State of the music industry in Zimbabwe

For sometime now there have been arguments on the state of music industry in Zimbabwe, particularly on which genre is doing it big in the country.

This came after several music critiques suggested that Zimdancehall is no longer the biggest music genre. With how Zimdancehall artists have been diversifying and tapping into other genres, this notion might be 100% true.

The introduction of Afropop has seen many Zimdancehall artists fuse their sound with this sound, and obviously making great music.

Some have argued that artists like Killer T and Jah Signal are no longer Zimdancehall artists because of how they have moved on from their original ‘zvigubhu‘ sound. These two artists have remained relevant, even though they no longer ‘ride’ riddims and they are some of the most booked as compared to their peers who have kept the original Zimdancehall sound.

Artists like Qounfuzed have also evolved and they have been making hit songs after hit songs with consistency that they never had when they were riding riddims. This clearly shows that in as much as Zimdancehall is big, it is slowly fading away.

Zim Hip Hop artists have also stepped up and Zimbabwean are now appreciating their music like never before. Artists like Holy Ten and Ti Gonzi have been releasing music that resonate with the masses, something that Zimdancehall used to do during its inception.

Also read: Zimbabwe’s biggest songs for 2022 so far

If one listens to the radio these days, and depending on the radio stations, they might find that there are now more Zim Hip Hop and Afropop songs as compared to Zimdancehall.

These young artists are giving the regular ‘big five’ artists a run for their money. With social media being used as a tool to push music,Zim Hip Hop and Afropop music has become so popular that it is now used as soundtracks on social media stories, statuses and even skits.

Yes, Sungura and Gospel music might be doing well, but the music consumers of which the majority of them are youths are bumping to popular urban music.

There might be a musical shift that we might not see at the moment but in the future we might be able to tell and notice that, during this era, this is where everything changed.

In support of how Zim Hip Hop and and maybe Afropop is slowly taking over, one of the most consistent Zimdancehall artist in Zimbabwe, Freeman, will be launching his album titled David and Goliath on the 8th of October 2022. From the list of supporting acts for this show, there are only two Zimdancehall artists and that is Bazooker and Pumacol.

Others might argues that maybe other Zimdancehall artists may have busy schedules, but this clearly shows the status quo in Zimbabwe’s music industry.

Back then, the line up would have been full of Zimdancehall artists, just like how they do it at the City Sports Centre shows.

Some may still differ or disagree, but the truth is, music is evolving, every artist is now finding their own sound, and Zim Hip Hop is slowly finding its way in the industry. This is the state of the music industry in Zimbabwe.