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3 weeks ago | 
thestandard.co.zw | Nqobani Ndlovu |Lawrence Raven Maphosa |Fred Zindi |Andrew Chatora
South Africa-based rapper Mlue Jay has teamed up with RayKaz for their new track, Can't Get, now available on all digital platforms.
This high-energy trap/rap anthem is a confident celebration of originality, lyrical dominance, and street-smart swagger, all delivered in a blend of Zulu, English, and township slang.
Produced by KlyveBeats, the song features a bounce-heavy, "bratty" beat that amplifies the track's gritty message: not everyone can do what Mlue Jay does.
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3 weeks ago | 
thestandard.co.zw | Mpumelelo Moyo |Nqobani Ndlovu |Lawrence Raven Maphosa |Fred Zindi
Bulawayo’s own rapper, Nkanyiso Moyo, famously known as Guluva Se7en, continues to bring pride to the city as his celebrated track City of Kings has been chosen as the official theme song for this year’s Bulawayo Arts Festival (BAF).
The song, featured on his 2014 breakthrough album Colour of Dreams, is a powerful lyrical homage to Bulawayo’s rich heritage, recognising it as Zimbabwe’s cultural capital and a place of royalty.
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Mar 29, 2025 | 
thestandard.co.zw | Fred Zindi |Nqobani Ndlovu |Miriam Mangwaya |Everson Mushava
I couldn’t help laughing when I read Trevor Walters, a Jamaican singer, being interviewed on having stolen Lionel Richie’s Penny Lover and Stuck On You, original songs and releasing them without permission.
He questioned the interviewer: “What is original about that? The words or the instrumentation? All of dem words are found in the dictionary. Unless you are telling me that Lionel Richie also wrote the English dictionary.
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Mar 22, 2025 | 
thestandard.co.zw | Fred Zindi |Nqobani Ndlovu |Problem Masau |Vanessa Gonye
My late cousin, Nicholas “Samaita” Zindi who was an ardent and passionate Zimura board member, would be turning in his grave if he knew what was going on at the organisation he left behind.
A storm has been brewing between musicians’ organisations in the last two weeks over the introduction of performance licencing fees for cover music by Zimura. Local bands and artistes are required to pay US$150 to perform cover songs.
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Feb 1, 2025 | 
thestandard.co.zw | Fred Zindi |Nqobani Ndlovu |Kenneth Nyangani |Desmond Chingarande
Taken from his 1979 Survival album, Bob Marley in Africa Unite sang:
How good and how pleasant it would be
Before God and man, yeah
To see the unification of all Africans, yeah
As it’s been said already, let it be done, yeah
We are the children of the RastamanWe are the children of the IyamanSo, Africa unite
‘Cause the children wanna come home (Africa unite), yeah, yeah Africa unite.
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Jan 11, 2025 | 
thestandard.co.zw | Fred Zindi |Miriam Mangwaya |Nqobani Ndlovu |Moses Mugugunyeki
It is less than a year since the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe (NACZ) appointed former radio personality, Napoleon Nyanhi as its new executive director.
He took over from Nicholas Moyo who was appointed the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Youth, Sport Recreation Arts and Culture in October 2023. At this stage, it would be too early and unfair to try and assess his achievements in the arts so far.
It is 45 years now since Zimbabwe attained independence.
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Dec 8, 2024 | 
thestandard.co.zw | Fred Zindi |Nqobani Ndlovu |Desmond Chingarande |Silas Nkala
We are used to the 2024 shutdown show coming at the end of December, but it came last Saturday, November 30. How did this happen? Was this meant to be an early Christmas treat from Mukudzei Mukombe aka Jah Prayzah (pictured)?
I am told there was a bit of politics involved.
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Nov 23, 2024 | 
thestandard.co.zw | Fred Zindi |Miriam Mangwaya |Kenneth Nyangani |Nqobani Ndlovu
“Ziggy? In this day and age? Is he mad? Let me give you 10ZiG and go to Mbare Musika. See if you can come to me with a bowl of mazhanje. They will just frown at you. Now what is 30,000ZiG? What do these people take us for? Do they know that we also have families to feed? Who accepts ZiG these days? Remember we have to put diesel in the truck using US dollars. Pay tollgate fees in US currency.
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Nov 16, 2024 | 
thestandard.co.zw | Fred Zindi |Sharon Buwerimwe |Mirriam Mangwaya |Nqobani Ndlovu
In the mid 70’s one of the first African bands to win worldwide popularity was a Ghanaian oufit known as Osibisa. Their mix of African (especially Highlife) and Caribbean forms made them a sensation in the mid 70s. Osibisa was the brainchild of Ghanaian Teddy Osei, a music composer who also played saxophone and drums. He had gone to London to study music. The time for Osibisa has come and gone, and Highlife is no longer a worldwide music genre.
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Nov 3, 2024 | 
thestandard.co.zw | Fred Zindi |Nqobani Ndlovu |Evans Mathanda |Tanyaradzwa Kapuru
When the late legendary American record producer, Quincy Jones and other American musicians visited Africa, they were shocked to notice that many artistes from the motherland were playing music from Western countries, including the United States: That is funky music, disco music, hip-hop, rap, jazz, reggae and other pop styles. In their hotel rooms, piped music was also of Western type. This is not what these artistes expected from Africa.
Of late Afro-beats seems to have changed that perception.
