Winky D
“Abracadabra iya yazoshanda manje,” said the “Gafa” Winky D as he accepted one of his Nama awards a few weeks back.
Indeed, the “magic” seems to be working for the energetic singer who went on to controversially scoop a Zima gong last week. On top of that, he walked away with two awards at the 2016 Zim Dancehall Awards held in Harare on Thursday.
The Gafa won Zim Dancehall Best Performer and Song of the Year awards, proving that his “magical” touch is just too powerful and fellow artistes need to find a formula that brews a stronger portion than that of the “Disappear” hit-maker. His manager, Jonathan Banda was also awarded Best Manager award.
As usual, the dancehall awards always have a lot of energy and the 2016 edition was no exception. Killer T proved his worth as he walked away with four awards. His manager, DJ Bimmar was also honoured.
Fungisai got things started when she arrived pumping beats at high decibels in her slick BMW Z3 escorted by some motorbikes, bringing all business to a standstill at the Long Cheng Plaza as she made her to the awards venue, Club 1+1. Her attendance confirmed that she has indeed gone the secular route as she was spotted jamming at the Bar Rouge, just some two weeks ago. Nonetheless, dancehall fans didn’t seem to mind her, but embraced her, making her feel like the queen has arrived to take her throne.
There were some improvements from last year’s event, with a more defined red carpet, an incorporation of engaging hosts, notably, Doc Vikela who was dropping hilarious punch lines throughout the night and also spiced things up by inviting the two factions of PO Box TV to clash on the dance-floor.
The biggest improvement for this third edition was the unveiling of the Zim Dancehall gong. In the past two editions, winners were given cheap trophies which differed in shape and size.
But, there were some areas the organisers misfired which can be easily sorted going forward. The venue proved to be small and got congested once winners took to the stage to collect their awards.
A rehearsed programme is needed to ensure the event is flawless. Many times, the host would begin shouting for a performer to come on stage or an award presenter would just disappear and delay the proceedings.
Lastly, just like most events in Zimbabwe, time keeping is an area that needs to be drastically improved. The event scheduled to start at 6 pm only started around 9PM.
However, considering organisers did not have corporate sponsorship, kudos to them for acknowledging and encouraging the young dancehall artistes who are creating employment for many ghetto youths.
And the winners are:
Special Award — Templeman for promoting the Zimdancehall genre and taking it to another level
Best Management — DJ Bimmar (Killer T) and Jonathan Banda (Winky D)
Zimdancehall Ambassador —Freeman
Best Video — King Labash (Zvakumberi)
Best Youngster — Genius
Most Promising Artiste —Hwindi President and Dobba Don
Best Club Song – Magetsi by Souljah Luv
Social Message — Usamurove by Seh Calaz & Killer T (Chikorobho)
Best Vocalist — Celsius
Best Album — Ngoma Ndaimba by Killer T
Best Dance group — Conquering Family
Best Collaboration — Deedzai Vakuru (Killer T and Fungisai)
Mentorship Award — Patrick Zhuwao (Red Foxx) and Kenako Media
Most Improved Artiste — Ras Caleb
Best Conscious Song — Amai by Seh Calaz
Best Riddim of the year —ZimTalent by Samcris
Best Perfomer — Winky D
Producer of the year — Oskid
Best Conscious Riddim — Silent Killer riddim by T Man
Song of the Year — Disappear by Winky D
Best Female Artiste — Darular
Best Male Artiste — Killer T.
— Zimbo-jam.