Babes Wodumo included in Kalawa's Zimbabwe gig

THE wild speculation and heated debates about who is going to grace this year's Kalawa Homecoming Party were put to rest yesterday by organisers of the fete after they announced the list of artistes that are set to join Jah Prayzah and Winky D.

If last week's confirmation of Prayzah and Winky as part of the headline acts for this year's show had come as a shock, the rest of the list released yesterday held no such startling surprises as it read like a roll call of the hottest kwaito and house acts of the last few years.

Vusumuzi Siqalaba of X-MO Squad confirmed that Babes Wodumo, Big Nuz, Professor and Stiff will be joined by DJs Oskido, Pepsi, Bobstar, Fresh, C'ndo, Zinhle, Mngane, Tony Digital, Lyquid DJ and Zenzo (Dublin) for this year's gig.

Apart from the Gafa and the Soja, Zimbabwe will also be represented by DJ Otis "The Flow" Fraser, rapper Cal_Vin, Babongile Sikhonjwa, veteran radio personality Ezra Tshisa and DJ Sbago.

"The list of performers is out and we've been cleared by Zimra. In the coming days we'll let people know how much we shall charge as entrance fees etc," said Siqalaba.

The announcement of the rest of the list will go some way in satisfying those that felt that the event's organisers were severing it from its roots by the selection of the two Zimbabwean stars for what has mostly been a kwaito and house music party since its inception.

However, in retrospect, the inclusion of Jah Prayzah and Winky D in this year's line-up seems like a master stroke, as they will perhaps make sure that the show attracts revellers from diverse backgrounds.

Dominated as it is by DJs, this year's line-up is certainly different from what was dished up in the last few editions. 2013 saw Bulawayo revellers dance the night away to the sounds of that year's blockbuster performers who had dominated the charts.

This was the year that the world of music got fully acquainted with the eccentricities of Dr Malinga after his hit Via Orlando, while Uhuru and Busiswa had also bossed the charts with Y Tjukutja and Ngoku respectively. Candy's Tsa maNdebele, and Heavy K's Beautiful War were also hits of note that guaranteed their warm reception in the City of Kings.

In 2014 the organisers of the gig decided to appeal to the older generation and in yesteryear Kwaito greats such as Zola, Mandoza, Alaska and Mduduzi Masilela.

Last year, the line up was arguably the strongest, with the likes of AKA, Mafikizolo, Durban Nyts and Cassper Nyovest.

While all the names announced for this year's gig have a few hits up their sleeves, nimble footed newcomer Babes Wodumo is the hottest of the lot.

DJ Zinhle returns to the city where she is now a perennial performer after having headlined the All White Party at Horizon at the beginning of the year and the Afro Fusion concert at Queens Sports Club.

DJ C'ndo, whose fortunes have waned in the last few years, was last here in 2013 at the now defunct Bohlingers Tight Party and was supposed to perform last year at a botched Christmas party at Hillside Dams.

Stiff who impressed last year are riding high on their hit Umcimbi where they feature Professor with Big Nuz featuring in hits such as Umsindo by Durban's finest.

After giving locals a taste of hip-hop royalty last year with AKA and Nyovest, the genre is almost non-existent at this year's gig despite South Africa's young hip-hop upstarts having another dominant year.