Tshibilika musician Chase Skuza has had to re-record his latest album Okubi Nokuhle after the first recording was allegedly stolen and pirated in South Africa.
Skuza told NewsDay in an interview that he suspects the album was stolen by “somebody close to him”. I played the sample songs in Tsholotsho late last year and people liked it. Later on, I discovered that the album had been stolen. I then received a call from Johannesburg in South Africa with Zimbabweans there asking about the album that was being sold by vendors of pirated music,” he said.
“I had to re-compose almost all the songs and added new ones,” he said. In the re-composed album, Skuza takes a swipe at those who stole his music and sold it in South Africa. In the song Kozekubenini, the musician poses questions on how long pirating of his music will go on unabated. In the song, he used both Ndebele and Kalanga lyrics to drive his message home. True to the tshibilika music style, Skuza uses a fast, danceable beat as well as chants.
In Badla Ngathi, he again complains about the people who stole his music and says they have even been using the media to denigrate him while stealing his music.
Skuza, however, took time to address other issues in the album.
He dedicated the song, Inkunzemnyama to the late Vice-President Joshua Nkomo. The poetry, done by Mtshiyeni Gumbo-Tsheza, captures the life and times of Nkomo, especially the fact that he was popular throughout the country. Skuza said he also received support from the Nkomo family when he worked on the song.
He delivers a message on the dangers of promiscuity particularly in spreading HIV and Aids in the song Zonke Wonke. He says people should not change sexual partners all the time as living such a life is highly risky.
In Okubi Nokuhle, Skuza has managed to come up with an album that not only entertains, but delivers messages on various aspects of life.
