Popular urban groove artist Leonard Mapfumo is a bitter man. After several years in the showbiz, the talented rapper has nothing to show for his endless hours of recording in the studio or sweating on stage.
By Problem Masau
In fact, the man who gave the nation hits such as Maidei, Seiko and Two Chete felt he was robbed by organisers of National Arts Merit Awards when they awarded Roki the Most Promising Artist award in 2003, although the song Seiko which earned him recognition belonged to Mapfumo.
“How can they award someone who features on a song, overlooking the owner and composer of the song? This shows that our system is flawed and the adjudicators do not do due diligence,” he said.
The musician, who once worked for the now defunct BOStv as a presenter, said he will soldier on until the gods of fortune smile on him.
“I am in music because of passion and I will continue to release songs for my fans,” he said.
Considered to be one of the best urban groove artistes to rock the country’s airwaves at the turn of the new millennium, Mapfumo has nothing to show for it.
Largely regarded as a bit calm compared to some artistes of his generation such as Roki and Stunner, Mapfumo seems to have failed to strike gold from his chart-topping hits.
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He began recording and performing immediately upon graduating from high school in 2000. His first commercial success came with the single Seiko, which featured Roki and topped the national charts upon its release in 2002.
In 2005, he released his first album, R&L, a collaboration he did with Roki.
The album’s success, particularly Mapfumo’s single Maidei, established him as a fixture in the Zimbabwean urban music scene.
Maidei also reached first position on the national charts, staying there for an unprecedented 42 weeks.
