{"id":1060,"date":"2020-05-25T10:58:04","date_gmt":"2020-05-25T10:58:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jikinya.com\/?p=1060"},"modified":"2020-05-25T10:58:04","modified_gmt":"2020-05-25T10:58:04","slug":"hokoyo-is-a-great-zimbabwean-album","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blockspaceballads.com\/?p=1060","title":{"rendered":"Hokoyo Is a Great Zimbabwean Album"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
Jah Prayzah<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

By Onai Mushava<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jah Prayzah\u2019s continental wars are well-known but after every battle is fought, an artist\u2019s never-ending conflicts are against himself. Think of a musician as different splinter personalities in one room, each fighting for creative control. That is Jah Prayzah, the stage monster, the business strategist, the regional crusader, the cultural revivalist, and the vulnerable underdog. The best of these splinters have just won the latest round and recorded a great Zimbabwean album.<\/p>\n

Hokoyo<\/em>, the new fifteen-track album, is Jah Prayzah\u2019s tenth. It is not just a comeback from the uninspired Chitubu<\/em>, but one of his most ambitious yet, alongside Tsviriyo<\/em>, Jerusarema<\/em> and Kutonga Kwaro<\/em>. There are songs to make you feel and sounds that are as grounded in the Zimbabwean tradition as they are open to cross-border influence. The mythic vibe on the traditionally themed, standout tracks is what sets Jah Prayzah, with fellow griot Mathias Muzaza, apart from his generation.<\/p>\n

He is as able as anyone to stick around the pop conversation with bubblegum anthems but here the dancefloor bounce is driven by harmony between wholesome production and soul-deep words of an ancient poet. The question, what is new, is a fair one but we should also ask what time it is in the 32 year-old musician\u2019s career. He has challenged himself, challenged us, and now he is defining the essential Jah Prayzah.<\/p>\n

In an interview with Jikinya<\/em>, producer DJ Tamuka stresses that Hokoyo<\/em> is a back-to-essentials album. \u201cIt\u2019s the tenth album so we wanted it to explore as much of his original self as possible, to translate the real Jah Prayzah into music,\u201d Tamuka says. \u201cI love listening to this album because it\u2019s full of songs that I like and music that I like. I can say it was a painting of both our musical selves, me and Jah Prayzah.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tamuka produced the whole album, except \u201cMunyaradzi\u201d and \u201cDonhodzo\u201d, which were done by his frequent collaborator, Rodney Beatz, \u201cChiramwiwa\u201d, produced by Drummerboy Stanley from Nigeria and \u201cNyaya yeRudo\u201d, done by Young DLC. He also co-produced the Zimpraise-assisted, \u201cMiteuro\u201d, with Rodney Beatz and \u201cEriya\u201d with Zoom Beats. Tamuka\u2019s production is computer-generated but also draws on trusty instrumentalists, most obviously Stimela\u2019s hosho and Jah Prayzah\u2019s mbira, and session artists for whom he writes the music. Hokoyo<\/em> is his third album with Jah Prayzah.<\/p>\n

\u201cKwayedza\u201d and \u201cHokoyo\u201d, the lead single which has already been around for a minute, are the strongest artistic statements on the album. The title track\u2019s incantatory hook enchants you from three directions, assisted by shakers and a spare trumpet looking for somewhere to land on the trance. The verses show that Jah Prayzah\u2019s achievement is not just singing deep Shona lyrics that would seamlessly blend into the fireside and moonshine rituals of the golden past but in adapting them to his present feelings.<\/p>\n

In both tracks, the Uzumba-born musician is shaking off bad energy and reminding us that he is self-made, a very current music conversation if one does not look past it to be absorbed in the traditional scenery. And if the songs are romantic reconstructions, Blaqs\u2019 peerless visuals go beyond translating and layering them to achieve a mystic urgency.<\/p>\n

Another feature of Jah Prayzah\u2019s song-writing is his mock-distracted approach to serious issues. A verse like, \u201cKundipa museve usina uta\/ ho wandivirimira\/ ha mutema wakaoma,\u201d may sound like a sonic afterthought but it is one of the core messages of the song. Having driven the message of black pride home \u2013 even if some people’s totems are cheap enough to be traded, I, Chasura, will never dare sanitise the Dzimbahwe eagle \u2013 Jah Prayzah now turns to black-on-black resentment, the crab-in-the-bucket mentality That in just two lyrics that are more playful than they are preachy.<\/p>\n

