Jah Prayzah joins bootlickers

In an interview with The Zimbabwean, the “Gochi Gochi” hit maker could hardly hide his admiration of the ageing leader, and showed he was not named ‘‘Prayzah’’ for nothing.

“I urge the youths to emulate what the President is doing. It is the only way we can have a prosperous Zimbabwe,” he said.

Clad in military fatigues, he added: “I also wear it (military uniform imitation) to show that I am a fighter and stand for what I believe in, just like President Mugabe who has fought very hard for the people to take control of their resources.”

Jah Prayzah joins the likes of Mercy Mutsvene, the late Andy Brown, Mbare Chimurenga Choir, Cde Chinx Chingaira and Born Free Crew, among others, who are using the praise-singing tactic to gain favourable airplay on state-controlled ZTV and radio.

Prayzah’s decision to praise Mugabe is seen as a desperate attempt to keep his head above the water in an industry fraught with piracy and poor live performance attendances.

Several musicians, notably the late Simon Chimbetu and Andy Brown, plummeted from popularity after showing their allegiance to Zanu (PF).