ZIMBABWE REGGAE & DANCEHALL IN HISTORY TODAY ©CULTURE T© Zimbabwe’s reggae thoroughbred Tendai Gamure Munengami, better known as Culture T, was among the first local artistes to streamline gospel music into predominantly secular genres. Although Christian reggae has made headway in countries such as the United States and Jamaica, with exponents such as the Christafarians, Ken Boothe and Papa San, Zimbabwe had its first major taste of the fusion with Culture T’s 2004 album “Chiedza.” Recorded in the United Kingdom, Gamure’s workstation of 15 years, and launched in Zimbabwe at the New Life Covenant Church, the album featured beautiful jams such as “Satani Wabvepi,” “Tendai,” “Makuwerere,” “Chiedza” and “Jesu Ndimambo.” Television viewers will remember a much younger, gangly Culture T, then Transit Crew’s lead vocalist, doing his best on ZTV’s Mvengemvenge programme during the late 80s. The group’s chart-topping single “Reggae Malaitis” was the ghetto anthem of the time. However, the two jams which sealed Culture T’s claim to posterity were “Satani Wabvepi” and “Tendai.” The tracks rode on the coat-tails of the urban groove phenomenon which was all the rage at the turn of the millennium. His spiritually adventurous career spanning over two decades, took him to several countries including the United States, Switzerland, South Africa and the United Kingdom. Despite churning out polished music, Culture T’s legacy has been gradually washing away since he died of kidney failure in the U.K in August 2006 less than a week before his 38th birthday. His legacy has elicited shortlived acclaim, indifference and, in some cases, hostility. Shortly after his death, reggae rookies including “Three Wise Men” evoked fond memories of the lanky musician by playing renditions of his popular compositions at tribute concerts. Rapper Munetsi posthumously dissed Culture T in his discursive track “Block Out.” Culture T was born in Mbare on August 8, 1968 and went to Chitsere Primary School and Mount Pleasant High before venturing into music as a teenager. The ghetto-wise chanter cut his teeth in the music industry as a disc jockey before joining Transit Crew in 1985 as a leade vocalist. Culture T was part of the group’s original line- up which featured Munya Brown, Samaita Zindi, Emmanuel Frank, Tony Liba and Munyaradzi Nyemba. Zimbabwe had warmed up to reggae especially following Bob Marley’s impassioned performance at the country’s inaugural Independence Day celebrations. Culture T was only 12 when the Prince of Wailers stole the show from the Prince of Wales with his tribute jams “Africa Unite” and “Zimbabwe” on that historic concert. However, he was to claim a stake among the likes of Trevor Hall as one of the foremost local exponents of the genre. Transit Crew rode on the reggae craze with its early albums such as “The Message” and “Sounds Playing.” In 1989, they performed alongside renowned international acts, Culture, Ijahman Levi and Eric Donaldson who were all backed by Rough Cuts Band. In 1991, Culture T broke ranks with Transit Crew as the group left for Japan to honour a six-month contract in a Tokyo nightclub. It is not clear whether the move was triggered by religious scruples as in the case of Bunny Wailer who left The Wailers citing “slackness” or a different taste for green pastures. Whatever wind behind the storm, Culture T found himself rocking with Jamaican chanters in London, concurrently with his former crew’s stint in Tokyo. Not to be doused by his adopted clime, Culture T released “Exceedingly, Abundantly” which had touches of religious fervour in the U.K. Although he did not exactly have a prolific career, Culture T jammed on with the benefit of an effortlessly rich voice and deeply conscious lyrics, in-between several jobs to fend for his wife Agnes and his two kids Vimbainashe and Simbarashe. The crowning achievement was the album “Chiedza” a coming-of-age Christian offering which did well on local charts. The video “Satani Wabvepi” shot in the U.K was an instant hit. Culture T said his quest for God started since he was a “yut maan” and he dabbled with Rastafarianism at one point before discovering that Haille Selassie was a Christian himself. “I have read so many books on many religions and when I heard about the Gospel, I knew it was the right thing for me,” Culture T said on Terrence Mapurisana’s live reggae programme on Spot FM. There has been debate on what genre is acceptable for the worship of God. Brian Sibalo and Charles Charamba were among the local ground-breakers with their infusion of jazz and sungura into gospel music respectively, with Zhakata recently extending the experiment to his Zora brand. “The reggae I am dealing with is now more Christian-based. The background which is reggae will help me reach out for people who do not go to church,” Culture T said in an interview.FROM your friend and brother Generaral Diesel with fyah station trackmasterz and mangoma family >mwamuka street
Posted on: Sat, 15 Mar 2014 08:42:26 +0000
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