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Bruce Ndlovu
IN a week dominated by events surrounding the death of music luminary Cde Chinx Chingaire, Winky D and  Buffalo Souljah somehow also managed to cause a ripple on social media by releasing their long awaited song, Rugare.

The two have been teasing the possibility of a collaboration for a while and when the song was released earlier this week, it was greeted with expected levels of excitement by music lovers across the board.

 

This was hardly surprising as the two are both superstars in their own right and the decision to join forces looks like a masterstroke. For one, it is to both their benefit.

For Winky, the song allows him to make headway on the African continent where he does not receive the same adulation that he does at home.

As his main rival for the throne at home, Jah Prayzah, continues sending shockwaves across the continent with his blockbuster collaborations with some of Africa’s finest acts, there is no doubt that Winky’s camp would have seen the need to also take the Gafa’s chants beyond Zimbabwe’s borders.

After countless hits from his numerous albums, the competition back home is reeling and it was only a matter of time before Kambuzuma’s favourite son started sparring with other titans from around the continent.

Buffalo Souljah’s music is a staple outside Zimbabwe especially on continental music stations and with his history of well made, high quality videos, he will also give the camera shy Gafa much needed airtime on TV. From his last two blockbuster albums, Winky has only released a single video.

On the other hand for Buffalo Souljah, the song presents a chance for him to gain a bit of redemption at home. Saying a man who has scaled to the top of African music and came back with awards to show for his efforts needs prove to himself at home seems odd, but this is exactly Buffalo Souljah needs to do.

While he is widely acknowledged across the continent, Buffs, as the South African based chanter is known, does not pack the same punch back home.

It is perhaps a bad reflection on his strategy that at a time when Zimdancehall reached the peak of its popularity, his popularity has not soared alongside that of the genre he belongs to. To the world, Buffs is Zimbabwean dancehall’s ambassador but whenever he has come back home, it has never felt like the country was being graced with the presence of an elder statesman.

Thus, whenever he has gone on the podium to claim a much sought after MTV Base or Channel O award, his victories have felt like his and his alone.

Above everything, Rugare succeeded in gaining the attention of some listeners that would usually not pay attention if a link to a Buffalo Souljah song came floating down their Twitter or Facebook timelines.

As soon as many saw the name Winky D, they wanted to get a taste of what their favourite chanter was preaching about in his latest song.

Winky fans that listened to the song would not have been disappointed with what they heard. The song has all the elements that fans have come to love from the Gafa. Over a bouncy Nicky beat, the Gafa bears his soul with ease, unpacking food for thought wrapped in catchy melody.

It is a song-making formula that has served him well in the recent past, with his last two albums reintroducing him as a man that makes music they cannot only play while they dance their feet off on a Saturday night but also on Sunday morning when they sit down and reflect on their lives.

The song is classic Winky D but perhaps that is where the problem lies. The Gafa stampedes over Buffs whose own voice is drowned out by his counterpart’s compelling contribution. After many listened to the song, some on social media started inquiring which part belonged to the man that has done so much to put Zimbabwean dancehall on the African map.

The whole point of this collaboration was not to pit the two against each other, but to merge both their styles into one that could sell them both to their respective markets.

One thing that has perhaps alienated Buffalo Souljah from the ordinary Zimdancehall listener is that he seems to miss the grit that one hears from his peers in the genre.

When one listens to Souljah Luv or Killer T, they can hear and feel the dust and struggle of Mbare. This is important in a genre that has marketed itself as an outlet for Zimbabwe’s down and out youths that want to fight their way to the top like their favourite musicians.

With Rugare, Buffs attempts to appeal to that same crowd. With such a strong showing from the man that he shared the mic with, it remains to be seen whether the collaboration will bear the right kind of fruit.