Proud Zimbo [Anhu Acho]

The first edition of artist of the month goes to the Bigman or  Gafa as he is calling himself now. Winky D released his hugely popular and requested Gafa Life Kickstape this month, the Kickstape not only showed the masses that Winky has not lost his touch but it has solidified his position as a Legend in the Zim Music Industry. Since 2010's Igofigo Winky has failed to give us a solid album, mix-tape, project but its now a thing of the past. The Gafa Life Kickstape was produced at Kenako Studios by DJ Oskid ( who earlier today has announced that has parted ways with Kenako Studios ). The Kickstape consists of 6 fantastic well made and thought of tracks which are definitely going to cause damage this coming festive season. Below are all of the 6 tracks:  1) Copyrights . 2) Disappear 3) Ndini Ndaita Kuti 4) Idya Mari 5) Woshora 6) Survivor ft Shinsoman Proud_Zimbo

October seems to be a favourite for many artists, many tracks were released this month and that makes creating the top 5 songs of October a headache. After many hour of listening and arguing these were the songs that made it into the top 5: 1)   Pah Chihera ft MacDee - Ukandisiya After some time working in the background Pah Chihera is back and is back with a bang. This song addresses heartbreaks and honouring vows. The collaboration with MacDee, is just heavenly. Classic track. 2) Killer T & Mathias Mhere - Wenyasha Ungamudii Quite an unusual collaboration, however it works perfectly. Staying in the Lords favour and grace is the best thing anyone can do. The song stresses on that importance and at the same time entertaining us. 3)   Winky D & Shinsoman - Survivor Gafa and Baba Devante collaborated to give hope to the Ghetto Youths in these dire economic situations. Powerful. This song is pure edutainment. 4) Winky D - Woshora (Summer Anthe

After some time Dj Naida is back behind the mic with this new song Jaiva . Dj Naida is one of the few respected female Club Deejays and MC in the country. Despite concentrating more on the deejay side Naida is a fierce MC who can drop some serious bars. She is back with a house track, how does it fare?? The track was produced by Showtime Record boss Reverb 7 together with Showtime Record rapper Simba Tagz. Reverb 7 is no newcomer to house music as he is a deep house producer and DJ himself. Simba Tagz is also massively talented on the production side with a couple of hit songs under his belt, the most known being Pee Kay's Ma1 . The two guys did a great job, going for an Uhuru kind of beat and they did it well. The beat even on it's own can cause damage on the dancefloor. Great jop by the duo. For afro house like this, lyrics are just there to make the song more full, lyrics are there to compliment the beat to make the song more dance-able. We have seen that with many

TeamBhoo is back with visuals for their track Hatitambwe Idzodzo . TeamBhoo seems to be only hip hop group which is still functioning, award winning groups Few Kings and MMT are now extinct. Zim Hip Hop has been well below par in 2015 with only the exception of a few like Cal_Vin & Gze. TeamBhoo have no competition at the moment and come next awards season the gongs are for them to take, the group awards l mean. So how does Hatitambwe Idzodzo fare ??? The track was produced by resident producer Dj Towers. The instrumental is quite dope, not as iconic as the Hamuko instrumental but it can stand its own ground. The song in overall is well mixed and mastered, the elements of the instrumental are audible and the vocals are clear. Great Job to Dj Towers. Hatitambwe Idzodzo is about standing your own ground against any haters and competitors. It basically saying "am not that gullible" and outclassing your haters. Schingy was in charge of the bars and he did well. His

Gt Beatz, Tricky J & Mugo hyped this video like crazy, they made sure every hip hop and even non hip hop fans knew that it was coming. The marketing was powerful and on point....great work from the guys. The video is finally out now, and was the hype all in vain ??? did it meet the expectations they created??? The song was produced by gT Beatz. The instrumental is well made and sounding good. The song is quite audible...gT Beatz did a great job both on beat production side and also on the mixing and mastering. The video is dope, quality is on point, the directing matches the theme and feel of the joint. The video does not disappoint, for once a video has managed to match the hype created for it. Zim is quite a conservative country and the guys were pushing boundaries with this video and it works...we await to see the reaction of the masses. The video follows the international trend which put much emphasis on cars, ladies, expensive liquor and money. In terms of Zim Hip Hop it

