MUSIC (Tanzania): Mugacherere by Qboy ft. Rayvanny ft. Shetta

Mugacherere was written, and is sung, by Tanzania's Q Boy. The video features his compatriots Rayvanny and Shetta -- who are musical heavyweights in their own right. As Jeff Msangi tells us in a blog post, Q Boy is in the first place a designer, of some repute. His designs are worn by, inter alia, superstar Diamond Platnumz himself, the Owner/Director of a Tanzanian recording house WCB, whose profile is steadily rising in African music circles through its signature hiss, Wasafi, which is heard at the beginning of every song released under its label.

READ; Jeff Msangi (October 25, 2016) "New Video Titled Mugacherere..." in www.BongoCelebrity.com

The Mugacherere video was shot in Johannesburg by Director Nicorux, and the track was published on October 24th, 2016. Less than two months later, by the evening (7:30 pm) of December 12, it had gained 611,727 YouTube views, and plenty of TV exposure via East Africa's premier (and only recently launched) music channel, Trace Mziki, and possibly other outlets. 

The song is undoubtedly sung in Tanzania's Bongo Flava style, which is part of the larger AfroPop. Chunks of it are clearly in Kiswahili, and there's a line or so of English, but much is in a Bantu language (vernacular) which many Tanzanians do know, of course, but which is yet largely unidentified outside Tanzania -- but certainly not for long.


CLICK TO READ: Mugacherere Lyrics (via www.zelyrics.com)

Mugacherere has all the basic ingredients of a successful music video, particularly for the dance-hall: energetic and catchy tunes and tones to get everyone quickly started and continuously engaged, a colorful stage-set to tease the eye, an attractive and rousing band, creative (hopefully sing-along) lyrics with a theme or themes the audience can relate to, good and dependable lighting, and a well-calibrated sound system. 

I think, however, that there is more energy, but less passion, in Mugacherere than one finds in Upon Me, sung so wonderfully as well by Kiss Daniel and Sugarboy. The point here is that the two songs represent two styles put together for exactly the same purpose: to serenade a lady deemed suitable for a long-term relationship -- that is, for marriage -- and to do so successfully! So, you tell me... [You can still make a choice between the two styles, even if you're no longer in that game -- or not yet; and even if you're a firm believer in that pop adage: "No finance, no romance"].

A final point: In Mugacherere, we come upon a wonderfully creative bend in the road where flashes of brilliance bring into life a duet between voice (man/vocalist) and sound ('machine'/(musical instruments) which makes the soul soar, if temporarily, high above day-to-day sensibilities. You will recall, of course, that this was a technique, an innovation, which earlier generations of Congolese musicians frequently used, and which their fans celebrated. But it waned, and you don't witness it often enough, if at all, these days.