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Jah Prayzah and Winky D

Bruce Ndlovu/Bongani Ndlovu, Showbiz Correspondents
IN what may turn out to be a shrewd move, Zimbabwean heavyweights Jah Prayzah and Winky D have been confirmed as performers at this year’s much anticipated Kalawa Homecoming party. They will clash on stage with some of South Africa’s biggest stars.

The cat was initially let out of the bag by Stiff member Diliza, who shared a picture of Jah Prayzah and Winky on his Facebook page in which he expressed his excitement at the prospect of sharing the stage with two of Zimbabwe’s hottest stars at the moment.

Silence from the organisers about this year’s event has seen the rumour mill go into overdrive, as expectant fans speculate on the identity of the artistes that are set to thrill Bulawayo on December 27.

Some of the names mentioned include Wololo hit-maker Babes Wodumo who it is thought will make a debut appearance in the City of Kings alongside her partner in crime and beau Mampintsha who will be coming as part of the ever popular Big Nuz.

With her abundant sex appeal and inimitable skills as a dancer, Babes is set to give Bulawayo its first taste of a Gqom, a first paced sub-genre of house music whose fire started in the streets of Durban, but has gone on to incinerate dance floors outside South Africa’s borders.

Veteran DJs Ganyani and Fresh have also been touted as possible showstoppers, while kwaito star Professor is also set to make another appearance in Bulawayo.

Kalawa Jazmee spokesperson Arthur ‘Scotch’ Mathenga confirmed that indeed Jah Prayzah and Winky D have been added to this year’s line up and in the same breath declined to confirm the South African acts.

“From Zimbabwe, we’ve Jah Prayzah and Winky D as part of the acts this year. However, whether Babes Wodumo, Professor, Big Nuz and the other artistes from South Africa are coming, I can’t confirm anything before the South African artistes have been cleared by the relevant authorities in Zimbabwe,” said Scotch.

Despite all these high profile names, it is the presence of Winky and Jah Prayzah that is likely to raise an eyebrow or two. Oskido’s Homecoming has usually been an all-South African affair, with a few Bulawayo acts sprinkled in to spice up the extravaganza.

The two thus become the first acts from the capital to grace the Kalawa shortlist which has not been short of star power in the last few years.

The shrewd Kalawa supremo seems to have his ear to the streets of the City of Kings, as appearances by the two this year have drawn phenomenal crowds that seem to defy the apathy that has characterised most high profile shows held in the city this year.

Scotch said the Homecoming party was not only reserved for Kalawa artistes.

“It’s a celebration of music across the floor. People may think that it’s a Kalawa affair perhaps because of the association of it with Oskido, but the party is for all artistes from around continent and globe.”

Provided that Jah Prayzah and Winky D do not make any appearances in the city before December 27, the move could be perfect as Winky D is yet to make an appearance in Bulawayo since the release of his hit-song packed album while Jah Prayzah is still basking in the glow of a victory at the prestigious MTV Africa Music Awards.

The names being bandied about for the show suggest that this year’s Homecoming gig will offer a mixed bag of talent, as Jah Prayzah and Winky D are artistically worlds apart from the likes of Babes and Professor. This is in contrast to last year’s show which was billed as a clash between feuding hip-hop overlords AKA and Cassper while 2014 saw Oskido bring a cast of much loved old school kwaito stars.