Zim Jam Signal is house fusion/jazz band made up of three guys namely : Abel Maunga, Mutsawashe Gudlanga and Osborne Matengenzara. Zim Jam Signal has been having shows around Harare for some months now and are making a good name for themselves. The group is now evolving from a jazz/house fusion band to an afro pop band. With many artists right now preferring the computerized type of music, Zim Jam Signal is aiming at producing similar sounding songs but with the use of a live band.....quite brave. Jikina is their first track since choosing the afro pop kind of beat so how does it sound??  The instrumental is sounding quite great. Love the modern techno Fuse ODG kind feel of the instrumental. The best part of the song for me is from 2:01 when they introduced the saxophone...it changes the whole song and brings a new dimension to the instrumental, it gave the song this salsa feel which one doesn't hear much this side of the world. Repeated that part for like 10 times, its hea

Zimbabwe is a dancehall/reggae loving country, possibly the biggest reggae/dancehall consumer in Africa. International Dancehall acts are flocking the country, its like a second home to them. In 2015 alone Zimbabweans have witnessed shows from : Konshens, Charly Black, Luciano and the latest one being Busy Signal.  The show was organised by Chippaz Promotions together with Devine Promotions. Chippaz reputation is stained due to some of the antics he usually does which leave fans feeling cheated. The Davido show is one such show. The last high profile show, the Konshens Concert which occurred two weeks back was marred by massive technical glitches and mismanagement....all these memories had Busy Signal fans praying that their show won't be as those two shows before. In hope of good faith the fans thronged the Glamis arena in hope of a spellbinding show like the 2012 Beenie Man Concert, which is lauded as the best show by an International act since the start of the 21st cent

Winky D or Gafaaa as he is calling himself now has released a Kickstape titled Gafa Life. Kickstep is Winky's version of a Mix-tape....l guess, but regardless of what an artist name his/her project we do not care as long as we get to enjoy the music. When he gave out the download link to the Kickstape this is what he had to say : "The Ninja President details the life of thematic expertise in conquering adversity. The Kickstape is laced with mature and didactic lyrical content that fosters a responsiveness amidst negative forces in life. A true face of ingenuity." So how good is the Kickstape ??? Will do a review of just three of the tracks on the Kickstape and the other will let you do the reviewing. Woshora (Summer Time) This is Winky's official summer song  and it was produced by Oskid at Kenako Studios. The song is well produces, Oskid is not putting a beat wrong these days, everything he produces is on point. Love the party feel of the ins

Dexter Baysiq is one underrated by hugely talented Christian Rapper. His track Celestial is one of the best Christian rap tracks of the year. Dexter is making a name for himself in the rap circles and if he releases a couple more tracks like Celestial he will definitely be mentioned among the best. Talking of the best, he collaborated with celebrated and respected rapper Courtney Antipas. Definitely a good move to introduce himself to Zimbos all over. SO how does the track fare? The instrumental is sounding good and modern. For a person that listens to a lot of hip hop, the instrumental doesn't offer anything new but that doesn't mean its bad though. The layout of the song, the beat, vocal arrangement remind me of Big Sean's Blessings, maybe my ears are deceiving me but it sounds similar somehow. That for me takes some points for originality off the track. Despite that, its well made, the beat & vocals are mixed well and lyrics are audible. The is a track

This is a collaboration l expected a couple of years back, anyway that doesn't matter am glad the collaboration has finally happened. The Bigman or Gafa as he is calling himself these days is on a hot streak currently, Biggie is now showing why he is a Legend in the game,  more than 10 years on top of his game. Baba Devante on the other side is having a dry patch, 2015 has not been smiling at him and  this is the perfect chance to turn that around. So how good is this star collaboration??? The song was produced by producer of the moment Oskid of Kenako studios. Oskid is on a hot streak of his own, every beat he makes is on point. This instrumental adds to his now long list of hits. He knows how to mix and master his songs, the end result is for all to hear....this track sounds great. Great work by Oskid. This track is about uplifting the Ghetto Youths. Unemployment is high in the country and these two artists are urging those people to keep on hustling, despite challen

