Nico C and Mufudzie unleash timeless classic

So while Zimbabwe battles around the so-called ‘big artists’, a little quiet revolution swept past that only the eyes of the gods deserve to appreciate. Somewhere in the crevices of Harare, little known artist Nico C, born Nico Chademana, unleashed a vicious, powerful, haunting gem of a song that embodies all the hallmarks of true good music. The result is the song ‘Cheuka Ndaenda’.

From a multifaceted, didactic yet simple hook to a bed of instruments well woven by expert fingers. From lyricism that could speak to a thousand circumstances to the simple yet profound video accompanying the jewel, everything speaks of perfection, deliberate thought and a young man whose sense of musical appreciation is no doubt living its umpteenth life by way of some reincarnation.

Featuring a fresh voice in the world of vocal discovery through an androgynous voice that is one Mufudzie, the hook he sings torments, tortures and scares the ears in a ghostly, yet uniquely beautiful way; all the way reminding you of a loss you will incur if you are complacent and don’t turn back (ukangocheuka ndaenda).

While most music being churned out in this day and age appeals to a pigeonhole baby boomers, Gen X’ers, millennials and Gen Zs, this is one song that is set to break down all the walls and appeal to one generation: the generation of everyone who is alive and breathing. There is a bravery, too, to their juxtaposition as humans. A Bowiesque Mufudzie and a rap protege in Nico C that evokes the DNA of a Slim Shady finding his feet and balance in music. Something that has not been done in local music perhaps at all and something the rest of the world hasn’t done in recent times.

There is a deliberate matching of the untamed voice of Mufudzie, bound by no known walls and boundaries, to the haunting monotone that Nico C projects and maintains. All things said, the duo restore hope in the art of creative achievement in the crafting of music, maintaining hope that there are a million more miracles set to be unleashed upon music lovers in Zimbabwe and beyond from this Southern African country of unending surprises. The hope is that Nico C is not going away any time soon and this is the beginning of more magic to come even in Mufudzie’s case. It would be a shame if they decided to leave if we blinked, as their song suggests.

Artists: Nico C and Mufudzie
Song: Cheuka Ndaenda
Year: 2024