The stage was lit, the sound system was on point and most artists dished out palatable acts, but the crowed was nowhere to be found.
Zimbabwe, was your absence at Shoko Festival a sign that you are not that much into hip hop music or you didn’t like the line up?
Anyway, big crowd or not, the show had to go down.
Bulawayo acts showed why their city is called the City of Kings by dominating the stage with loads of acts on the line up.
However, it was Cal_vin who had the crowd screaming “one more, one more one more”. But like all good things, his set had to come to an end and pave way for the main act of the day, Mthembeni Ndevu affectionately known by his stage name, Emtee.
Cal_vin at Shokos Opening night PIC COURTESY OF T. MANYANGADZE
Cal_vin performing at Shoko2017 PIC COURTESY OF T. MANYANGADZE
Emtee lighting up the stage PIC COURTESY OF T. MANYANGADZE
The South African hip hop sensation had very big shoes to fill following his countryman, A.K.A’s epic performance at the previous edition of the Shoko Festival. Emtee come out strong with his popular hit ‘Roll Up’.
His set had people in awe and the small crowed doubled and came closer to the stage. Everyone was on their feet screaming his name and singing along. The peak of his performance was when he took the Zimbabwean flag and embraced it – that was the climax. The rest of his performance was just moderate and it being midnight, the crowd was also either exhausted, or drunk.
Some that were drunk before were sobering up and all they were thinking of was how to get home.
Today, the festival continues and the lineup is looking promising with comedy acts from Q Dube, Mandla The Comedian, Gonyeti and in the evening, you can be thrilled with performances from Jah Luv, ExQ, Gemma Griffiths and many more. Hopefully, a reasonable crowd will turn up this time.
