By Argus Mepo
The Zimbabwean music industry has been a continuous cycle of rising artists, to trending and dominating then predictably recessing and fading. Only a few have stood the test of times, they have constantly upped their game and have been on the lime light for decades now.
One of these ever-shinning musical stars of our time is Mr Putiti who is affectionally know in his area of trade as ExQ. His musical light has refused to either deem or fade over the past two decades.
This stylish and colorful artist is the goalkeeper of the urban and contemporary sound who will forever be remembered for entertaining and impacting different generations during the span of his career.
The solid foundation of his career has been facilitated by the fact that he is a pragmatist, perfect schemer and is able to read the musical temperatures well.
The following traits have allowed ExQ to be relevant for nearly two decades now:
a) Reputable and Controversy Free Image
The demise of some urban groovers was largely attributed to different controversies, ranging from sexual scandals to drug and substance abuse. Nevertheless, ExQ has built his own musical castle on a clean sheet free from controversy. This has broadened his fanbase and enabled him to clinch top endorsement deals which has furthered his musical endeavors.
b) Consistency
The man is a hardworking artist who has never wasted the opportunity of being on limelight. He is a studio junky who has been constantly releasing music. When the wave of Zimdancehall destroyed the careers of some urban groovers, consistency was his magic formula which made his music to be spared. Hits like Bhachura and Halleluyah to mention just a few were released during the peak of Zimdancehall.
c) Adaptive to the music trends
The Kambuzuma bred star has been able to cope up with the new and emerging musical trends. He has managed to catch up with the emerging musical flavours especially the Afropop which has enabled him to remain relevant than other urban groovers who have remained caged to the old traditional urban groovers sound.
d) Master Collaborator
ExQ is a master collaborator who is capable of doing wonders and merging different sounds, genres and artists to come up with a solidified body of work. From the hey days he gave us Maidei and Ndichakuteera, which are some of the biggest urban groove songs up to date. He brought back Roki to the limelight with his hit song Alleluyah, he did the same for Tocky Vibes on Wakatemba. Normally, when ExQ explodes, he never does so alone. He has managed to unite different genres together, revisit Nzenza with Freeman, Mamoyo with Jah Prayzah, Lets Talk About It with Nutty O and Nhema with Killer T. This man does not waste collabos, he nails them and produce something bigger.
e) Stunning Visuals
Stunning visuals have also enabled him to be relevant especially during this era were the musical trends are changing accompanied with stiffer competition. The Bhachura visuals were on point, they trended all over the world and introduced the director of the moment Vusa Blaqs to the world. The same for Tsvigiri, Riva and Wakatemba, they are brilliant. The concept, quality and characters on his videos are out of this world.
f) Humility
Personality wise, he is a down to earth guy who is not easily moved by fame. This has positively impacted on his career and enabled him to move mountains with his music. He has been to places, he has toured Africa, Europe, USA, Australia and Asia.
Leave a Reply