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Judgement Yard

Melissa Mpofu/Bongani Ndlovu
Dancehall and reggae music lovers and those attending the on-going Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) will be spoilt for choice this weekend as top dancehall acts from Harare will be in Bulawayo for performances. The face behind the popular Popopopo dancehall chant, Killer T will be in town for a performance at Club Forty40 on Saturday. This will be his second performance in Bulawayo after a successful debut last month.

As if that is not enough, two of Zimbabwe’s top dancehall sound houses, Judgment Yard and Legendary Sounds will stage a joint show at the upmarket Horizon Pub and Grill on Friday. Judgment Yard’s DJ Flevah and chanter Etherton B will square up on the decks and MIC with Legendary’s DJ Smylie and Mad Vancho — in what promises to be a show not to miss.

DJ Flevah said their joint show was going to be a special one as they were going to do a live audio recording.

“Bulawayo is one of our best towns. Fans are quite supportive so we will do a live audio recording for them which will be released as a Judgment Yard special edition volume. We hardly record live as all our recordings are done in the studio so this will be very special,” he said.

Flevah added that they would bring dancers for the Bulawayo show to spice up the event.

“We are likely to bring in Team Penga Penga — Bobby and Sizzla to entertain our guests. This will be a show not to miss as it will be our first time to pair with Legendary Sounds in Bulawayo,” said the DJ.

DJ Smylie said they were looking forward to sharing the stage with Judgment Yard in Bulawayo and urged people to attend the show in numbers.

“This will be our first time performing at Horizon though we have performed in Bulawayo countless times. We have a lot of new acts so people should come and witness them live as the performance will be wicked,” said Smylie.

Killer T’s manager, DJ Bima said Killer T was excited to be performing in Bulawayo for the second time.

“He is quite excited to be performing there again and has promised people who will attend fireworks at the show,” he said.

Killer T who has no album yet but singles, has produced hit tracks including Tirikumhanya, Masuspects, Batai Mbavha Iyo and Boloza.
It seems the Harare dancehall chanters have developed love for the city as they have been frequenting it. Bulawayo promoters and club owners also appear to have found a niche market in the city that has not been serviced for a long time.

Last week, Guspy Warrior was in the city for a performance at a local spot. Two weeks ago, Red Fox Family, DJs Smallz and Izy Vibz performed at Club Forty40 where they rocked the joint with dancehall mixes. Legendary Sounds were also at the same venue three weeks ago.

What makes the dancehall acts special is the fact that the DJs are versatile, they seem to know how to please crowds, and they lace dancehall music with a local touch — which always makes their performances memorable.

Nightspots seem to have upped their game this year by taking advantage of the trade fair week to try and cash in on the high numbers of visitors that are in the city. Considering that dancehall music is on the rise in Zimbabwe, it was a good move for local promoters to host the dancehall acts during ZITF. After their performances in Bulawayo, Judgment Yard will invade Kwekwe where they have a gig lined up for Saturday.