Mbira dzeNharira leader Tendayi Gahamadze gives a nod in an interview with Jikinya. \u201cThe way he combines his music and message, the deep lyrics he uses, is true to heritage. What is important is that young people can relate when the messenger is one of their own,\u201d Gahamadze says.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Tendayi Gahamadze<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The elder, whose classic mbira gourd carries his totem, Samaita, spent some time with Jah Prayzah, Blaqs and crew in Kariba for the shooting of \u201cKwayedza\u201d and also appears in the video. Tamuka says this was a special song for Jah Prayzah, especially since he held on to it for more than three years, waiting for the right moment. Samaita\u2019s appearance in the song is one of the few shoutouts Jah Prayzah gives to Zimbabwean greats on the album. Whereas this was achieved throughout name-checking on previous albums, this time it\u2019s done through subliminal music-speak allusive to \u201cWenge Mambo\u201d, \u201cChiriyo\u201d and others.<\/p>\n

And since it is Africa Day, Jah Prayzah\u2019s regional collaborations are particularly relevant for Samaita. \u201cTo say let\u2019s do this together and get to a point of understanding each other, that\u2019s building family bonds with other Africans. The unity we want for our continent is being achieved through music,\u201d Gahamadze tells Jikinya<\/em>.<\/p>\n

With Mudhara Achauya<\/em>, Jah Prayzah changed his video rollout from a corporate-sponsored DVD album to the more international procedure of strategically spaced singles. For this lockdown album, he chose to drop a number of videos just a day apart. \u201cMukwasha\u201d, the first video is quickly piling numbers and highlights the artist\u2019s lighter side, driven by a classic Jah Prayzah theme.<\/p>\n

Dude has made a career out of playing the troubled son-in-law, disqualified, henpecked and even left for dead, from \u201cSungano\u201d to \u201cMaria\u201d and the Charma Girl collaboration. This is hardly surprising. Zimbabwean musicians are the most troubled son-in-laws in the world. James Chimombe is made to stone snakes and thatch huts in \u201cMukuwasha\u201d. Mpopoma in-laws shake out Lovemore Majaivana\u2019s pockets all day in \u201cMkwenyana\u201d. And if you thought the dowry of 100 Philistine foreskins required from David was the trickiest, spare a thought for stone-broke John Chibadura, charged $5000 and 30 head of cattle way before the bond-dollar era, or Oliver Mtukudzi, ordered to hunt for his own totem just to appease greedy in-laws.<\/p>\n

Of the two collaborations on this album, the Zimpraise-assisted \u201cMiteuro\u201d is lyrically wobbly and less inspired. \u201cKana Ndada\u201d, featuring Zahara, joins the bottomless trove of Jah Prayzah love classics. Tamuka puts the sun on pause and gifts the long-distance \u201clovers\u201d with a steady, jazzy beat to empty their chests and keep things going during lockdown.<\/p>\n

A \u201cgreat Zimbabwean album\u201d conversation will be revisited with the benefit of hindsight but it is safe to initiate it this point. While it will be for the audience and the industry to decide impact and durability, we can already pick the album apart for a binding concept, capacity for reinvention, production value, song-writing, social relevance, technical range and emotional relatability. Hokoyo<\/em> checks almost every box from the songs already discussed.<\/p>\n

I have previously written some of the harshest criticism of Jah Prayzah, unimpressed by his easing into an undemanding, bubblegum template. The songs worked for his high-octane, fast-paced performances but were socially distant \u201cmusic about music.\u201d As Jah Prayzah got more polished, he gave up his original vulnerability and insane penmanship so that by time he wrote \u201cDangerous\u201d, all he had in mind was four more minutes of show time. Whereas, already on his first album, Rudo neRunyararo<\/em>, he was capable of emotive love songs like \u201cTaura\u201d impassioned traditional ones like \u201cRairai\u201d, the production quality just wasn\u2019t there back then. Hokoyo<\/em>\u2019s clean production and classic lyricism defines the essential Jah Prayzah.<\/p>\n

