to this
day. This is the typical township music that people would play on radio and
enjoy at entertainment joints like bars, pubs, beer halls, clubs and shebeens.
Jamaican music such as Reggae was made popular by the coming of Bob Marley to
Zimbabwe. Later, Jamaican artists such as Shabba Ranks popularized Dancehall
music which was well received and loved by young people at schools, colleges
and universities in Zimbabwe. Sean Paul of Get
Busy fame was one of the most liked Dancehall artists in Zimbabwe. Thanks
to seeds sown by pioneer Jamaican artists, Dancehall Music is now dominant in
Zimbabwe, threatening to dislodge Sungura with each passing moon. Zim Dancehall
artists such as Winky D can now fill venues and sell out shows, something which
could only be done by Sungura artists.
The current Zim generation does not only
have a taste for Dancehall music. Right behind the heels of Dancehall music is
Afro Hip Hop music, which is not only invading Zimbabwe, but Africa as a whole.
It seems every African country wants to have their own Casper Nyovest. There
are a lot of Hip Hop groups in Zimbabwe (including those who are US and UK
based) competing for attention. A lot of them are satisfied with being featured
on local radio. They don’t have ambitions as big as Casper Nyovest, although
they are exceptionally talented.
South African House Music has also had an
impact on Zimbabwean music. Up until now, there was no serious House artist in
Zimbabwe, although the music is popular in the western region. Today, you have
significant Zim House artists such as DJ Stavo, Tina Masawi,Willom Tight, including a lot of
Zim/South Africa collaborations and DJs. Despite this, people still prefer
South African House acts such as Big Nuz, Professor, Babes Wodumo and Kelly
Khumalo.
Besides Dancehall, Sungura, Hip Hop and
House music, a lot of new artists in Zimbabwe have sprung up with exotic
flavours. Some of these artists don’t even know how to classify their music,
but I have detected sounds from Kizomba, Calypso, Spanish, Portuguese and
Nigerian music.
Zim YouTube Leaders
A review of Zimbabwean artists on YouTube
shows that Jah Prayzah is the most popular artist on the platform. He has at
least three music videos with over a million views each. His top track Watora Mari has over 3.4 million YouTube
views, followed by Hello at over 1.18
million views and Eriza with over 1.4
million views. He has a lot of songs with over 500,000 views.
Jah Prayzah is also the most popular artist
in Zimbabwe at the moment. His concerts are always full and sold out, and he
has many hits in the local music charts on STAR FM. They say luck follows those
who work hard. As a reward for his work, Jah Prayzah was also the first
Zimbabwean artist to win the MTV Africa Music Awards in October 2016. The
ceremony was hosted in Johannesburg, South Africa at the Ticketpro Dome.
Following behind Jah Prayzah is Ammara
Brown. She is one of the most popular Zim artists in this generation. Her most
popular music video is Mukoko. It has
over 1.2 million views on YouTube. Her second most popular music video (Kure Kure) is approaching a million
views on YouTube, currently at 952,057 views. Ammara Brown was the top artist
in the 2016 End of Year Top 50 Charts on STAR FM Zimbabwe. Her popular hit
track Mukoko came at number 1.
The following music videos featuring Zim
artists are not necessarily current generation artists, but they have at least
a million views on YouTube:
Leonard Dembo – Must See Remix – 2,441,510 views
Oliver Mtukudzi & Ringo Madlingozi –
Into Yami – 1,149,506 views
Pastor Mahendere – Wakanaka Jesu – 1,059,539 views
The Zimbabwe music scene shows correlation
on an artist’s popularity between local radio charts and concerts. A lot of
popular artists who can fill up concert venues have several hits in the top 50
music charts. However, there are artists who don’t have a presence on YouTube,
and those who have a YouTube Channel such as Jah Prayzah and Ammara Brown
perform well in all aspects.
Winky D performs well at concerts and he
has produced several hits in the Top 50, but his popularity on YouTube is
unexpectedly low. Maybe this is due to the fact that he doesn’t have a YouTube
Channel.
Of all artists, Jah Prayzah is the most
technologically forward and trendy. He has a personal YouTube Channel, a
website and Facebook Page.