Sharky is one talented rapper who is respected by many hip hop fans but not much known by those not affiliated to hip hop music. His influence and reach is still much limited to hip hop fans. The Chitungiwa based MC has been in the game for more than three years and has gave us songs such as : Soko Matemai , Ndere Mahara , Yohwe ...etc. Came across the link to the track Dzoka on twitter a couple of days back and thot of doing a review of the jam. The track was produced at G Records with Tizzy being the brains behind the instrumental. for more info on how the song came about read here . The instrumental is on an afro-beat tip, and its sounding very nice. Love how they incorporated traditional instruments onto the beat, the mbira makes the song sound richer and more original. The beat sounds fresh and the guitar riff added more flavour and rhythm to the song. Great work by Tizzy ( @Tizzy_007 ). Dzoka (Return) is to all those Zimbos that leave the country for greener pastures

MarcQues is back, after some time in the background he is back. His track  Zunguza was such a smash hit that he was able to ride on its wave for quite some time, however Zimbos (me included) were starting to question him, his abilities and consistency. MarcQues is suffering from the curse of starting a career with a massive club anthem and hip hop track of the year. Following up such on a debut is a gigantic task which many fail to take on successfully. After 2 years MarcQues has released a track worthy to be mentioned beside  Zunguza , or did he ?? Nyarara was produced by YoungNash, the producer was also quiet for some time just like MarcQues. However he still hasn't lost his touch, the instrumental is sounding dope. The song was mixed and mastered by Rehab Boss Anonzi Xndr. The song sounds great, the vocals and instruments used on the production are audible. Great Job from the YoungNash and Anonzi Xndr. MarcQues was replying to all of his critics on this jam. He is

Tocky Vibes or the Prodigal Artist as l like to call him is slowly getting back to his best again. After failing miserably to switch genres from Reggae/Dancehall to Contemporary Traditional/ Jazz, Tocky decided to return to the genre that made him a household name and artist of the year in 2014. His first song Anakirwa was not that good, he went on to release MaJuda NemaSamaria , Bvuru Bvuru & Ndinouya ..etc which were warmly received by the masses.  Tocky has changed his music a bit though, he is more inclined to reggae with a lot of traditional elements to his instrumentals and way of singing. He is now trying to slowly change his sound whilst keeping his reggae/dancehall fan base entertained and happy, exactly what he should have done before rather than change abruptly. So how does the new track fare??? The track was produced at Mt Zion Records. Despite losing the popularity throne to Kenako studios Mt Zion is still making some amazing songs. This track is one of t

TeamBhoo is back again, this time not with more controversies but with a new jam. They established themselves as a Hip Hop powerhouse with their hit track Hamuko ft Simba Tagz, and they followed that track with another jam Ziyayi Zvinhu ft Schingy.  Last l heard Schingy was no longer part of TeamBhoo but it seems he is back in the group now or not hameno. To more serious stuff,  how does the new jam fare?? This track is a mixture of  Hip Hop and Dancehall, Kritical seems to be good  at those kind of beats, remember MMT's Chakaipa ft Dhadza D. The genre fusion works great on this one. The beat sounds very good, even on its own it can rock the dancefloor. Great job by Kritical Beatz on this one. The track is about partying and having that hot girl dance for you. TeamBhoo delivered the first verse and they did a commendable job, its the least verse on the joint though. Nyasha Timbe owned the hook, he did justice to it. Chibabababababababa killed his verse. Jah Luv is o

Pah Chihera gave us the classic love ballad Runonzi Rudo in 2013, the track introduced her to Zimbos in a big way. The track up to now is a favourite at many weddings.  She then went a bit quiet in 2014, with many saying she was a one hit wonder but am glad to say she is back, another album is in the works. So with such a monstrous hit on your resume how does the new track fare??? The songs has a traditional jazzy feel to it. Macdonald " MacDee" Chidavaenzi did a great job on the production, the song sounds smooth and by the end one will be dancing. Love the originality of the instrumental, its one will just know this is Zimbabwean. Awesome work by the legendary producer MacDee. One of the most painful things in life is when you partner leaves you, the heartbreak is unbearable. This song is about fearing and dreading such pain. Its about a lover telling his/her other half that if they leave, they will die with longing and pain. Its about honoring the vows which

