Zimpapers Logo

Jah Prayzah with Mafikizolo

Melissa Mpofu, Showbiz Editor
afro-pop band, Mafikizolo, has endorsed Jah Prayzah by including him on their new 16-track album which mainly comprises of collaborations with established artistes.

Mafikizolo, multi-award-winning musicians, will on Saturday celebrate 20 years in the music industry with the launch of this album that they simply titled 20. The launch will take place in Krugersdorp at the Silverstar Casino in South Africa.

Jah Prayzah, who initially featured the duo on his single ‘Sendekera’, clearly impressed them as they approached him to work on track ‘Mazuva Akanaka’ showing how much they appreciated his talent. Mazuva Akanaka will likely be a hit as it has a feel of Military Touch Movement hit-track Chekeche with elements of DJ Stavo and Jah Prayzah’s Simudza Ngoma fused with a house beat.

The South African duo, other than Jah Prayzah, teamed up with American singer Syleena Johnson for a track ‘Ndifunukwazi’ as well as Gemini Major, DJ Maphorisa and Nigerian stars African Starboy Wizkid and Yemi Alade.

The group, whose career began in 1997 with their debut self-titled album, shot to fame two years later when their single, ‘Lotto’, became a smash hit. While South Africans could not get enough of the song, the singers themselves were apparently not too fond of the track. Lead vocalist Nhlanhla Nciza told IOL she “hated that song”, while Theo Ngosinkwe said it did not make sense that all they were going to sing was “eh-eh-eh, utsweri lotto”.

The song was a major success nonetheless, and helped Mafikizolo become a nationwide success. The Afro-pop group started as a trio, but became a duo when Tebogo Benedict Madingoane died in 2004.

He was shot dead during a road rage incident in Soweto.

“We definitely miss him and would have loved for him to be here so we could enjoy all this success together,” Nhlanhla told Drum magazine earlier this year.

She added that if Tebogo was alive today, she would tell him, “you were right Tebza – we are as big as you said we would be. You were right when you said we needed to work hard and keep pushing.”

Jah Prayzah on the other hand is preparing for his concert in Harare on Friday where he will share the stage with Nigeria’s Davido whom he featured on single ‘My Lilly’. After staging a successful short notice Presidential Inauguration party last weekend at the HICC, Jah Prayzah will return to the same venue, this time, to celebrate the success of his Kutonga Kwaro album.