Judging from the crowd’s reaction, Jah Prayzah seems to have outperformed Tanzanian superstar Diamond Platnumz on Friday at the packed Harare International Conference Centre.
By Kennedy Nyavaya
While a collaboration with Diamond Platnumz propelled Jah Prayzah’s career to greater heights and earned him respect across Africa, Musoja (Jah Prayzah’s other moniker) was out to prove how he has sustained the man-of-the-moment tag among his countrymen.
Diamond Platnumz is held in high esteem across the continent due to his polished stage acts, but the Uzumba-bred musician did his homework in the build-up to the show dubbed Watora Mari Concert.
Jah Prayzah and his Third Generation band took a slot before the Tanzanian and although clad in a casual version of his traditional army regalia, one could tell that the Tsviriyo hitmaker was set to execute a mission. His performance was nothing short of exceptional and it marked the return of one of the Third Generation dancers Stimela who had been sick for a while.
With a set of new dances and energetic new faces in the group, Jah Prayzah left no stone unturned while impressing his legion of followers, mainly women who constituted a large chunk of the audience.
Whether it is the language barrier, unpopularity of most of his songs locally or fatigue on the part of the fans, Diamond Platnumz had a torrid time connecting with the crowd.
The Number One singer, who is known for his love for using Swahili lyrics, left a large part of the fans caught in between trying to dance, listening to his lyrics and watching the synchronised dance moves.
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After a few songs, a small number of people were seen making their way out of the venue while others stood and simply stared at the stage as if to signal that they expected more.
Diamond Platnumz was, however, adamant as he started churning out dance tracks halfway through his over an hour set while also inviting ladies, whom he intimately danced with on stage.
It was when he played tracks like Mdogo Mdogo and Number One that people started to liven up and wished he had just started on that note, but that was towards the end of his set.
The business of the night was folded by the power-packed Watora Mari collaboration which sent fans into a frenzy. Diamond Platnumz and Jah Prayzah took the crowd through the song which has tu
“The MTV award came from the Watora Mari video and I want to thank Diamond Platnumz for agreeing to do the collabo with me,” said Jah Prayzah.
Diamond Platnumz also took time to shower praises on his “brother from another mother”. “I used to lie to myself that I am a humble guy until I met Jah Prayzah. Apart from that, he is a very hardworking person and I believe me being here is because of him,” he gushed.
Meanwhile, Ti Gonzi found the going tough as in his first act he was not audible and hardly attracted the attention of fans that were still trickling in.
He was followed by the man behind the Bhachura hit, EXQ, who capitalised on most of his recent collaborations, much to the satisfaction of fans.
Stunner was up next and his attempt at singing tracks off his recent album titled If I Die Tonight seemed fruitless, forcing him to revert to old songs off his discography.
This worked well with loud sing-alongs before he made way to the “ladies man” Trevor Dongo, who drew loud cheers, especially from women, as he made his way to the stage.
Despite the public bashing and an abrupt breakup with his ex-wife, the Ndashamisika singer seems to be doing well. He still managed to weave his way into the ladies’ hearts both by singing and showcasing his body when he removed his T-shirt.
The master stroke came when he incorporated Extra Large into his set and they reincarnated old memories with their yesteryear songs when they were still the most sought-after artists in the country.
Judgement Yard took over and as has become the norm, they kept the entire auditorium on its feet with both Jamaican and local reggae-dancehall tunes.
Killer T presented a fair performance before making way to the makers of Watora Mari.
