By Andrew Moyo
There is no genius without some touch of madness! The above statement could be true for musical production mastermind, Oskid, real name Prince Tapfuma. Oskid, who has his magical touch in almost every top artiste’s music, has done it again.
He has abandoned Million Dynasty, a company he owned, to start another production house, Oskid Productions. The new entity has gone into bed with Six Finger Records, a subsidiary of AB Communications, the company under which radio station ZiFM falls.
Prior to this new marriage, Oskid had dumped Kenako Music barely a year into the union. He had joined Kenako when he abandoned another of his creations, Real Sounds Studios in Gweru. Real Sounds had been created upon his return from Botswana where he worked at various studios before coming back home.
The question is: can this new marriage last? Remember, this is no ordinary producer. Oskid’s artistic genius first came to light last year when he put his magic to work on Seh Calaz’s album, producing four hit songs — “Vabereki Vangu”, “Hosana”, “Munodarirei” and “Muchadzidza Zvakawanda”.
He further proved his worth as a hit maker on Killer T’s album, putting work on three bangers “Itai Ndione”, “Tave Kuda Kumbofara” and “Vanongovenga”, establishing the chanter as one of the top artistes in the country.
Roki and XQ also have Oskid to thank for bringing them back from the musical graveyard with their hit song “Halleluya”, which dominated numerous music charts last year.
Not only was Oskid behind Winky D’s successful album “Gafa Life Kicks Tape”, comprising of tracks like “Disappear” and “Not Nice” among others, but he was also responsible for introducing Fungisai to the Zim dancehall world with the hit song “Vanondibatirana” which features Killer T.
His most recent exploits can be witnessed on Jah Prayzah’s new album where he produced four songs – “Jenny”, “Kurumidza”, “Ndide Ndikude” and the title track “Mdhara Vachauya”.
The producer has won numerous awards including Best Producer at the 2016 Zim dancehall Awards, Zima 2016 for Producer of the Year, and Best Producer at the Star FM People’s Choice Awards.
Oskid has become a super brand that every artiste in the land would want to associate with, thanks to his music production skills. However, this young man is a wonderer, throughout his career he has always been on the move.
The Sunday Mail Leisure visited the new Oskid Productions base, whose premises are still under construction — the place smelled of fresh paint, with other installations set to be in place by end of September.
Comprising of a reception, waiting room, engineering unit and spacious recording booth, this studio is definitely a step-up from the bedroom set-up Oskid and team used in the avenues area a few years back.
Oskid and his marketing partner, Hillary Mutake, popularly known as Punchline, opened up about their current venture and future prospects. By his own admission, Oskid says success alone does not satisfy him. ln fact, the 24-year-old did not rule out walking out of the deal, stating that “anything is possible”.
“Anything is possible, but at the moment I don’t see any reason why I should be considering to move away from this deal,” said Oskid. “The reason why I have been moving from one point to the next is because I also want to grow so every time I see an opportunity that brings growth to my brand, I grab it,” said Oskid.
Having ties with a radio station, ZiFM, with which Oskid Productions share the same breast, could be beneficial for the stable’s artistes in terms of airplay but Oskid played down this notion. “It has always been an advantage for every artiste to record with us because all radio stations are always looking for new music coming out of Oskid Productions.
“Of course, we are nearer to ZiFM, which makes it easier for us to submit music but other than that, I don’t think there is any other advantage in terms of airplay,” he reasoned. Punchline revealed that their deal with Six Finger Records is an equal partnership, which will benefit both parties in the long run.
“Six Finger Records approached us with an offer whereby we agreed that they would build us a studio to operate from in an equal partnership,” said Punchline. He added: “In the past they were just promoting shows but now they also want to start signing artistes, which is why they engaged us. We are targeting to build the biggest record label in the country so this is a step closer to our goal.
“If possible, we want to open more studios in other areas where our services are needed because we have people from outside the country who have shown appreciation for our work, which means we are not just needed here but in other countries as well.”
In a separate interview, Six Finger Records boss Wanisai Tendai Mtandwa aka Mahwindo, said they had decided to partner Oskid Productions with the intention of signing artistes. She also said they hoped Six Finger Records’ high standards will make Oskid stay with them as they build on their dream of conquering the Zimbabwean entertainment sector.
“We want to identify artistes that we shall sign and will be recording under Oskid Productions. We have already signed a few artistes that include Lady Storm, Falcon and Genius, just to name a few,” said Mahwindo. While the studio is yet to be completed, many artistes have been flocking to the new place to record their music at an average US$300 for a single song.
While some producers have specific genres to focus on, Oskid has managed to excel across the board, producing music for the likes of Winky D, Dobba Don, Leonard Zhakata, Roki, Jah Prayzah, Killer T, Fungisai and Ammara Brown, among others. Will this be Oskid’s final destination? Only time will tell. The Sunday Mail
