HEIR to the once popular Ngosimbi Crew outfit, Sam Mabukwa, says all is not well in his camp.
After the demise of the inimitable Admire Kasenga, who fronted the band, members of the outfit have found the choppy waters of the music industry difficult to navigate.
The cutthroat music industry has in recent years been brutal, even to well-established musicians.
A myriad of challenges, including the scourge of piracy and dwindling numbers of revellers owing to economic difficulties have seen the fortunes of musicians plummeting.
In an interview with Patriot Arts, Mabukwa said since the death of their talented leader in 2004, the band has found the going tough and has been struggling to secure shows, with promoters giving them a cold shoulder.
With very few artistes now attracting huge crowds, promoters have not been willing to engage bands that do not guarantee a good return on their investment.
Sadly, it has become the norm for bands to disintegrate at the demise of their founders.
Many music followers in the country align themselves to founders and quickly lose interest in the band when the leader, who is typically considered ‘the face of the band’, dies.
Groups that have failed to live up to the standards of their founders include the late Tongai Moyo’s Utakataka Express, Marshal Munhumumwe’s Four Brothers and Leonard Dembo’s Barura Express.
“Since the death of mukoma Admire we have been trying to keep the group alive, but it is proving difficult,” said Mabukwa.
“We have been releasing albums and holding live shows in and outside Harare, but we are getting very little for our effort.”
Ngosimbi Crew became popular on the local music scene in the1990s with hits like ‘Aunty Rhoda’ and ‘Pamuchato waTobias’ which catapulted them to great heights.
Ngosimbi Crew, with Admire at the helm, experienced a steady growth.
Its unique sound and deep lyrical content endeared it to many.
Sadly, the brilliance and promise shown by the outfit crumbled with the passing on of Kasenga in 2004.
The band seems to have lost its mojo and the zeal that made it a force to reckon with in the music industry.
Mabukwa said the group had made an effort to keep churning out albums to remain relevant and in the spotlight but the efforts were not paying dividends.
Financial constraints, he said, was the major setback as it had made the group ‘invisible’.
Mabukwa, who appears to be finding solace in the bottle, expressed disgruntlement with promoters who were not ready to take risks with the so-called untested outfits.
The death of Kasenga, he said, though unfortunate, did not mean the end of the group.
The musician had no kind words for today’s promoters whom he almost described as parasites only interested in guaranteed profits.
He bemoaned the absence of yesteryear promoters who were not just keen on profit but promoting outfits that had potential.
“It seems today’s promoters are more interested in musicians who are already at the top and do not care about the rest of us,” said the frustrated Mabukwa.
“They are not willing to give us an opportunity despite the fact that we have so much potential and can easily regain our yesteryear status.
“We are having live shows in bars around the country, but due to lack of promotion and advertisement, attendance is poor.
“Promoters should be promoting music from different musicians not just one or two artistes.”
The Ngosimbi Crew frontman, who doubles up as the lead vocalist and guitarist, said operating as a third party, that is without studio backing, made operations difficult.
“It is very difficult operating as a third party, recording an album is next to impossible,” he said.
Working and recording as a third party in the music industry means that a band or musician has to pay for everything during the recording process.
The recording process includes, rehearsing, editing, mixing, making CDs and sleeves, among other things.
With a recording company, a musician is financially supported and pays when the album is released.
Poor marketing due to lack of resources, he said, had resulted in the outfit failing to reach its desired audience.
With a good marketing strategy, Mabukwa said, Ngosimbi’s latest offering Teerera could catapult the band back to the top.
The musician, however, remains optimistic and is confident the group will soon be among the top bands in the country.
The group is presently seeking financial assistance to produce a video album to accompany their latest release.
Ngosimbi Crew ventured into the music industry in 1992 in Mutoko.
The group recorded eight albums with Admire Kasenga producing Masweet 16 (1993), Zino Irema (1994), Aunty Rhoda (1996), Njere (1998), Pafunge (1998), Zviso (2000), Chitima Nditakure (2001) and Dzidzai (2003).
After the death of Kasenga, Ngosimbi Crew has recorded three albums, Rangarirai (2006), Size Yakanaka (2012) and the latest offering Teerera (2017).