The thing l respect most about Cal_Vin is that even as he is fast rising into one of Zim's finest rappers and certified hit maker he is making sure other Bulawayo rappers rise as well and get the needed recognition. His rise is benefiting other artists in the city of Kings. This time he featured on Thabbz's Hey Wena. Did not know about Thabbz till this track, so how does the track fare??? The track was produced by Cal_Vin. They went for a Kwaito instrumental and it's sounds great. Kwaito is quite big in Bulawayo and l bet this one is on many Dj's playlists in the City of Kings. The instrumental has a slow tempo bouncy feel, which is expected from Kwaito beats. Even for the rest of Zim where Kwaito is not that big, the beat will get you bumping. Great work on the production from Cal_Vin. The track has a catchy hook, one you will find yourself singing along to when its dropped in the club or party. Thabbz did a great job on his verse, loved it. Cal_Vin always

High riding Killer T has collaborated with gospel star Mathias Mhere on this gospel track. Killer T's Ngoma Ndaimba album is strong contender for album of the year. Mathias Mhere also enjoyed a hot streak like Killer T's with his Nguva Yenyasha album which dominated the charts and was a staple for many Zimbos. So what happens when two different stars collaborate??? When l saw the title and artists, l thought we'll be hearing Mathias on a dancehall riddim...that is not the case. They went for a Mathias Mhere type of instrumental, where much emphasis is put on the bass guitar than anything else. The bass guitar creates the melody and other instruments don't change much. If you a fan of Mathias's music the instrumental will be entertaining, for others they will feel as if they've heard this song before. The track is about staying in the favour and grace of the Lord. When the Lords favour is upon you nothing can take you down. David had the favour a

On this third edition of Best Album from this beautiful country of Zimbabwe we'll be concentrating on gospel albums. There are many gospel albums released in Zim, cannot cover them all in one article so will just be covering 5 albums today. Here We Go : Sabastian Magacha : Tinaye Faithful God . ( 2013 ) This is the album that made Saba into the mega gospel artist we know and love today. The album contained 13 tracks namely : Tinotenda, Shaura, Ridza Bhosvo, Gwenzi, Ndipeiwo Simba, Hama, Ondibvumbamira, Fara, Children's Voice, Makandinunura,  Kusvika Kumagumo, Tinoriparidza Chete & Jehovah . This album was a staple for all major church & church related events like, weddings, conferences, seminars, revivals.  Songs like Ridza Bhosvo , Gwenzi , Shaura dominated the gospel charts and many Zimbos can sing them word to word, they know the instrumentals beat to beat. The tracks even to this day are still a favourite for many. Buy The Album :  Tinaye

Stunner has released the visuals to his track Taunganidza Vanhu . Did a preview of the audio a couple of months back :  Taunganidza Vanhu . Stunner has released a number of tracks this year ( Life , Never Gonna Get It, OMG, Time, Toi Toi, Vane Mari ...etc), the tracks  are on both spectrum's, some are hits , some average and some are better forgotten. Its been a mixed year in term of track success for the TCR Boss. Taunganidza Vanhu  was produced at Mt Zion records. The instrumental is average, its not bad and also not jaw dropping. Judging by other productions T-Man has made this year, this is is not his best work. The track is about success, having huge crowds at your shows and raking in the mega bucks in the process. Stunner did his usual job on the Mic, he gave us his signature flow. The chorus is a miss. Ngoni did not sound like the Bvuma/Zvaunondiitra So hitmaker we all know and love. The way the chorus was structured did not do it for me, Stunner was experimenting w

Kapital K is one of the best rappers in Zim. He has won over many hip hop fans with his bars and tracks. He released his EP on the 9th of September this year. to summarize what fans should expect this is what he had to say about the project : “This EP has more of a feel good vibe to it – nothing emotionally depressing – and just caters to those who are all about having a good time but still going about their hustle.”  So how good are the tracks and how true is his statement?? The EP contains 4 tracks and will be doing a track by track review of the EP : 1. Overtime Nyasha Mak was behind the production of this one and he did a great job on the production, its well made, audible and well mastered. The track is about ambition, putting in the work in-order to achieve your dreams. Kapital K delivered his signature standard flow on the track.  2. Dough ft JaySim Produced by JaySim the instrumental is sounding pretty dope. The track is about the cash (Dough). Its abou

This is one of the best if not the best Reggae/conscious song for 2015 and they just released a saxophone.....am on cloud 9 at the moment. I believe the rendition was done by Steven The Saxophonist, he also did   Ras Caleb's Tokwe Mukosi's saxophone rendition .  For those who love the mellow type of music that goes deep, this is your jam. Download and Enjoy Proud_Zimbo

