‘Zimdancehall is dead': Critics say ghetto sound was sold for a song
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Loading... - Mary Katana
- 29 Jul 2022
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Zimdancehall was once known for its revolutionary lyrics. Now its singers are hyping up businessmen in songs and performing at Zanu-PF rallies.
What started as indistinct chatter of disapproval on the night of May 21 escalated quickly. Crowds had braved the drizzly cold to commemorate Zimdancehall legends and celebrate the tenth anniversary of ChillSpot Records, not to listen to politician after politician gloat about the help they’d allegedly given to the music scene.
The ghetto yuts — a Jamaican term borrowed to refer to young Zimdancehall fans — were fed up. “That’s not what we are here for,” some shouted as bottles flew onto the stage, smashing into fragments.
For observers of Zimbabwe’s music industry, this moment had been a long time coming. For some time now, critics and fans alike have complained that Zimdancehall – a genre that once amplified the muffled voices of the masses – has gradually been hijacked by political and economic elites.
“I cannot even listen to most of the music released nowadays,” says Vincent Musira, a once ardent fan. “Zimdancehall no longer represents ghetto youths. Nowadays, they are chasing what’s trending and the contributions of their sponsors is questionable. If a sponsor is genuine, why would they want to appear on an artist’s music video or be mentioned in a song?” Read More…