New artists such as Brian K have proved
that you can get in the Top 5 of the local Music Charts by utilizing your
social media presence, which is basically mobilizing your social media fans to
vote for you on radio. Brian K’s newest music hit Heavy Machine came at number 3 in the 2016 STAR FM Top 50 End of
Year List, beating a lot of established giants such as Jah Prayzah, Winky D,
Killer T, Rihanna and Chris Brown.
It has to be noted that there are different
broadcasting corporations and shows in Zimbabwe e.g. STAR FM, ZiFM, ZTV and
Radio Zimbabwe. Artists will perform differently on these shows, losing in some
shows and winning in others.
The most high-prized show in Zimbabwe is
the Coca Cola Radio Zimbabwe Top 50 and the Coca Cola ZTV Top 50. Prizes worth
2500, 2000 and 1500 USD are awarded respectively to the first, second and third
positions on the ZTV competition. The same goes for the Radio competition.
Jah Prayzah won the 2016 Coke Top 50 ZTV
competition, followed by Ammara Brown & Tytan. Ammara Brown also won the
third prize, which was shared with Ex-Q. Leonard Zhakata, a Sungura artist, won
the Radio Zimbabwe Top 50, walking away with 6000 USD in prize money for having
tracks in the first, second and third position. The discrepancy in the prize
winning patterns across different platforms shows that each radio/TV show in
Zimbabwe has a specific demographic, for example the ZTV audience is probably
the young and current generation who like modern artists such as Jah Prayzah
and Ammara Brown. The Radio Zimbabwe audience is probably dominated by older
people and township/rural folk who prefer Sungura music.
Fresh Zimbabwe Hits That You Would
Like
Holiday –
by Bantu (US based Zimbabwean Artist/Producer) *
Heavy
Machine – by Brian Kadengu *
Overrated
– by Zim Jam Signal *
Pamusika
– by Mr Kamera Ft Ice Prince, Bryan K and Gemini Major *
Fungai
Nengare – Maybe it’s You*
Maiwe –
by Lamont Chitepo, The Beast (UK based Zimbabwean Artist)*
XX XX
Popular Zimbabwe Top 50 Hits on STAR
FM Radio
These are some of the frequently played
songs on STAR FM Zimbabwe:
Ndiwanire
– by Tytan, Deboy and Sparks
Ngizikhethele
– by Sisolo/Sisonke
Mwedzi
Muchena – by Dj Stavo & Oliver Mutukudzi *
Ngimtholile
– by Dj Stavo *
Tight
Party – by Willom/Gary Tight*
Takangodaro
– by Killer T
Lazaro –
by Winnie Khumalo ft Lynol & Busiswa *
African
Paradox – by Willom Tight / Salif Keita
Mhandu / Imhandu
- by GZE*
Sthandwa
Sami – by Tina Masawi*
Don't Delay - (ft.Roberto & Simba Tagz)*
Amen – by
Junior Brown *
Amen
Remix – by Junior Brown / Calvin
Kalife
Kemaboss – by Junior Brown & Tytan
Mukoko –
by Ammara Brown & Tytan*
Watora
Mari – by Jah Prayzah Ft. Diamond Platnumz *
If you are one of those people who has
never visited Zimbabwe for a long time, then you are missing out a big deal
because the level of entertainment is top notch. As they say in Afrikaans slang
“Local is Lekker”. Once you tune in to STAR FM, one of several radio stations
in Zimbabwe, you will find yourself watching less DSTV because the programs are
interesting, the DJs are captivating and the music is great. This is an
occasion to reveal the names of the top Radio DJs in Zimbabwe.
You see, I don’t usually listen to Radio,
preferring to spend my time on DSTV and the internet (YouTube, Sound Cloud
etc.). This all changed when I visited my home country. I found my friend
listening to a song on radio (I can’t remember the song).I asked him the name
of the radio station and he said it’s ZiFM. From that day onwards I started
tuning into radio stations whenever I was bored with DSTV, just to get a feel
of the programs and the quality of music. I was playing Zim radio on my car.
