Just in time for the annual Kadoma Music Festival, Zimbabwean giant Winky D and Jamaican star Busy Signal have collaborated on the hard-hitting new single, Drink Up (Problems Away).
This release is a powerful reminder of The Gafa’s signature style: artfully lacing sharp social commentary into irresistible party anthems.
Winky D has a long history of this approach, showcased in songs like Gafa Party and Kudhakwa.
Drink Up immediately calls back to his acclaimed 2016 release, the Gafa Life Kickstape, an album that coated music of struggle in a good-feel party rhythm.
The term kickstape itself reflects this blend. It combines “kick” (referring to impact and excitement) and “mixtape” (a compilation of songs).
The name declared the album's identity as a raw, street-authentic, and hard-hitting collection of impactful tracks.
The kickstape featured hits like Gafa Life, Idya Mari and the song most spiritually aligned with the new release — Disappear.
Drink Up and Disappear are undeniably woven from the same cloth, sharing Winky D's consistent theme of seeking temporary escape or permanent resolution from life's hardships.
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This core philosophy resonates deeply because the songs tap into a vibrant, almost desperate, call for temporary escapism through dancing, partying, and consumption.
The tracks acknowledge the heavy burden of real-life problems — economic hardship, poverty, and the daily struggles of the urban youth, such as the need to dodge the landlord over rent — but swiftly pivot to proposing an immediate, debauched solution.
This juxtaposition of harsh reality and instant, exhilarating fun is the key to their immense appeal.
These songs are powerful, liberating anthems. Their purpose isn't to solve problems, but to hit the emotional "reset button" for a night, acknowledging that the social burden is so heavy that the only immediate relief is to make the "problems disappear" completely, even if only for a short while.
Busy Signal's presence elevates this message to a global scale, making the theme of resilience resonate across cultures. As the Jamaican star noted: “I always focus on the message — not just the beat,” affirming the shared struggle, from the ghetto in Harare to the slums in Jamaica.
The collaboration places the Zimbabwean experience not in isolation, but as part of the broader challenges faced by ghetto communities worldwide.
While Disappear offered an immediate, local prescription for relief, Problems Away is the matured, international version.
It’s less about hiding from the problems (Disappear) and more about stepping past them with international confidence and rhythmic flavour.
Both songs solidify Winky D’s status as the “voice of the voiceless”, providing a musical guide for survival.
“It was the melody. I loved the melody, the lyrical content, and the message of getting problems away. That’s a good thing, to forget your problems — who doesn’t want their problems to go away? That’s one thing that caught me. When my team sent me the song, I listened to it for hours and I was impressed. I listen to the message and not just the beat. I’m always keen on the message,” said Busy Signal when asked what had made him collaborate with Winky D.
The two songs are bookends to Winky D's consistent musical philosophy. Disappear is the raw, urgent expression of the need for an emotional reprieve for the ghetto youth, turning despair into a high-energy dance moment.
Drink Up on the other hand, is the mature, international version of the same message. It takes the deeply personal struggle and places it on a global stage through the collaboration with Busy Signal, celebrating the ability to transcend those very problems with style, rhythm, and a powerful sense of community and resilience.
