Gzzy Talks To Us About His Journey With Dr. Bond Entertainment, And How He Made 'Kana Ndafa' With Soul Jah Love

By Takudzwa Hillary Chiwanza

For those acquainted with local dancehall music, or ZimDancehall, the name Gzzy will not be strange to you. For those who are hearing of the name now, Gzzy was once the resident producer at Bad Company Records, and this is where he made his name churning riddim after riddim, hit after hit.

Gzzy, resident producer at Dr. Bond Entertainment

But in music circles, things change; and Gzzy is now making timeless magic as a resident producer at Dr. Bond Entertainment. His newfound solace at Dr. Bond Entertainment has further allowed him to grow musically, as seen through hit songs he has made for artists such as Master H and Kapfupi Yut - the latter who are also comfortable under the same stable. It is also right we mention the Dr. Bond Riddim, another timeless riddim from him.

It has been amazing to see the growth of Gzzy as one of Zimbabwe's finest producers across all genres, something which is manifested by his relentless work ethic. He is committed to giving ghetto yuts the opportunity to be heard. He intimated to us how, as a whole stable, they have managed to record artists under reasonable fees, taking into account the impeccable quality of their sound and the beauty that comes with their studio. Where other renowned studios with good quality are charging as much as $50, they decided to settle for $30 so that their services are not exclusionary.

This author had the chance to visit Gzzy at Dr. Bond Entertainment studio in Uplands, Waterfalls, where they had a chat with the fine producer about his journey in the music industry, and how he worked with Soul Jah Love on Kana Ndafa.

Below are excerpts of the interview [slightly edited for clarity and brevity].

ZimSphere: May you tell us about Gzzy; who is Gzzy?

Gzzy: I go by the name Tawanda Garfield Kaseke. I was born on 25 June, 1993.

ZimSphere: What has been your experience so far working with Dr. Bond Entertainment?

Gzzy: Our works are moving in a positive direction, when we create something, it is adequately pushed and placed where it is supposed to be. And people are listening. The movement is growing and this shows positive change in the music industry.

ZimSphere: We understand that before you came to Dr. Bond, you were at Bad Company Records. What influenced your decision to leave?

Gzzy: What made me leave Bad Company was motivated by disagreements that are commonplace in the music industry. My work ethic at Bad Company was excellent and everything moved well but I felt such disagreements compelled me to come to Dr. Bond to create new heights with his movement.

ZimSphere: You are the hitmaker behind the late Soul Jah Love's Kana Ndafa. May you shed light about the experience of making that song and what the mood was making that song?

Gzzy: Working with Soul Jah Love, I came to realize he was a person who always had many concepts in his mind. He would come and say, "Play me a beat so I can feel what you have." If he was comfortable with a certain beat, he would immediately make a song on that particular beat.

When he came to make Kana Ndafa, he came in like everyday, but it was night time. And then he asked to listen to the beats I had. I played him the beat [the one he finally used for Kana Ndafa]; already, he had this song fully laid out in his mind. He fit it in on the beat.

When it came to the lyrics, I only got to know of them when he stepped in the booth. Before that, I did not know he was going to deliver such powerful lyrics. I only got to know of the full lyrics when we were recording the song.

After he did the song, it hit me that maybe Soul Jah Love is feeling a certain way, as he was already a person who thought deeply about what happened in his life. So I said to myself this is exactly what he want people to feel too.

He was in a good shape on that day, physically at least. I do not even know what pushed him to make that song. So I recorded the whole thing, mixed and mastered it, then released it. The rest is history.

ZimSphere: What do you think the new school dancehall artists must do to push their music further?

Gzzy: If they sing relatable tunes, even if it is dancehall music, then everyone will accept the tunes. The music must be clean, devoid of vulgar lyrics; the lyrics must be heard by everyone from little kids to our mothers. That is where dancehall music must go.