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Showbiz Reporter
At the beginning of the year, renowned music producer and DJ, Stavo fired warning shots that people were sleeping on Asaph, the Mambo hit-maker after he was not awarded at the Zimbabwe Music Awards.

Asaph had been nominated in the Best Hip Hop artiste category and lost out to Takura.

“Zim is sleeping on Asaph. He’s going to go far. He is hip-hop in Zimbabwe. We fail to support true talent. He deserves more attention and more awards, trust me,” tweeted DJ Stavo in January.

And true to his words, months later, many are now seeing and appreciating Asaph’s talent following his successful collaborations this year. From Msiz’kay to Ammara Brown, Crooger, TiGonzi, Nutty O all the way up to Gemma Griffiths, Asaph collaborated with numerous artistes. And these were not just mere collaborations, they produced bangers from 263, Calling, Ginde to Back to December, some which are still trending up to now.

Asaph’s shortlisting this week by MTV Base, an international music channel which is considering him for their People’s Choice category at the MTV Africa Music Awards could not have come at a better time.

It has shown all those who did not believe in him that he has what it takes to conquer not only Zimbabwe, but Africa. After all, it seems DJ Stavo was right, people were sleeping on Asaph and he is now out to prove his worth.

Below are some of Asaph’s 2020 highlights:

• In February, he was shortlisted as one of the locals who were to perform alongside Nigeria’s Burna Boy in Harare. Sadly, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the show was cancelled but just being included on the line-up was a big deal as the artistes were chosen by the public.
• Asaph earlier in the year, charmed people with the release of his Like So track. This was a song in which he called on Zimbabweans to unite. It really served its purpose as it appealed to diverse people and topped radio charts for weeks. And while people were still appreciating the song, Asaph was featured on what became another banger, Crooger’s Ginde that also featured award-winning Ti Gonzi.

“We’re going to make it by fire by force, toita zveGinde,” Asaph declared on the track showing how hungry he was for success.

• In June, Asaph surprised fans with a collaboration with Ammara Brown on a track titled Calling.
• In August, Asaph reiterated that he was “in it to win it” after dropping another single titled Asipheli Moya. Asaph said the song was about never giving up no matter what the situation is.
• In December, Asaph reigned supreme at the Zim Hip Hop Awards where he scooped four gongs. The Ginde track put him on the map as it earned him and Crooger nods for Best Collaboration and Best Video. Asaph was also awarded for having the Best Hip-Hop verse and hip-hop personality.