VERSATILE beat boxer Takudzwa Mashonganyika, popularly known as Probeatz, emerged the ultimate winner of this year’s edition of the DreamStar Zimbabwe Talent Show held at 7 Arts Theatre in Harare on Saturday.
BY WINSTONE ANTONIO
Beat boxing is an art element in hip-hop that blends with vocal percussion to produce extraordinary drumbeats and musical sounds with the mouth, lips, tongue and voice.
It was a fun-filled and exciting grand finale as the 16 finalists mesmerised the audience at the memorable concert that was full of glitz and glamour.
The Mufakose-bred Probeatz was the crowd favourite; getting standing ovation from the audience throughout his performance as he skilfully blended local songs from different genres with international beats.
Probeatz, who draws his inspiration from rhythm producers such as Swizz Beatz, Timberland, David Guetta and Calvin Harris, pocketed $5000.
“I am happy to be the overall winner and hopefully this is the beginning of great things in my career,” Probeatz said.
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“When I started off five years ago through watching beat boxing videos, my dream was to build a studio that would promote untapped talent in my neighbourhood.”
Probeatz said he planned to study sound engineering to augment his talent.
“There is going to be a lot of adventure as I will be trying to explore new zones that will probably see me engaging celebrated artistes like Jah Prayzah and Winky D for collaborations,” Probeatz said.
Jibilika Dance Trust founder Plot Mhako described Probeatz as a humble and hardworking artist. “The win is significant in that Probeatz represents a rare and minority form of art,” he said, adding that he has worked with Probeatz and done local and international tours.
Mhako said Probeatz had continued to grow through hard work and humility at a time when many hip hop artists were stuck in the hole due to pride.
“A lot of hip hop artists are not going anywhere due to high egos and too much pride which blinds them from seeing opportunities, learning and creating unique products which must come to an end,” he said.
Soul Finders, an eight-member dance group from Mabvuku- Tafara, emerged second and danced away $3 000 richer while an Information Science and Technology student from Gweru Polytechnic, Nyasha Dengwani, got $1 000 for coming third.
The top 10 finalists received $500 each.
Chinese Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Huang Ping applauded the talent showcased at the concert.
“I was thrilled by the wonderful performances tonight (Saturday). All the contestants presented on the stage are talented. They were amazing to watch,” he said.
Event spokesperson Rumbidzai Matinanga said they were committed to unearth raw talent at the grassroots level maintaining the international standards of hosting the concert.
“As the organisers of DreamStar Zimbabwe Talent Show we want to bring a new dimension to emerging artistes by providing them with a platform to showcase their artistic talent and probably make a living through it without being exploited,” Matinanga said.
She said this year’s competition which was in its second edition was tough as all the participants had unique talent.
“We are going to be working closely with all the top 10 winners engaging choreographers and voice trainers so that they realise their dreams,” she said.
She said plans were in the pipeline to take the programme to the rural areas next year. Musicians Trevor Dongo, Extra Large, BaShupi and Madiz put up top notch performances.