Jah Prayzah is not an obviously political artist in the prophetic sense of Leonard Zhakata or Winky D. At his most political (2016-17), he offered conspiracy rather than critique. Where dabbles into social justice (freedom for the wrongfully incarcerated in \u201cMiteuro\u201d), the effort is half-felt.<\/p>\n

His, then, is the politics of celebration and restoration.<\/p>\n

When Thomas Mapfumo reclaimed the mbira from what historian Mhoze Chikowero calls \u201cmbirapocalypse\u201d and \u201cRhodesian epistemicide\u201d, subversion was the game, even before you considered his lyrics. Lovemore Majaivana\u2019s folk songs are a revolution at the point of revitalisation, before parsing the dense correspondence of the lyrics with the present. That is mbira in the hands of Jah Prayzah, married to his politics of black pride and African renaissance.<\/p>\n

Hokoyo<\/em> is a solid album by one of the best African musicians singing today.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Onai Mushava Jah Prayzah\u2019s continental wars are well-known but after every battle is fought, an artist\u2019s never-ending conflicts are against himself. Think of a musician as different splinter personalities in one room, each fighting for creative control. That is Jah Prayzah, the stage monster, the business strategist, the regional crusader, the cultural revivalist, and the vulnerable underdog. The best of these splinters have just won the latest round and recorded a great Zimbabwean album. Hokoyo, the new fifteen-track album, is Jah Prayzah\u2019s tenth. It is not just a comeback from the uninspired Chitubu, but one of his most ambitious yet, alongside Tsviriyo, Jerusarema and Kutonga Kwaro. There are songs to make you feel and sounds that are as grounded in the Zimbabwean tradition as they are open to cross-border influence. The mythic vibe on the traditionally themed, standout tracks is what sets Jah Prayzah, with fellow griot Mathias Muzaza, apart from his generation. He is as able as anyone to stick around the pop conversation with bubblegum anthems but here the dancefloor bounce is driven by harmony between wholesome production and soul-deep words of an ancient poet. The question, what is new, is a fair one but we should also ask what time it is in the 32 year-old musician\u2019s career. He has challenged himself, challenged us, and now he is defining the essential Jah Prayzah. In an interview with Jikinya, producer DJ Tamuka stresses that Hokoyo is a back-to-essentials album. \u201cIt\u2019s the tenth album so we wanted it to explore as much of his original self as possible, to translate the real Jah Prayzah into music,\u201d Tamuka says. \u201cI love listening to this album because it\u2019s full of songs that I like and music that I like. I can say it was a painting of both our musical selves, me and Jah Prayzah.\u201d Tamuka produced the whole album, except \u201cMunyaradzi\u201d and \u201cDonhodzo\u201d, which were done by his frequent collaborator, Rodney Beatz, \u201cChiramwiwa\u201d, produced by Drummerboy Stanley from Nigeria and \u201cNyaya yeRudo\u201d, done by Young DLC. He also co-produced the Zimpraise-assisted, \u201cMiteuro\u201d, with Rodney Beatz and \u201cEriya\u201d with Zoom Beats. Tamuka\u2019s production is computer-generated but also draws on trusty instrumentalists, most obviously Stimela\u2019s hosho and Jah Prayzah\u2019s mbira, and session artists for whom he writes the music. Hokoyo is his third album with Jah Prayzah. \u201cKwayedza\u201d and \u201cHokoyo\u201d, the lead single which has already been around for a minute, are the strongest artistic statements on the album. The title track\u2019s incantatory hook enchants you from three directions, assisted by shakers and a spare trumpet looking for somewhere to land on the trance. The verses show that Jah Prayzah\u2019s achievement is not just singing deep Shona lyrics that would seamlessly blend into the fireside and moonshine rituals of the golden past but in adapting them to his present feelings. In both tracks, the Uzumba-born musician is shaking off bad energy and reminding us that he is self-made, a very current music conversation if one does not look past it to be absorbed in the traditional scenery. And if the songs are romantic reconstructions, Blaqs\u2019 peerless visuals go beyond translating and layering them to achieve a mystic urgency. Another feature of Jah Prayzah\u2019s song-writing is his mock-distracted approach to serious issues. A verse like, \u201cKundipa museve usina uta\/ ho wandivirimira\/ ha mutema wakaoma,\u201d may sound like a sonic afterthought but it is one of the core messages of the song. Having driven the message of black pride home \u2013 even if some people’s totems are cheap enough to be traded, I, Chasura, will never dare sanitise the Dzimbahwe eagle \u2013 Jah Prayzah now turns to black-on-black resentment, the crab-in-the-bucket mentality That in just two lyrics that are more playful than they are preachy. Mbira