Zim: Take Fizzo to headline Shoko Festival’s 2025 Mash Up Nights

This year’s edition will be headlined by veteran hip hop producer Take Fizzo (formerly Take 5), whose music career has helped shape the country’s modern urban sound. Known for producing some of the country’s most recognisable tracks, Take Fizzo will perform a set featuring hits from across his career.

He will be joined on stage by urban grooves pioneers Mafriq and Trinity. Both acts played major roles in popularising urban music in Zimbabwe in the early 2000s and are credited with creating some of the genre’s most iconic moments.

“This is a true celebration of the journey we have all taken together,” Shoko Festival coordinator Vera Chisvo said. “Take Fizzo represents an era that laid the foundations for Zimbabwe’s modern music industry. His performance is the perfect way to mark 15 years of Shoko’s dedication to promoting urban culture and hip hop.”

Alongside Mash Up Nights, the festival will also host the second edition of the Mashoko Tapes, a music residency programme that brings together performers from the Mash Up Nights line-up to collaborate and produce an original album.

This year’s residency features a mix of established and emerging artists, including Segulm, Briza, Paintafresco, Yadis, and Enhle. The artists will work together during the residency to create new material that blends different genres and perspectives, continuing Shoko Festival’s focus on innovation and collaboration within Zimbabwe’s urban music scene.

The 2025 festival theme is TheLegacyXV, celebrating 15 years of Shoko Festival as a platform for youth culture, urban music, and free expression.

Tickets are available here and at number 3 Allan Wilson Avenue in Harare.