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DJ Ace Kater

Bongani Ndlovu, Showbiz Correspondent
THE names of Afro Pop duo Ras Boom and DJ Ace Kater are not known to many, but the video of their song Zankaleli has gone viral with over 40 000 views in a space of two days on social media.

These two – who were born and bred in the resort town of Victoria Falls – have come up with a track that seems to have captured the imagination of audiences across the country and overseas.

Not many will know that the catchy song was produced by DJ Kater, real name Joseph Mpofu, in a bedroom studio in Chinotimba. And not many would imagine that the music video cost the two a mere $200 and was shot in three locations.

The music video surfaced on Facebook on Tuesday after being posted by their friend Mandla Calvin Gumbo. It was latched onto by social media sensation Gerald “Xavier” Do Couto who also shared the video.

Speaking about their overnight success, 20-year-old Ras Boom, real name Godwin Ngwenya, said it was six years in the making.

Ras Boom

“We’ve been at this for over six years and we are naturally happy that people have been asking about it and about us,” said Ras Boom.

Working out of a bedroom studio called Top Shatta Music at DJ Ace Kater’s home in Chinotimba Township, Ras Boom said they wanted a song that would resonate with youths.

“The song is a conversation between two friends, one who is love with a girl. His friend is trying to discourage him saying the girl is of loose morals (Zankaleli).

“This song was an idea that DJ Ace Kater and I thought about last year and recorded it. The first time we performed the song was in March last year at a World Aids Day celebration in Chinotimba,” said Ras Boom.

He said the breakthrough was last year when Breeze FM started to play the track and it caught on like a wildfire in Victoria Falls.

However, according to Ras Boom, it was only after they raised $200 and recorded the music video, that people from the resort town started to believe that the song was theirs.

“The music video helped as people started to recognise us as the people behind the track. Before that, they were adamant that this song could not have come from anywhere beside Bulawayo,” said Ras Boom.

He said this popularity has not translated into bookings for shows in the resort town.

“The local promoters don’t care about us as artistes. We have come to the conclusion that we will continue doing what we do and when we make it they will look for us. They are more concerned about importing artistes from Harare and not promoting local acts,” said Ras Boom.

Apart from Zankaleli, Ras Boom and DJ Ace Kater have another track that sang the praises of Amagagasi Football Club that missed promotion to the Premier Soccer League by a whisker.

“Amagagasi played their hearts out and we were so proud of them when they played. So we thought of writing a track for the team and it has also proved to be popular in Victoria Falls, however again people still think it isn’t ours,” chuckled Ras Boom.

He said this year they wanted to ride on the crest of their fame to produce more tracks for their newly found fans.

—@bonganinkunzi