The National Arts Merits Awards (Namas) have come and gone. Mukudzei Chitsama, aka Holy Ten is still disgruntled at how the event went. Holy Ten thinks that he is bigger than Winky D and Jah Prayzah as evidenced by his recent remarks on Instagram where he claims that he is bigger than Nama itself, has more money than the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe’s (Nacz) chief executive officer, Napoleon Nyanhi. He even went as far as calling for the resignation of The Nacz's chief executive officer. He was disgruntled by the fact that he was not nominated at the just-ended Nama ceremony, especially when he thinks that he is bigger than the Nama itself, earns more money that its chief executive officer and he is better than Winky D and Jah Prayzah.
Holy Ten submitted two songs from his latest album, Kilimanjaro and Ndotokuda but none of them received a single nomination. This riled him up and he expressed his frustration with the Nama organisers.
I am not sure whether the chief executive officer is involved in the selection of nominees or winners. As far as I remember, during my time as one of the Nama adjudicators, committees were set up to deal with each award category. As far as music is concerned the music panel would debate and then decide which musicians were to be nominated and who the winners would be. After this the committees would give their recommendations to the chief executive officer. How the CEO gets blamed in that case, is beyond me.
This year’s winners in the music category include Winky D (awarded in absentia), Tammy Moyo, Master H, Chillmaster, Killer T, The Unveiled, Voltz J.T. and Phillip Svosve.
According to Holy Ten: “The Namas are bull sh*t. “How could they not award me, of all people? I am so hurt, (Mandirwadza ini) I am so hurt, I don’t want to lie. This is why most youths are doing drugs because you make life hard for them. And to Napoleon, I have more money than you. You need to put some respect on my name! At the end of the day, the people support me!”
I am beginning to wonder whether Holy Ten is doing this for the sake of controversy or is it a case of crying over spilt milk? In the grapes are sour syndrome there is a saying that people tend to belittle or dismiss things they cannot achieve, essentially saying “it’s not worth it anyway” to mask their disappointment when they can’t have something they desire. It highlights the tendency to despise what you cannot get.
Mukudzei Chitsama (born November 18, 1998), known professionally as Holy Ten is a Zimbabwean hip hop artist, song writer and music producer nicknamed “Mujaya or Ba Ju” by fans.
He was born in Harare, Zimbabwe. Holy Ten who dubs himself as the “Leader of the Youth” and “Speaker of the Truth” — has emerged as a significant voice in the Zimbabwe hip hop genre. He is recognised for his incisive social commentary and deep voice.
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He made several collaborations which include the one he did with Voltz JT titled, How Far. He is also known for beefing up with his rivals. He once said that he was disappointed by fellow artists albums referring to Jah Prayzah’s and Winky D’s albums. He dominated Changamire Awards in March 2023. He rallied behind president Mnangagwa in the 2023 general elections.
His albums include: Early Retirement (2018), Suicide Notes (2019), Risky Life (2021), Energy (2022), Book of Malachi (2023),New Bhundu Boyz (with Michael Magz) (2023), Risky Life 2 (2024) and Proud Father (2024).
Year after year, award season in Zimbabwe arrives with its predictable chorus of cheers, debates and inevitably controversies. But few absences ring as loud as Holy Ten’s continued omission from the Nama. This is not an artist struggling for relevance.
This is not a one-hit wonder who like Boom Beto’s Munodonhedza Musika fizzled out after a fleeting moment in the sun. Holy Ten has been without argument, one of the most dominant forces in Zimbabwean music since his breakthrough in 2020 with Ndaremerwa.
Forget the nostalgia. Even if we confine ourselves to recent history — 2023 and 2024 — his numbers, impact and cultural presence make a compelling case. Two albums in 2023, The Book of Malachi and The New Bhundu Boys, gifted us hit records like Ucharamba Uchipisa, Pressure and Delilah, ,which was a hit single later during the same year. He did it again in 2024 with Risky Life 2 and Proud Father, stamping his authority with chart-toppers like Banga and Kilimanjaro. And yet, despite this streak of undeniable dominance, the artist remains conspicuously absent from Nama, Zimbabwe’s biggest awards stage.
One of the first defenses that emerged after this year’s nominations were released was the possibility that Holy Ten simply didn’t submit his work for consideration. But Nama itself has countered this, stating that their industry monitors ensure that the best-performing artistes receive recognition — submission or not.
If that’s the case, how does an artist who arguably claims that he outshone even Zimbabwe’s perennial titans Jah Prayzah and Winky D get overlooked, yet again?
Holy Ten has never been one to play it safe. His music is raw, provocative and at times, polarising. His public persona follows suit. From staged publicity stunts to eyebrow-raising political engagements, his approach to the game is anything, but conventional. But should that disqualify his artistic contributions?
Is his snub an artistic judgment or a moral one? Does the gatekeeping extend beyond music into personal and political choices? And if so, are we comfortable with that? Should awards be about personal conduct or artistic merit? Unfortunately in Zimbabwe political thinking is also at play. I know one or two musicians whose work has been snubbed because of their political affiliation.
Ultimately, awards do not define an artist’s greatness, impact does. But recognition, or the lack thereof, shapes narratives. And Holy Ten’s continued exclusion from Nama poses a question not just to the organisers, but to the fans and the industry at large.
Is this a case of an artist being too big to ignore, but too controversial to reward? Or is there another layer to the story we do not know about?
Holy Ten has been known to ridicule other artistes claiming that he is the biggest of them all. He claims that he is the king of music in the whole of Africa. That is controversial.
If you will recall in 2023 Winky D’s album launch, Holy Ten also tore into Winky D when he stated that he regretted collaborating with Winky D on Ibotso, a song which is on Winky D’s album titled Eureka Eureka. Musicians are the voices of the voiceless. He should have no regrets. He was fortunate enough to be granted a platform by one of Zimbabwe’s biggest and greatest artistes. He should have stayed strong instead of regretting it. That collaboration with Winky D on Ibotso is/was likely to increase his profile, but he referred to Winky D as a snake for asking him to sneakly do a collaboration with him where he felt deceived. If he thinks he is big in his own right, he should try and fill up the HICC on his own like Winky D did. This is how some of our young musicians go under.
In a podcast interview with DJ Ollah 7, Holy Ten denigrates other artistes including those he has worked with stating that if he is not the one who needs counselling, it is them who need it. He even goes on to say he has forgiven Winky D, but does not explain what he has forgiven him for. Holy Ten might with his claim to be the king of music in Africa and self-proclaimed leader of the youth and defender of the truth has a holier-than-thou approach to life but when will he come back to earth?
The beat goes on and on.
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