Radio is nice when you are travelling long distances. As it turns out, the FM
frequency band is where the best radio stations are found. STAR FM and ZiFM are
the coolest and top modern radio stations in Zimbabwe. Both are active on
social media such as Facebook and Twitter. STAR FM has the highest listenership
in the country, but the ZiFM Facebook Page has the highest number of fans. I
listened to ZiFM for several days. The quality of programs and presentations is
great. ZiFM presenters such as Ruvheneko, ESKay and Sokostina were great
to listen to, and of course Ruvheneko is one of the best presenters in
Zimbabwe. She is an articulate, engaging, fierce and assertive presenter who likes
confronting corruption. Her departure from ZiFM left a void that will be hard
to fill.Apparently ESKay and Sokostina also left ZiFM.
However, later on I tuned in to STAR FM.
This became my favourite radio station for a lot of reasons. First, STAR FM has
an array of talented DJs and presenters, a variety of interesting programs and
it is the station where I discovered a lot of great music and big names in Zim Dancehall,
Zim Hip Hop, Sungura, Zim House and other types of music. You see, I have
listened to music from a variety of African artists, and I have to say that
Zimbabwean artists are talented. I can also say with confidence that Zimbabwean
DJs and presenters are easily the best in Africa. They are not only fluent in
the English language but they have personality too.
In case you didn’t know, this is the era of
the Y Generation. This young
generation of Zimbabwean artists is introducing music from all corners of the
world, music such as Kizomba, a type of music that is relatively new in
Zimbabwe.
Top Radio DJs and Presenters in
Zimbabwe
The following current generation of STAR FM
radio DJs and presenters are not only highly talented and interesting to listen
to, but they also convinced me that “Local is Lekker”:
The Moxinator - Shingai Mokina
The
Moxinator – Specializing in the Zim hip hop and
urban music scene, the moxinator (real name Shingai Mokina) is a cool DJ to
hang around with on STAR FM.He will moxinate you with ‘moxygen’ and you will
never be the same again. You keep coming back for more until the ‘’moxygen
tank’ is empty. It’s his job to fill it. He handled the end of year 2016 STAR
FM Top 50 very well. To get an idea of new music that is penetrating Zimbabwe,
Brian K – (Heavy Machine) came at No.3 in the End of Year Top 50, beating a lot
of established giants such as Winky D and Jah Prayzah. RATING - I give the Moxinator 5 stars.
KVG - Kudzai Violet
KVG
& Phathisani – One of the most popular DJs on
STAR FM. Most people (especially guys) are infatuated with KVG’s voice. She is
one of the sexiest presenters in the country. The initials KVG stand for Kudzai
Violet Gwara. Her co-presenter Phathisani brings in real dude talk on social issues which the
average man in the street can associate with. This pair is always exciting,
energetic, lively and carefree on air. There is some chemistry between them
which makes them click as presenters. They always deliver a good show when they
are together. As they “go deeper” into topics and issues, you have to
anticipate a good debate that will grab your attention for hours – a dose of
realism, sincerity and naughtiness. RATING
- I give KVG & Phathisani 5 stars.
Yvonne Mangunda
Yvonne
Mangunda – She is a professional sports presenter
for STAR FM. She performs better than most male sports journalists or any male
presenter that I have ever known. What I like about Yvonne is that she speaks fluently and clearly, unlike some
nose brigades on STAR FM who chew words trying to speak with an American accent.
Yvonne speaks smoothly, she rarely stammers and she rarely gets mind blocks trying
to think of a word or something to say. Above all, you can clearly hear every
word she says. RATING - I give Yvonne 5
stars.
Steve Vickers
Steve
Vickers – A
well known, talented and knowledgeable STAR FM English sports presenter with a
lot of experience. Super Sports and BBC are some of the broadcasting stations
he has worked for. Mr V is known for being a disciplined and good mannered presenter,
very professional and above all, he is a world class presenter, not only for
Sports but other programs as well. He is a good quiz master and gifted at
giving some sound motivational advice. RATING
- I give Mr Vee 5 stars.
