Potato blasts Zimdancehall artistes
By Peter Tinashe Kaviya
Pioneering dancehall chanter Potato, real name Edwin Nyaruka has castigated the current crop of dancehall artistes, labeling them a misguided lot lacking fundamentals.
Speaking on the sidelines of a performance in Harare recently, the horsey voiced artiste said he believed that some of artistes are wasting their energy on petty issues rather than on creating music that will last forever.
‘’My brother, these youths are not focused, they are wasting their energy on fighting and creating “beefs” rather than spending their energy on their core business which is music. Their music will not go anywhere and generations to come might not even remember them in future,“ said Potato.
“I don’t see the reason why these young guys are busy making music attacking each other when they are supposed to be making music that lives forever. What benefit is there in composing a song about attacking a fellow artiste. In most cases the fight over silly issues yet the fundamental is that a good song must be remembered forever and these hate songs won’t last I tell you.“
Potato who made his name as the late Andy Brown’s sidekick featuring on timeless hits Zindoga, Country Boy and Mapurisa, while admitting that the Jamaican version of dancehall has influenced the local version, urged local artistes to be original and not to copy everything from their Jamaican counterparts.
“They must not copy everything from Jamaica. Our cultures are different. Some of the things that Jamaicans do are only appreciated there. We cannot be seen doing the same because our culture does not allow it. Music should mirror the true reflection of who we are. It should sell our culture not portray something else. Some of the lyrics are so vulgar and you can’t even enjoy the music and chanters must not be misguided to such levels,” he said.
“In our days with the likes of Major E we did clean lyrics and even if you look at it the songs they are still way popular than some of these youths songs because its music that people a can relate and are comfortable with.’’
Potato who was once arrested for selling pirated CDs in 2011, is currently working on reviving his career and to date has released a few singles also getting reasonable stage time recently.
In 2014; Potato was also tried his hand in acting featuring in a movie called Road to Fatanity alongside actor Kabhasikoro.