dzeNharira leader Tendayi Gahamadze gives a nod in an interview with Jikinya. \u201cThe way he combines his music and message, the deep lyrics he uses, is true to heritage. What is important is that young people can relate when the messenger is one of their own,\u201d Gahamadze says. The elder, whose classic mbira gourd carries his totem, Samaita, spent some time with Jah Prayzah, Blaqs and crew in Kariba for the shooting of \u201cKwayedza\u201d and also appears in the video. Tamuka says this was a special song for Jah Prayzah, especially since he held on to it for more than three years, waiting for the right moment. Samaita\u2019s appearance in the song is one of the few shoutouts Jah Prayzah gives to Zimbabwean greats on the album. Whereas this was achieved throughout name-checking on previous albums, this time it\u2019s done through subliminal music-speak allusive to \u201cWenge Mambo\u201d, \u201cChiriyo\u201d and others. And since it is Africa Day, Jah Prayzah\u2019s regional collaborations are particularly relevant for Samaita. \u201cTo say let\u2019s do this together and get to a point of understanding each other, that\u2019s building family bonds with other Africans. The unity we want for our continent is being achieved through music,\u201d Gahamadze tells Jikinya. With Mudhara Achauya, Jah Prayzah changed his video rollout from a corporate-sponsored DVD album to the more international procedure of strategically spaced singles. For this lockdown album, he chose to drop a number of videos just a day apart. \u201cMukwasha\u201d, the first video is quickly piling numbers and highlights the artist\u2019s lighter side, driven by a classic Jah Prayzah theme. Dude has made a career out of playing the troubled son-in-law, disqualified, henpecked and even left for dead, from \u201cSungano\u201d to \u201cMaria\u201d and the Charma Girl collaboration. This is hardly surprising. Zimbabwean musicians are the most troubled son-in-laws in the world. James Chimombe is made to stone snakes and thatch huts in \u201cMukuwasha\u201d. Mpopoma in-laws shake out Lovemore Majaivana\u2019s pockets all day in \u201cMkwenyana\u201d. And if you thought the dowry of 100 Philistine foreskins required from David was the trickiest, spare a thought for stone-broke John Chibadura, charged $5000 and 30 head of cattle way before the bond-dollar era, or Oliver Mtukudzi, ordered to hunt for his own totem just to appease greedy in-laws.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1061,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[64,65,66,67,40,23],"class_list":["post-1060","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-music","tag-afrobeats","tag-afropop","tag-hokoyo","tag-jah-prayzah","tag-zimbabwe","tag-zimbabwean-music"],"yoast_head":"\nHokoyo Is a Great Zimbabwean Album | Blockspace<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blockspaceballads.com\/?p=1060\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Hokoyo Is a Great Zimbabwean Album | Blockspace\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Onai Mushava Jah Prayzah\u2019s continental wars are well-known but after every battle is fought, an artist\u2019s never-ending conflicts are against himself. Think of a musician as different splinter personalities in one room, each fighting for creative control. That is Jah Prayzah, the stage monster, the business strategist, the regional crusader, the cultural revivalist, and the vulnerable underdog. The best of these splinters have just won the latest round and recorded a great Zimbabwean album. Hokoyo, the new fifteen-track album, is Jah Prayzah\u2019s tenth. It is not just a comeback from the uninspired Chitubu, but one of his most ambitious yet, alongside Tsviriyo, Jerusarema and Kutonga Kwaro. There are songs to make you feel and sounds that are as grounded in the Zimbabwean tradition as they are open to cross-border influence. The mythic vibe on the traditionally themed, standout tracks is what sets Jah Prayzah, with fellow griot Mathias Muzaza, apart from his generation. He is as able as anyone to stick around the pop conversation with bubblegum anthems but here the dancefloor bounce is driven by harmony between wholesome production and soul-deep words of an ancient poet. The question, what is new, is a fair one but we should also ask what time it is in the 32 year-old musician\u2019s career. He has challenged himself, challenged us, and now he is defining the essential Jah Prayzah. In an interview with Jikinya, producer DJ Tamuka stresses that Hokoyo is a back-to-essentials album. \u201cIt\u2019s the tenth album so we wanted it to explore as much of his original self as possible, to translate the real Jah Prayzah into music,\u201d Tamuka says. \u201cI love listening to this album because it\u2019s full of songs that I like and music that I like. I can say it was a painting of both our musical selves, me and Jah Prayzah.