Courtney Antipas is back with a new track, possibly its a single from his much anticipated upcoming album Vigilante. Courtney has blessed us a lot this year with many super tracks and ending the year with a super album is definitely the best way to end the year. With so many hits this year ( Forever Girl , Wierdos , G.W.A.D , Fal$e ...) every track of his will have a lot of expectations to meet, so how does the new track fare????  Walking on Air was produced by respected producer Jae Mac. The instrumental well made, and sounds great. Its clean and audible, one can every instrument used here and its not overpowering the lyrics. Jae Mac mixed and mastered this joint here very well. Thumps up to you Jae Mac. Many will quickly assume that Courtney was singing about Prophet Bushiri based on the track title, l kinda thought so too. He is not . The track is about a person who has been saved by the Lord, someone who has turned away from sinful ways and is now basking in the Glory o

Ras Caleb is one talented reggae artist. It pains me when he dabbles in dancehall, he is not that good at dancehall so it makes him seem less talented than he is. When he does reggae, yes one can feel what a huge talent the lad is. He had his breakthrough with the hit track Tokwe Mukosi and he followed up with some amazing tunes such as Zvipo , Anodada Neni ft Miz Dee , Mutoro , Ndodini , Sis Rosey ...etc. He made a great name for himself with his hits, but 2015 has not been good for him, so how does the new track fare?? The track is on the Raindrops Riddim from TMG Records. The Record Label started off as a Hip Hop label but they later joined the Zim Dancehall wagon. This is a reggae conscious riddim and as expected its chilled, mellow and its sounding good. Its not groundbreaking nor offering anything new but its good riddim nonetheless, its a standard riddim.  The song is about convincing a girl that you not a player, despite what the she may think or may have heard y

Tkae Chidz made us all dance with his hit track Skubhu ft Simba Tagz a couple of months back. He is back with another track !! featuring partner in crime Simba Tagz they added O-25 this time around. These guys have been quiet for a while and its great to hear a new offering from them. So is the new track good ??? The track was produced by Dutch. Since Titans EP am a big fan of Dutch, he showcased his magic fingers on the productions of that EP. So ya the Dutch tag is enough to get me interested in a song. The production on this song is standard, modern one can say. The beat is clean, well mixed and mastered...it sounds very good. Ya he may have borrowed some Dj Mustard attributes but regardless of that the end result is a dope instrumental. Thumbs up to you Dutch. This track is the track you sing when you about to leave the club/party. U'll be singing which one among the hot ladies are you taking back home. Tkae Chidz gave some dope verses, love his flow. O-25 did a s

The Dancehall doctor is showing that he can surely match the Mbare trio in tuning out the hits. The tracks Mhofu and Ndine   Nharo are receiving a lot of airplay on radio stations and in the kombis all over Zimbabwe. Despite the dangerzone in-house squabbles Freeman has managed to keep a cool head an do what he does best. Every dancehall artist releases a summer track and Freeman has finally dropped his summer joint, so how good is it??? The song is on the George Gazza riddim by Kutso. The riddim sounds superb, Kutso showed he hasn't lost the touch that made him popular. He is standing his ground despite the dominance by Dj Tamuka & Oskid of Kenako studios. Am enjoying this riddim, looking forward to other tracks on the riddim. The song is for the happy times, those summer parties and outings. Its all about forgetting your problems and having a good time. In terms of vocal ability Freeman gave his usual trademark style and it works perfectly with the instrumental.

The much anticipated Nantsi Pata Pata track from Brighton "Brythreesixty" Wiseman is finally out. Brythresixty is still reveling in the success of Shay Baii which he features Nigerian rapper Lil Dizzie and Konzeresa Remix which features Mudiwa and Cal_Vin. These two songs have helped Bry break into the regional market. Konzeresa is currently receiving a lot of airplay on South African radio stations and Shay Baii was mentioned in number of Nigerian music blogs. The new track has a lot to live up to so how does it fare ??? The track was produced by Tumelo "Tweezy" Mathebula, the award winning producer behind AKA's All Eyes on Me , Sim Dope and Run Jozi . The beat samples Miriam Makeba's Pata Pata . The production is standard, love the transition from the Pata Pata chorus to the verses. Tweezy did a great job on the production, its not Run Jozi standard but its good nonetheless. The snare loop ending of the track is a bit questionable and divisive