Deaths stalk Jah Prayzah's new pal

WHAT a difference a week can make! Seven days ago, Zimbabwean music's man of the moment and rising continental star Jah Prayzah was living it up in Bloemfontein, south of the Limpopo, gleefully sharing pictures with fans as he took part in the prestigious Macufe Festival.

His social media pages were plastered with pictures of Jah Prayzah and Nigerian superstar Davido, snaps that seemed to suggest that the Watora Mari hit-maker was clawing inches closer to the continental throne that he so desperately craves.

In the current music climate an endorsement from Davido goes a long way. The Nigerian has slowly become a kingpin on the continental music scene, competing pound for pound with compatriot Wizkid for the honour of being the continent's biggest urban artiste.

His video for the hit song If has already amassed over 46 million views on twitter, placing him in the same conversation with other elite artistes not just from Africa but across the globe.

So when his voice graced Jah Prayzah's My Lilly, many expected the Zimbabwean's career to blossom. For the most part it largely did. On YouTube that song's video has already garnered nearly two million views in the three months since it was released, sitting comfortably alongside Watora Mari and Sendekera as Jah's most popular songs.

It is for this reason that the Uzumba star had pinned his hopes on Davido giving life to his album roll-out on Friday night. The days leading up to the launch suggested that this would be so, with Jah's posts arm in arm with his Nigerian comrade indicating that it would be an event not to miss.

Zimbabwean socialite and businessman Genius Ginimbi Kadungure also took advantage of the moment that Davido and Jah seemed to solidify their friendship to post a few pictures of the party lifestyle the union of Zimbabwe and Nigeria had brought to high end clubs south of the Limpopo.

Since then things have gone horribly wrong and questions will be asked about the wisdom of befriending, in whatever capacity, the Nigerian superstar.

In the space of a week the Nigerian, the son of a billionaire, has lost three friends, with accusations that he had a hand in their demise. Due to those allegations, he had to give up Friday's gig as police "re-invited" Davido to assist with investigations as it was suspected he had lied in his initial statements. The three — Tagbo Umeke, DJ Olu and Chime — all died in unclear circumstances.

According to reports, Olu, Davido's official DJ, and Chime were allegedly found dead in the former's car, just days after the death of Tagbo. Tagbo was found dead in a car parked in front of the Lagos Island General Hospital.

The incident went viral on social media two weeks ago when Tagbo's girlfriend, Caroline Danjuma, an actress, took to her Instagram page, accusing Davido of having a hand in Tagbo's death.

Since then, Davido has come under heavy criticism over his repeated denial of involvement in the unfortunate incident. The commissioner of police said on Thursday in Lagos the international star and all other parties involved in the matter were invited for interrogation.

"The CCTV camera at Shisha Bar on Lagos Island showed the deceased in the company of some friends. The CCTV camera also showed Tagbo standing and drinking from the bottle,'' the police boss said.

The Davido incident has served perhaps as a timely reminder to Jah that the world of showbiz is as treacherous as ever and perhaps a lot more complicated than the local scene.