\u201d Tamuka produced the whole album, except \u201cMunyaradzi\u201d and \u201cDonhodzo\u201d, which were done by his frequent collaborator, Rodney Beatz, \u201cChiramwiwa\u201d, produced by Drummerboy Stanley from Nigeria and \u201cNyaya yeRudo\u201d, done by Young DLC. He also co-produced the Zimpraise-assisted, \u201cMiteuro\u201d, with Rodney Beatz and \u201cEriya\u201d with Zoom Beats. Tamuka\u2019s production is computer-generated but also draws on trusty instrumentalists, most obviously Stimela\u2019s hosho and Jah Prayzah\u2019s mbira, and session artists for whom he writes the music. Hokoyo is his third album with Jah Prayzah. \u201cKwayedza\u201d and \u201cHokoyo\u201d, the lead single which has already been around for a minute, are the strongest artistic statements on the album. The title track\u2019s incantatory hook enchants you from three directions, assisted by shakers and a spare trumpet looking for somewhere to land on the trance. The verses show that Jah Prayzah\u2019s achievement is not just singing deep Shona lyrics that would seamlessly blend into the fireside and moonshine rituals of the golden past but in adapting them to his present feelings. In both tracks, the Uzumba-born musician is shaking off bad energy and reminding us that he is self-made, a very current music conversation if one does not look past it to be absorbed in the traditional scenery. And if the songs are romantic reconstructions, Blaqs\u2019 peerless visuals go beyond translating and layering them to achieve a mystic urgency. Another feature of Jah Prayzah\u2019s song-writing is his mock-distracted approach to serious issues. A verse like, \u201cKundipa museve usina uta\/ ho wandivirimira\/ ha mutema wakaoma,\u201d may sound like a sonic afterthought but it is one of the core messages of the song. Having driven the message of black pride home \u2013 even if some people’s totems are cheap enough to be traded, I, Chasura, will never dare sanitise the Dzimbahwe eagle \u2013 Jah Prayzah now turns to black-on-black resentment, the crab-in-the-bucket mentality That in just two lyrics that are more playful than they are preachy. Mbira dzeNharira leader Tendayi Gahamadze gives a nod in an interview with Jikinya. \u201cThe way he combines his music and message, the deep lyrics he uses, is true to heritage. What is important is that young people can relate when the messenger is one of their own,\u201d Gahamadze says. The elder, whose classic mbira gourd carries his totem, Samaita, spent some time with Jah Prayzah, Blaqs and crew in Kariba for the shooting of \u201cKwayedza\u201d and also appears in the video. Tamuka says this was a special song for Jah Prayzah, especially since he held on to it for more than three years, waiting for the right moment. Samaita\u2019s appearance in the song is one of the few shoutouts Jah Prayzah gives to Zimbabwean greats on the album. Whereas this was achieved throughout name-checking on previous albums, this time it\u2019s done through subliminal music-speak allusive to \u201cWenge Mambo\u201d, \u201cChiriyo\u201d and others. And since it is Africa Day, Jah Prayzah\u2019s regional collaborations are particularly relevant for Samaita. \u201cTo say let\u2019s do this together and get to a point of understanding each other, that\u2019s building family bonds with other Africans. The unity we want for our continent is being achieved through music,\u201d Gahamadze tells Jikinya. With Mudhara Achauya, Jah Prayzah changed his video rollout from a corporate-sponsored DVD album to the more international procedure of strategically spaced singles. For this lockdown album, he chose to drop a number of videos just a day apart. \u201cMukwasha\u201d, the first video is quickly piling numbers and highlights the artist\u2019s lighter side, driven by a classic Jah Prayzah theme. Dude has made a career out of playing the troubled son-in-law, disqualified, henpecked and even left for dead, from \u201cSungano\u201d to \u201cMaria\u201d and the Charma Girl collaboration. This is hardly surprising. Zimbabwean musicians are the most troubled son-in-laws in the world. James Chimombe is made to stone snakes and thatch huts in \u201cMukuwasha\u201d. Mpopoma in-laws shake out Lovemore Majaivana\u2019s pockets all day in \u201cMkwenyana\u201d. And if you thought the dowry of 100 Philistine foreskins required from David was the trickiest, spare a thought for stone-broke John Chibadura, charged $5000 and 30 head of cattle way before the bond-dollar era, or Oliver Mtukudzi, ordered to hunt for his own totem just to appease greedy in-laws.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/blockspaceballads.com\/?p=1060\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Blockspace\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-05-25T10:58:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"hardsouth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"hardsouth\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blockspaceballads.com\\\/?p=1060#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blockspaceballads.com\\\/?p=1060\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"hardsouth\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blockspaceballads.