Sport News

Former footballer remembers the ghetto

By Lawrence Chitumba

United Kingdom based former footballer,Hermish Rukani recently donated a soccer kit to his former playmates who are now playing social soccer.
Rukani who hails from the ghetto of Chipadze township in  Bindura showed the World that although he is now living abroad with all the luxuries his heart will always be in the ghetto with his friends. "Home is best and my heart is always here although I am now living in
 the diaspora where life is better," he said.
"I am who I am today because of my friends who are my former playmates and this ghetto so I have great memories of my motherland.
His best friend and former playmate William Chamba was full of praises for his friend whom he said was different from other people who abandoned their friends and country as soon as they attain better statuses in life.
" Mukomana haana kumbokanganwa kwaakabva ari kuti rangarira zvasiyana nevamwe vanoti vakaenda vaenda," he said.
He said the donation will reignite their passion for the most beautiful game,soccer.

Arts with Uncle Dee

Gospel diva eyes Mahendere collaboration

By Daniel Chigunwe

Upcoming Harare gospel music diva of the Afro Praise Zim inter denominational gospel group Primrose Chikuwha said she is feeling inspired by the captivating power in her new debut album “Korona” which has gone as far as Botswana and South Africa.
In an interview with ShowBiz Times, the 25 year old artist said her six track album which she released this year is fast gaining traction in the gospel circles.
“It is a six track album with songs like “Korona” and “Denga” making the most hits to such an extent that many of my fans are shocked to know it’s a debut. Fans are so happy, both in Zimbabwe and those based in Botswana, Mozambique and S.A.
“So far we have sold all the 100 discs that we had managed to make, many fans are requesting through WhatsApp, Facebook, they just love the music”.
Chikuwha who in 2016 got airplay on ZBC Sport FM for the song “Makanaka Jesu” attributes her fast rise to the Malbereign gospel group, “I worked with the group Afro Praise Zim led by Tonderai Green Manatsa since 2015 and we have done several album projects up to 2018.
“Now in 2019 I have released my own debut, nevertheless I am still working simultaneously with the group on videos production whilst I am also making my videos this year. Manatsa is also my producer and manager,” said the artist.
The diva whose dream is to have a collaboration with heavyweights gospel giants Benjamin Dube and Michael Mahendere has managed to get a stage in churches like Forward In Faith, AFM and Glad Tidings.
“Challenges for now is that I am still at school so I am not getting 100% concentration in the industry. I am studying an Honours Degree in Geographical Information Science and Earth Observation with UZ, now in my final year.
“Hence as a student I face challenges in financing my career but that is not a limiting factor in pursuing my challenge,”
Like several female artists in the show biz, the diva bemoans the sexual predatory nature of certain stakeholders in the industry, “it is unfortunate that at one time I got linked to some radio djs who before we even got any further started asking for sexual favours and I decided to find other means of marketing my work,” lamented the diva.
“ I am inspired greatly by South African music, the likes of Benjamin Dube, Rebecca Mahlope, Sipho Makhabani and Joyous Celebration as well as our Zimbabwean, the Charambas, Mercy Mutsvene and Rumbi Zvirikuzhe,” added Chikuwha.

Arts with Uncle Dee

“Embrace multi-media platforms’, Black Panther urges artist

By Daniel Chigunwe

HipHop Rapper, music producer and Zimbabwean based in SA of the Black Panther music label has called upcoming  to embrace the many channels of distributing their work to create an organic audience especially in this era

where airplay does not come that easily.
Known by his trade name as Mc Kid, the rapper who hails from Kwekwe and thrives on irony by separating his trade name from his official identity said he has gone through ups and downs in the showbiz industry but the road is now smoothening
“ Mc Kid is an identity that I kind of embody when I am doing music, when I am in the studio, when I am interacting with artistic ways to express myself be it in every kind of talk, love money or relationships, economy, politics and society.
“ I started producing music as earlier as in 2009 when I was still learning how to make music and what I was doing between school and music  was not really for income or competition but was just a matter of expressing myself,”.
Eight years down the line the produce released his first mix tape called, ‘Kid Behind Bars’ and is quite happy with his new rise dimensions in the cut throat competition showbiz industry .
“ my first mix tape was released after 8 years in the game, it’s a 13 track album which has a lot of issues that I speak about and one of my hit song ‘Questions’ is part of that. I have been doing this for a while, making beats and producing my own music.
“Also within the stable which I am from called Black Panther Music which I formed alongside my brother and some of my friends I have managed to breed another music producer by the name Shepherd who makes beats and I have been able to mentor other people, the likes of Brandon Bells and Uncle Sam.
Mc Kid also produced Uncle Sam’s song called “Zvakabhadhara” which was a hit on Zim local radio stations.
Of interests is the producer’s view lenses on the new distribution and marketing trends characterising the showbiz sector, in which he also describes how the radio has been overrated in attaching significance to artists.
“On distribution, yes those works have to go to the radio, however for me I feel like the radio has been overrated. I have embraced the internet platforms like YouTube, SoundCloud and other forms of crowd based services which uploads music and then I share with friends on Instagram and Facebook
“In the long run what I have been doing is that being a writer, I have a blog called ‘Write Pen’ where I use words to write short stories, poems, academic work, literature and research. I have been developing it for the past 4 years and in the long run that platform should become a hub where there is multi-media content, audio, video, pictures and short films.
“Most of the art that people produce excludes people who have different preferences like those living with disabilities, such a platform will present an opportunity for those people to enjoy and engage with my work, and hence it broadens the audience,” said Kid.