While by their nature, artists are very expressive people that have a hard time conforming to expected societal norms, Zimdancehall artists seem to have taken it up a notch. So careless have some of them been in the manner they conduct themselves that one would pity anyone that looks up to them as their role model.
BY CHIPO MASARA
Confusingly, it would seem the more uncouth they get, the more their fan base grows. Unfortunately, among their biggest fans are innocent and unsuspecting school-going children, most of who look up to them like they were the real-life versions of Superman.
While Zimdancehall has gained popularity as a rising music genre with the potential to uplift the lives of youths, most of who hail from the country’s poor ghettos, it has also reminded people of the 1950s era of hard rock and heavy metal that led many artists on a destructive path characterised by indecency and drug abuse.
Besides the fact that most of the songs that Zimdancehall artists churn out are laden with raw explicit content that would perplex any morally-upright elderly person that dares to listen to them, the artists just do not seem to know how to behave appropriately. One would be forgiven for thinking that most Zimdancehall artists found fame by accident, as most of them don’t seem to comprehend the fact that their artistry places them in the public eye, and as such, there is need for them to mind how they behave.
Many have blamed the irrational behaviour by most of the genre’s artists on alcohol and drug abuse. While some of them have frantically denied being hooked on intoxicants, some haven’t bothered to hide how much drugs and alcohol matter to them. In a video posted on an online publication for instance, popular Zimdancehall chanter Silent Killer — otherwise known as Killa — freestyles on a song he called Kustika in which he glorifies everything intoxicating.
He moves from asking whoever is shooting the video where his marijuana is to talking about how he plans to drink all the “bronco” (local name used to refer to Broncleer) he can as soon as he can afford it. Someone unfamiliar with what “bronco” is might assume it is some expensive bottle of whiskey or champagne, and not a cough syrup that costs a mere $5. One cannot therefore expect someone whose dream is to drink all the intoxicating cough syrup that he can afford to have big dreams that entail taking their music to a global stage, buying a beautiful house or owning a fleet of posh cars. Can a person whose one “important dream” is getting very drunk from cheap drugs be a suitable role model for anyone’s child?
In another freestyle song by the same Zimdancehall artist titled Shiri, he appears in one hand holding a very small bird, with his tight hold threatening to choke the little creature, while in the other he holds out what he confirms to be a very big joint of marijuana. After one finishes watching the video, it remains hard to tell whether the song was meant to talk about the conservation of birds, or to glorify weed smoking.
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Meanwhile, in an interview posted on YouTube, Boom Betto of the Munodonhedza Musika fame, is seen smoking weed like it was legal.
Music producer and musician Clive Mono Mukundu believes the problem emanates from Zimdancehall artists trying too hard to act like Jamaican ragga artists.
“The problem is they are trying very hard to copy Jamaican artists, and in the process they overdo it. The bad behaviour is not good for them or for the society. Artists have to be good role models that children can look up to. They are failing themselves and the society,” said Mukundu.
Mukundu also talked about how it was difficult to work with most Zimdancehall artists, especially those that abused drugs and engaged in socially unacceptable behaviour in the name of being artists.
“They are doing themselves a disservice. That’s why most of them are failing to get company endorsements because no company would want to be associated with any bad behaviour. But worst of all, they can even ruin the lives of young people that look up to them,” he said.
But it is not just the alcohol and drug abuse that has made the Zimdancehall genre stick out like a sore thumb. Violence has also become synonymous with the genre, with beef between artists often cascading down to their legions of fans who tend to take it upon themselves to defend their idols’ honour, resulting in most Zimdancehall clashes being marred by violence. For instance, a show that was organised for Mbare-born and bred chanter Junior Selector who committed suicide, turned into chaos when the so-called artists and others in attendance laid down the microphones and resorted to fist fights.
And it would seem the female Zimdancehall artists have turned out to be just as unruly as their male counterparts.
Sometime last year, a video was highly circulated of self-proclaimed queen of Zimdancehall Lady Squanda as she dished claps to a local online satire show presenter Abra Skimbo who she accused of dissing her. The manner in which she handled herself portrayed someone who felt powerful enough to do as she pleased and get away with it. Her conduct, however, did not go down well with many, including promoters, who as a result cancelled a show she had been promised in the United Kingdom. Many felt she got what she deserved, and unless she makes concerted efforts to show she has reformed, it is bound to continue costing her what could have turned out to be career-propelling gigs. Local gospel music veteran Mechanic Manyeruke is evidently riled by the behaviour of the generality of Zimdancehall artists.
“Even though some of them are not Christians, I don’t think as people, their conduct is proper. Their behaviour is troubling most parents who have young children. I really wonder if most of them [artists] have parents or people to guide them. This is the reason why in the past parents would not hear of their children becoming musicians,” he said.
On how he handles having a son involved in the same genre that is synonymous with different ills, Manyeruke had this to say: “I have told him [Guspy Warrior] that there should never be a day in our lives that we see him coming home drunk. We taught him from a young age the dangers of alcohol and performance enhancement drugs. He should just be who he is.”
One thing for a fact, most parents who envision a bright future for their children are bound to panic when they hear their children singing along to the likes of Silent Killer.
