The year 2018 was the year that the underdogs came to the party and delivered in the music front. The big dogs had the carpet pulled from under their feet without them realising. The usual main actors did not realise that the script had been flipped and they somehow continued reading from the wrong script only to realise at the end when none gave the usual cheer.
In sungura, everyone expected the usual. Its either Alick Macheso would rule the roost, or in his absence, Leonard Zhakata or Peter Moyo would rise to the occasion. Being 2018, the year of the underdog, one Obert Chari stood to be counted pamamonya ipapo, as they say. None, if any, then not many new of Obert Chari before his breakthrough hit, Mebo. He had released an album or two before but the closest most people would say Chari was in reference to yesteryear soccer-star, Henry Chari. His story was even more amazing in that he did well in year that Alick Macheso released, which most sungura artists will tell you is achievement they have not attained. Of course he got a little helping by constant and frequent ‘shoutouts’ from leading Social Media influencer, Plot Mhako, but also a lot of artists got that so Obert Chari deserves his three minutes in the limelight. Whether that will last or it will be flash in pan is a story for another day, but history will record that in 2018, the young and old danced to Mebo by one Obert Chari.
Maybe the underdog who barked loudest was one Enzo Ishall. Enzo had all odds stacked against him. He was an unknown dancehall artist who if he was to make it would have to fight off challenges from the likes of Winky D, Killer T, Soul Jah luv among other constant hitmakers. The year seemed ordinary, or so we thought. What with Killer T releasing as usual earlier in the year. And as usual releasing his hit inclined dancehall scorchers that usually transcend age restrictions. With the year moving towards end, we all expected Winky D to ambush Christmas with a release that would steal the limelight and also the increase his already bulging bank balance. Of course Winky D released but as for the limelight that he intended to steal, he found it already stolen by the Stallion, Enzo Ishall. He started of the year with Ras Caleb sound alike, Matsimba and Handirare Kuden Kwenyu and few in the game took notice . When he released Kanjiva, most thought he would be another Boom Beto, here today and gone tomorrow. But when he came back with Smart Rinotangira kutsoka, those with musical ears then realised that the boy was ‘running away with relay stick’. Towards Winky D time, the year end, he capped the year with Magate, that is still trending with dance challenges on Social Media. He capped a good year by Clinching the number 1 sport on the yearly Zimdancehall chart on Star FM with Kanjiva and the same songs video voted number one on the Cocacola video of the Year competition on ZTV.
ZimHiphop as a genre also saw an unexpected underdog chewing the bone as the topdogs drewled. In Bulawayo, Cal-Vin had been the king of Hiphop for long. He had earned the crown and defended it resolutely. Infact once upon a year, he had ruled the whole of Zimbabwe, Hiphop wise. But forget of the kings, as a new claiment to the crown came up. He said he was no king. He was a Mambo. Asaph had been grinding and hustling the hiphop streets for long and in 2018 the streets
paid him back. His single Ndini Mambo earned him more than one award at the ZimHiphop awards and earned him performances at the Cocacola Unplugged shows and Shoko festival among a whole lot of events he once just dreamed of. This is the kind of story that we usually read when one writes about Stunner, Mudiwa and other hiphop topdogs, but being 2018, it had to be an underdog from the city of kings named Asaph.
Contemporary traditional music had for long been best defined and described as Jah Prayzah’s music. Its a genre Jah has popularised for years somehow the genre and the artist had been interwoven and intertwinned in definition and description. Jah had fought of direct competition from the likes of Sam Dondo and even fiercer competition from once prodigy, Andy Muridzo. With Murudzo having a bad year, a year his personal demons were his worst enemies, Jah Prayzah was supposed be under no pressure at all. Maybe he got too cozy in comfort zone and another former prodigy came back to toment him. To most of Jah Prayzah’s fans, Baba Harare was supposed to be taught gratitude by the tough and unforgiving music industry and eventually come back to Jah Prayzah with his tail in between his legs, the same way most of Alick Macheso deserters did. The previous year he had released Minamato yaRasta, an album which had not caused an ripples in the industry. 2018 was supposed to be the year he would eventually curtail his ego and do the logical thing, rejoining the Third Generation band. But from the forgotten album came his saviour of a song, Hat Dzemurara. It all changed when he did a video for the song and suddenly everyone took notice and the year was never to be the same. Jah Prayzah later released Chitubu with his usual pomp and promotional overdrive. He pawned Dzamutsana as the leading sungle, as he sought to ride on the traditional contemporary beat accompanied by a classy and well directed video. The video did well, garnering unprecedented viewership on YouTube but on the dancefloor, the fans were raising ‘ hat dzemurara.’ As of whether the trend will continue in 2019,that can be anybody’s guess, however what is known as a fact is during the festive season in 2018, most music fans raised their straw hats as another underdog barked very loud