TAWANDA CHARI
With 14 studio albums under his belt as of May 2025, Jah Prayzah’s musical journey has been nothing short of prolific. His latest album, Ndini Mukudzeyi, launched at the Old Hararians Sports Club in Harare on May 3, is a deeply spiritual body of work. Arguably his most thematically coherent and lyrically potent album in recent memory with the slight caveat that you can say that about most of his offerings.
Named after his birth name Mukudzeyi, the album is a reclamation of self—artistically, spiritually and culturally. The album cover itself is a subtle chronicle of his journey, a collage of his previous album artworks, visually declaring that this project is the culmination of all that has come before. It’s a quiet reminder that he is, indeed, Mukudzeyi.
This latest offering veers into a more spiritual realm than his recent works, showcasing a lyrical maturity and a well-honed production that allows his messages, sufficiently so, to be heard with resounding clarity and power. Thematically, the album is a coherent exploration of identity, weaving through the complex subjects of ancestry, personal responsibility and cultural pride.
A spiritual homecoming
The title track, 'Ndini Mukudzeyi', sets the tone with a warm, welcoming revelation. Jah Prayzah introduces himself not just to us, but perhaps more significantly to higher powers. His vadzimu, perhaps to God himself.
The lines “Ndini Mukudzeyi wamakamirira, ndichingamidzei” (I am Mukudzeyi whom you have been waiting for, welcome me), are a multi-layered salutation. It is a call to his fans to receive him and a deeper invocation to his vadzimu (ancestors) to welcome him as he steps into this new phase of his life and career, seeking their guidance and protection.
On 'Ndini Mukudzeyi', he stands in his power. He asks to be celebrated while he’s still alive—"ndiworore ndibate basa vakomana"—delivering a poetic, self-assured anthem that reads like a victory lap of a man who has earned his flowers and still has more to bloom.
Confronting darkness, seeking light
Perhaps the most haunting yet thought provoking piece on the album is 'Necessary'. Sonically lush yet thematically heavy, Jah Prayzah confronts the dark underbelly of human nature. He explores how we can harbor malevolence even against those closest to us—“zamu rawaikwekweta mukaka ndiro rauno shoropodza”, using the metonym a baby despising the breast that fed it to illustrate how we can turn against our very sources of life.
Yet, the genius of the song lies in its twist: this capacity for evil, while inherent, is not "necessary." It is a call for moral responsibility, an understanding that we have a choice to rise above our darker potential.
'Kwaunobva' re-centers us. Here, “home” is not a place but a people, a lineage, a source. The song captures the wisdom of the old. Jah Prayzah assumes the role of a parent, advising that true blessings emanate not from worldly success, but from one's origins, one's kin, one's home. It is a timeless message about the importance of staying grounded in one's roots.
'Kuno', easily one of the most spiritually rich songs on the album, feels like a dispatch from the afterlife. The song offers a vision of a peaceful afterlife, free from the ills of the mortal world, as detailed in the lyrics, "hakuna mariro, kuno kwandigere mafuro manyoro" (there is no mourning, where I am are green pastures).
It is both an ode to ancestors and a comfort to the living. It is a message of reassurance to the living, a promise of continued guidance from those who have passed on. The song’s reference to the woman who touched the hem of Jesus’ garment is particularly moving. A powerful metaphor for the faith required to receive healing and protection from a higher power.
'Ruzhowa' and 'Mibvunzo' dive deeper into existential themes. The former is a plea for divine protection, invoking biblical imagery like Moses parting the Red Sea because Ruzhowa means boundary or fence.
The latter is the album’s most existentially profound moment. Here, Jah Prayzah grapples with the timeless questions of pain, death and inequality. It’s a raw reflection of a world grappling with a myriad of crises, and in the end, by singing "Hosanna," he humbly concedes that some answers lie beyond human comprehension, in the realm of the divine.
Switching gears with purpose
The lead single 'Ibvo' is an outlier on the album in tempo but not in placement. Its infectious rhythm made it a TikTok sensation, and its presence on the album provides a necessary breather. A moment to dance amid contemplation.
Other tracks like 'Hubaba' dig into the burdens and pride of fatherhood and manhood, painting the emotional toll and generational weight that men carry. It’s a song that’s likely to resonate with many men.
Then there's 'Chiringiro', which celebrates blackness and pride in identity. 'Sori' is a cheeky flex on foes, 'Shuga' brings the much needed party vibes and on 'Manja' (Hands), Jah Prayzah questions if we are truly grateful for our blessings, suggesting that a lack of gratitude might be the very thing holding people back.
'Chiramu', notably absent from this review, probably will come with its own breakdown for its layered and likely controversial messaging.
The sound of a man fully realized
If there's one word to describe Ndini Mukudzeyi, it’s "spiritual." The album is thematically unified by Jah Prayzah’s deep dive into identity, spirit, home, morality and purpose. It is a soundscape of spiritual reckoning, grounded in Shona tradition, biblical allusions as well as general social commentary.
Album Rating – 8.5/10
Stream the album Ndini Mukudzeyi by Jah Prayzah below:
YouTube - https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-CDxSmFeYM8o2w_-kAmpH4snm2_PlixG&si=GUS3XvPUqn4aWSvR
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/album/0IJs5TAfOq1ZpqFeDXMQgv
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