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/a336a678f28eacb341ce63c6b84b17d0\"},\"headline\":\"Hokoyo Is a Great Zimbabwean Album\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-05-25T10:58:04+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blockspaceballads.com\\\/?p=1060\"},\"wordCount\":1413,\"commentCount\":1,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blockspaceballads.com\\\/?p=1060#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"\",\"keywords\":[\"Afrobeats\",\"Afropop\",\"Hokoyo\",\"Jah Prayzah\",\"Zimbabwe\",\"Zimbabwean Music\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Music\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/blockspaceballads.com\\\/?p=1060#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blockspaceballads.com\\\/?p=1060\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blockspaceballads.com\\\/?p=1060\",\"name\":\"Hokoyo Is a Great Zimbabwean Album | Blockspace\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blockspaceballads.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blockspaceballads.com\\\/?p=1060#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blockspaceballads.com\\\/?p=1060#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-05-25T10:58:04+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blockspaceballads.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/a336a678f28eacb341ce63c6b84b17d0\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blockspaceballads.com\\\/?p=1060#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/blockspaceballads.com\\\/?p=1060\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blockspaceballads.com\\\/?p=1060#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"\",\"contentUrl\":\"\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blockspaceballads.com\\\/?p=1060#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blockspaceballads.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Hokoyo Is a Great Zimbabwean Album\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blockspaceballads.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blockspaceballads.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Blockspace\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blockspaceballads.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blockspaceballads.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/a336a678f28eacb341ce63c6b84b17d0\",\"name\":\"hardsouth\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/a41ab3776091878d9ebe7b7c14ed7e21b52e50dabd4a368463ca3431f015799a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/a41ab3776091878d9ebe7b7c14ed7e21b52e50dabd4a368463ca3431f015799a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/a41ab3776091878d9ebe7b7c14ed7e21b52e50dabd4a368463ca3431f015799a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"hardsouth\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/blockspaceballads.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blockspaceballads.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Hokoyo Is a Great Zimbabwean Album | Blockspace","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/blockspaceballads.com\/?p=1060","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Hokoyo Is a Great Zimbabwean Album | Blockspace","og_description":"By Onai Mushava Jah Prayzah\u2019s continental wars are well-known but after every battle is fought, an artist\u2019s never-ending conflicts are against himself. Think of a musician as different splinter personalities in one room, each fighting for creative control. That is Jah Prayzah, the stage monster, the business strategist, the regional crusader, the cultural revivalist, and the vulnerable underdog. The best of these splinters have just won the latest round and recorded a great Zimbabwean album. Hokoyo, the new fifteen-track album, is Jah Prayzah\u2019s tenth. It is not just a comeback from the uninspired Chitubu, but one of his most ambitious yet, alongside Tsviriyo, Jerusarema and Kutonga Kwaro. There are songs to make you feel and sounds that are as grounded in the Zimbabwean tradition as they are open to cross-border influence. The mythic vibe on the traditionally themed, standout tracks is what sets Jah Prayzah, with fellow griot Mathias Muzaza, apart from his generation. He is as able as anyone to stick around the pop conversation with bubblegum anthems but here the dancefloor bounce is driven by harmony between wholesome production and soul-deep words of an ancient poet. The question, what is new, is a fair one but we should also ask what time it is in the 32 year-old musician\u2019s career. He has challenged himself, challenged us, and now he is defining the essential Jah Prayzah. In an interview with Jikinya, producer DJ Tamuka stresses that Hokoyo is a back-to-essentials album. \u201cIt\u2019s the tenth album so we wanted it to explore as much of his original self as possible, to translate the real Jah Prayzah into music,\u201d Tamuka says. \u201cI love listening to this album because it\u2019s full of songs that I like and music that I like. I can say it was a painting of both our musical selves, me and Jah Prayzah.