Whatever Jah Prayzah lacks as an artist to appeal to me, he certainly makes up through effort and the willingness to never settle. He has got to be the hardest working artist in Zimbabwe right now and inevitably the man of the moment.
I certainly should not be the person showering praise to the singer as not so long ago on this very platform, I gasped at his winning of the MTV Award and was convinced it was a fluke. I could have easily went on with that angle and talk about this award winning moment as being the very same reason we have seen the guy travel all over the continent working with big artists like Mafikizolo, Davido and Diamond Platnumz and create hits that even he could never have imagined.
Within a short space of time, Jah Prayzah has managed to do what he loves best, that is create hits and be the tall, eye catching artist he has dreamt of being. When I met him within the hall of Bob Nyabinde’s workshop in Harare, the then tall scrawny looking mbira wielding artist shed off more passion than the need to make a quick buck as many of his counterparts in the country. Since then he has evolved into something like an icon and gracing big stages in the region and he can’t seem to stop.
This weekend, Jah Prayzah is the main feature amongst a cast that I adore and have revered throughout my years when he plays at the Bassline Africa Day Concert in Johannesburg amongst Thandiswa Mazwai (SA), Bombino (NE), Baloji (DRC), Ray Phiri (SA), Vusi Mahlasela (SA), Jobo About (Ghana), Petite Noir (Belgium/SA) and Jobie Clarke (SA) with more acts being confirmed regularly.
Rubbing shoulders with greats such as Ray Phiri, Vusi Mahlasela and Thandiswa Mazwai is not only a great feat but should be worrisome to any artist. The large crowd that listen to them are also listening to you and you have to impress if not steal the show to just about make good headline for yourself. That said, I think its a challenge he can tackle, however I am not sure if the whole ‘masoja’ outfit thing can be brought on stage and wow the crowd. we just have to wait and see.
Read more about the show here : http://www.kayafm.co.za/bassline-africa-day-concert-2017/#1492602954598-b5e80c08-2ea7
Jah is also set to release a single with Davido soon which promises to work well in his favour and if his number one single with Mafikizolo on the African Charts is anything to judge him by, it might be a scorcher.
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