Seasoned musician Rockford “Roki” Josphats has begun discussions on the possibility of reviving the urban grooves movement through the establishment of the Zimbabwe Urban Grooves Awards (ZUGA) to counter the much hyped Zimdancehall and Zim Hip-hop awards.
Urban Grooves rocked the national airwaves in the early 2000s as a confluence of different genres that serenaded the urban population.
But with Zim hip-hop and Zimdancehall overtaking the once fancied genre, Roki who during the time became the face of the movement is dreaming of re-establishing and re-organising artistes as they seek to fight for space and recognition in the country.
“You know there is a lot of good music outside Zimdancehall and Zim hip-hop which has found its way into the mainstream. Unfortunately, because most of these songs do not belong to either of the country’s biggest genres at the moment, they have not been granted their well-deserved appreciation and recognition.
“So with this initiative, the idea is to award those who are doing it big outside those two genres,” said the Chidzoka singer.
He said they have already started to prepare and arrange towards materializing the idea.
“We have already started to look for promoters to partner with, in our quest towards making this idea feasible,” he said.
Notable urban grooves musicians who emerged from the genre include Leonard Mapfumo, EXQ, Stunner, Pauline Gundidza, Diana Samkange, Nox and Betty Makaya among others.
