Kansiime jibes, Stunner smiles
By Nigel Pfunde
She came, she saw and she conquered the Harare International Conference Centre (HICC) with her rib cracking jokes last week.
Her name is Anne Kansime and she flew from Uganda armed with weapons of mass humour and distracted the crowd with punchlines.
At the show, Kansime did not spare award winning rapper Desmond Chideme better known as Stunner.
She said: “When I got to the airport I was driven to my hotel in a very nice Lexus, one I have never seen before. I understand there was an accident, how is Stunner? Is he alright?”
The jibe was much to the wild applause of the bumper crowd that thronged the HICC.
Her mention of Stunner was met with mixed feelings with some suggesting that it was a deliberate jibe mocking Stunner’s recent unfortunate road accident in which he was rolling in a Lexus.
However music critics who spoke to Showbiz said it was actually an endorsement of Stunner’s brand regionally.
“You see what it simply means Stunner’s brand has an appeal even beyond borders. Imagine that the video will go viral throughout the region and it means Stunner has made waves in the region. It was an endorsement not a diss. Look at Chris Rock, he has endorsed several artistes in the United States through comedy,” submitted Prince Kasuso a self-proclaimed critic.
Former Music Crossroads boss and talent scout Mathias Bangure also shared the same sentiments.
“Definitely that mere mention endorses Stunner’s regional recognition,” he said.
Showbiz hooked up with Stunner and he said whatever Kansime’s aim was it made the job for his marketing team easy.
“Whatever she (Kansime) was trying to say, she had my name going to almost 4 000 people for close to three minutes. That’s good enough publicity for me especially with an album coming up,” said Stunner.
He however disputed the assertion that his brand did not go beyond the region.
He boasted that he was in fact an international artiste.
“I am not regional but international and I have international nominees to back that up,” he said.
To prove his international appeal Stunner’s album launch will be graced by Sir Ford from Jamaica on August 19 at upmarket club Pablos’ VIP Deck.
“Got Jamaican artistes coming to my album launch so I think it’s safe to say I’m internationally known,” said the flamboyant rapper.
Stunner has also performed in the United States and was also a nominee of the prestigious Afrimma Awards.
His next project is a ‘make or break’ album maybe which explains why he hired entertainment consultancy wizard Godfrey Vokal Bakasa in his management team ahead of the launch.