\u201d Tamuka produced the whole album, except \u201cMunyaradzi\u201d and \u201cDonhodzo\u201d, which were done by his frequent collaborator, Rodney Beatz, \u201cChiramwiwa\u201d, produced by Drummerboy Stanley from Nigeria and \u201cNyaya yeRudo\u201d, done by Young DLC. He also co-produced the Zimpraise-assisted, \u201cMiteuro\u201d, with Rodney Beatz and \u201cEriya\u201d with Zoom Beats. Tamuka\u2019s production is computer-generated but also draws on trusty instrumentalists, most obviously Stimela\u2019s hosho and Jah Prayzah\u2019s mbira, and session artists for whom he writes the music. Hokoyo is his third album with Jah Prayzah. \u201cKwayedza\u201d and \u201cHokoyo\u201d, the lead single which has already been around for a minute, are the strongest artistic statements on the album. The title track\u2019s incantatory hook enchants you from three directions, assisted by shakers and a spare trumpet looking for somewhere to land on the trance. The verses show that Jah Prayzah\u2019s achievement is not just singing deep Shona lyrics that would seamlessly blend into the fireside and moonshine rituals of the golden past but in adapting them to his present feelings. In both tracks, the Uzumba-born musician is shaking off bad energy and reminding us that he is self-made, a very current music conversation if one does not look past it to be absorbed in the traditional scenery. And if the songs are romantic reconstructions, Blaqs\u2019 peerless visuals go beyond translating and layering them to achieve a mystic urgency. Another feature of Jah Prayzah\u2019s song-writing is his mock-distracted approach to serious issues. A verse like, \u201cKundipa museve usina uta\/ ho wandivirimira\/ ha mutema wakaoma,\u201d may sound like a sonic afterthought but it is one of the core messages of the song. Having driven the message of black pride home \u2013 even if some people’s totems are cheap enough to be traded, I, Chasura, will never dare sanitise the Dzimbahwe eagle \u2013 Jah Prayzah now turns to black-on-black resentment, the crab-in-the-bucket mentality That in just two lyrics that are more playful than they are preachy. Mbira dzeNharira leader Tendayi Gahamadze gives a nod in an interview with Jikinya. \u201cThe way he combines his music and message, the deep lyrics he uses, is true to heritage. What is important is that young people can relate when the messenger is one of their own,\u201d Gahamadze says. The elder, whose classic mbira gourd carries his totem, Samaita, spent some time with Jah Prayzah, Blaqs and crew in Kariba for the shooting of \u201cKwayedza\u201d and also appears in the video. Tamuka says this was a special song for Jah Prayzah, especially since he held on to it for more than three years, waiting for the right moment. Samaita\u2019s appearance in the song is one of the few shoutouts Jah Prayzah gives to Zimbabwean greats on the album. Whereas this was achieved throughout name-checking on previous albums, this time it\u2019s done through subliminal music-speak allusive to \u201cWenge Mambo\u201d, \u201cChiriyo\u201d and others. And since it is Africa Day, Jah Prayzah\u2019s regional collaborations are particularly relevant for Samaita. \u201cTo say let\u2019s do this together and get to a point of understanding each other, that\u2019s building family bonds with other Africans. The unity we want for our continent is being achieved through music,\u201d Gahamadze tells Jikinya. With Mudhara Achauya, Jah Prayzah changed his video rollout from a corporate-sponsored DVD album to the more international procedure of strategically spaced singles. For this lockdown album, he chose to drop a number of videos just a day apart. \u201cMukwasha\u201d, the first video is quickly piling numbers and highlights the artist\u2019s lighter side, driven by a classic Jah Prayzah theme. Dude has made a career out of playing the troubled son-in-law, disqualified, henpecked and even left for dead, from \u201cSungano\u201d to \u201cMaria\u201d and the Charma Girl collaboration. This is hardly surprising. Zimbabwean musicians are the most troubled son-in-laws in the world. James Chimombe is made to stone snakes and thatch huts in \u201cMukuwasha\u201d. Mpopoma in-laws shake out Lovemore Majaivana\u2019s pockets all day in \u201cMkwenyana\u201d. And if you thought the dowry of 100 Philistine foreskins required from David was the trickiest, spare a thought for stone-broke John Chibadura, charged $5000 and 30 head of cattle way before the bond-dollar era, or Oliver Mtukudzi, ordered to hunt for his own totem just to appease greedy