The
Skywalker – Real name Ndumiso Dube.He is a top
vernacular language DJ on STAR FM and probably the best in the country,
specializing in Sungura music. This smooth and slick DJ is socially
intelligent, witty, charming and streetwise. He is the type of personality that
is easily liked by anyone on first impressions. And of course, he is the
Sungura king. RATING - I give the
Skywalker 5 stars.
Aunty
Tilda – If you don’t know Aunty Tilda, then you are
probably a youngster who doesn’t tune in to adult vernacular programs on STAR
FM. She is a well-known vernacular language presenter on STAR FM, and probably
the most popular in the whole country. This senior presenter obtained her fame
from programs such as Tilda Live
which is aired every Tuesday at 9:00pm. Her programs are focussed on Zimbabwean
traditional beliefs, customs, culture, superstitions, witchcraft, African
rituals and extraordinary happenings in the community. If you are looking for a
strange and mysterious story that you thought only exists in imagination, then Tilda Live is the program to tune into. RATING – I give Aunty Tilda 5 stars.
RK – Also known as Richard Kohola, this senior STAR FM presenter is
capable of creating an engaging conversation and debate that has potential to
spark fireworks. If you tune in to Faith on Trial every Sunday, you will
understand why it’s exciting. It’s because of the RK factor. He has a way of
questioning that makes you think again. RK is a versatile presenter, capable of
handling a variety of social, educational and motivational programs. He also
plays DJ on Saturdays as the Music Doctor. RATING
– I give RK 5 stars.
Other good presenters on STAR FM are Yvonne
Karichero (Farmers Forum) and Nyaradzo Makombe (The Hub Livewire).
Ruvheneko
Ruvheneko – The daughter of the famous Doctor David Parirenyatwa. She is a
popular former ZiFM radio presenter, and one of the best in the country. At
ZiFM she was also the Programmes Manager. With the passion and fearlessness she
exudes on shows, you would want this firebrand and articulate DJ to be your
lawyer. Every radio station in Zimbabwe would love to snatch her. Ruvheneko joined
the young ZiFM radio station and quickly proved to be the most popular show
host with her programme The Platform. She later on resigned from ZiFM even
though the company offered to move her to a video production department called Mighty
Movies. She is now working at ZTV on a programme called My Future.
Ruvheneko is very involved in all programs
that she is participates in. She is a fluent English speaker with a beautiful
voice, assertive and engaging. You have to be prepared when you enter into a
debate with Ruvheneko because you will be cornered like a rabbit. She is a
social mirror, in sync with public opinion and will ask questions that ordinary
Zimbabweans are burning to ask. RATING -
I give Ruvheneko 5 Stars.
The Best Radio Presenters and DJs – English Language
The following Zimbabwean radio presenters
and DJs can deliver exceptionally well in the English language, they are not
only fluent in English but they are also articulate, eloquent and good
sounding.
KVG – She has a great voice and sexy personality. She delivers well in
the English language and it’s no secret that many people are in love with her voice.
Even some Zim artists have verses in their songs talking about KVG’s voice.
The
Moxinator – As an urban hip hop DJ and presenter,
the Moxinator sounds natural in the English language. It’s easy to confuse him
for Tich Mataz or one of those hood “salads” who grew up in Avondale.
Yvonne
Mangunda – She is a well-known female voice on STAR
FM Sports. She is an amazing speaker who delivers exceptionally well and
smoothly in the English language. She is fast and yet you can clearly get every
word she says. Her eloquence, fluency and clarity are above par. Sometimes it’s
hard to get what KVG and The Moxinator say because they speak with an accent,
but Yvonne is always clear.
Steve
Vickers (Mr V) – He is a native English speaker, so
presenting in English is a walk in the park for him. If you want to know facts,
well researched and balanced material, then this guy is good at it. He is a level-headed
and professional presenter who desists from taking sides or opinionated
positions.
RK – He is comfortable in the English language, and can easily switch
between Shona and English whenever it’s convenient.
Ruvheneko - A popular high class presenter with a good command of the English
language. She is fluent, articulate, passionate, engaging and expressive. An
exceptional speaker with an attractive voice that makes you want to listen to
her all the time. When she is on a show, you wish the show would go on and on.