in-laws.","og_url":"https:\/\/blockspaceballads.com\/?p=1060","og_site_name":"Blockspace","article_published_time":"2020-05-25T10:58:04+00:00","author":"hardsouth","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"hardsouth","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/blockspaceballads.com\/?p=1060#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blockspaceballads.com\/?p=1060"},"author":{"name":"hardsouth","@id":"https:\/\/blockspaceballads.com\/#\/schema\/person\/a336a678f28eacb341ce63c6b84b17d0"},"headline":"Hokoyo Is a Great Zimbabwean Album","datePublished":"2020-05-25T10:58:04+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blockspaceballads.com\/?p=1060"},"wordCount":1413,"commentCount":1,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blockspaceballads.com\/?p=1060#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"","keywords":["Afrobeats","Afropop","Hokoyo","Jah Prayzah","Zimbabwe","Zimbabwean Music"],"articleSection":["Music"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/blockspaceballads.com\/?p=1060#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/blockspaceballads.com\/?p=1060","url":"https:\/\/blockspaceballads.com\/?p=1060","name":"Hokoyo Is a Great Zimbabwean Album | Blockspace","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blockspaceballads.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blockspaceballads.com\/?p=1060#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blockspaceballads.com\/?p=1060#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"","datePublished":"2020-05-25T10:58:04+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/blockspaceballads.com\/#\/schema\/person\/a336a678f28eacb341ce63c6b84b17d0"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/blockspaceballads.com\/?p=1060#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/blockspaceballads.com\/?p=1060"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/blockspaceballads.com\/?p=1060#primaryimage","url":"","contentUrl":""},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/blockspaceballads.com\/?p=1060#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/blockspaceballads.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Hokoyo Is a Great Zimbabwean Album"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/blockspaceballads.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/blockspaceballads.com\/","name":"Blockspace","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/blockspaceballads.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/blockspaceballads.com\/#\/schema\/person\/a336a678f28eacb341ce63c6b84b17d0","name":"hardsouth","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a41ab3776091878d9ebe7b7c14ed7e21b52e50dabd4a368463ca3431f015799a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a41ab3776091878d9ebe7b7c14ed7e21b52e50dabd4a368463ca3431f015799a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a41ab3776091878d9ebe7b7c14ed7e21b52e50dabd4a368463ca3431f015799a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"hardsouth"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/blockspaceballads.com"],"url":"https:\/\/blockspaceballads.com\/?author=1"}]}},"wpmagazine_modules_lite_featured_media_urls":{"thumbnail":"","cvmm-medium":"","cvmm-medium-plus":"","cvmm-portrait":"","cvmm-medium-square":"","cvmm-large":"","cvmm-small":"","full":""},"categories_names":{"25":{"name":"Music","link":"https:\/\/blockspaceballads.com\/?cat=25"}},"tags_names":{"64":{"name":"Afrobeats","link":"https:\/\/blockspaceballads.com\/?tag=afrobeats"},"65":{"name":"Afropop","link":"https:\/\/blockspaceballads.com\/?tag=afropop"},"66":{"name":"Hokoyo","link":"https:\/\/blockspaceballads.com\/?tag=hokoyo"},"67":{"name":"Jah Prayzah","link":"https:\/\/blockspaceballads.com\/?tag=jah-prayzah"},"40":{"name":"Zimbabwe","link":"https:\/\/blockspaceballads.com\/?tag=zimbabwe"},"23":{"name":"Zimbabwean Music","link":"https:\/\/blockspaceballads.com\/?tag=zimbabwean-music"}},"comments_number":"1","brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blockspaceballads.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1060","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blockspaceballads.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blockspaceballads.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blockspaceballads.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blockspaceballads.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1060"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blockspaceballads.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1060\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blockspaceballads.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1060"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blockspaceballads.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1060"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blockspaceballads.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1060"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}