TAKUDZWA HILLARY CHIWANZA
Imagine an initiative designed to bring creatives in one place, with the singular intention of eliciting the very best art from them. The type of art with razor sharp focus, the type of art that moves souls and entertains at the same time. This is what Hitmakers Competition was all about -- a recording camp designed to create exquisite artistry from creatives who have seriously put their minds to such an initiative.
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| Producer Itsdontworry making a song with artist Santana [Image: Splix Photography] |
The recording camp, hosted at Masvika Resort in Christon Bank near Mazowe brought together different creatives from various backgrounds in the spirit of making the most impactful art. From 17 to 19 October, 2025, these artists worked together in an earnest quest to record the best songs that will make up part of a compilation project to be released under the auspices of Masvika Resort. But don't be misled by the tag ‘Hitmakers Competition’—although the name of the initiative sounds much like a fierce contest taking place, it is actually more of a concerted effort to birth impeccable art that uplifts the artists involved, as well as putting the brand of Masvika Resort in a favourable light.
The Hitmakers Competition is the brainchild of Mussa Legendary Multimedia, a creative enterprise headed by the artist Mussa Effect, who happens by default to be the event organiser of the recording camp. He intimated to ZimSphere that Hitmakers Competition was created with the unshakeable resolve of supporting creatives in material terms. So basically this is about artists coming together, recording songs in the shortest space possible, having the songs form part of a compilation EP (under the name of Masvika Resort) as well as having a photo shoot and a music video.
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| Griffin Makwiramiti, Tara Jetter, and Mussa Effect [Image: Splix Photography] |
“I mean, it’s not really a competition,” Mussa Effect said. “It’s more of a hitmakers camp that's all about creatives from all walks of life coming together to share their experiences while creating music.” And that was the most powerful part about this camp - bringing an array of experiences from diverse backgrounds to come up with art that speaks something profound. After the songs were recorded, there was a listening session to determine which songs would make it to the compilation EP, as well as choosing which song would get a music video.
The pilot project commenced with five artists: Itsdontworry (the producer who handled all the production of the tracks), Truth, Santana, Griffin Makwiramiti, and Splix (handling the visuals); alongside some inspiration by Tara from 3rd World Entertainment (and Mussa Effect was also on some of the tracks recorded, him being an artist after all. “Hanzi rume rimwe harikombe churu and I witnessed that first hand during this camp. This calibre of creatives I had around me is not comparable to any, and I have been a fan of all of them for a while now,” Mussa said.
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| Itsdontworry [Image: Splix Photography] |
Speaking on what led Mussa Legendary Multimedia proceed with the seemingly modest yet grand plan of having a recording camp, Mussa Effect highlighted that it was all about affording these creatives a chance that would otherwise haven't been there had someone not taken up the mantle to create one.
“Every artist knows that one of the biggest challenges we face as artists is funding our projects. Sometimes it’s hard to pay for studio time and at Mussa Legendary Multimedia, we want to create a platform where artists can collaborate and flourish with the help of well wishers. We are choosing to use the Ubuntu way of working because art is culture,” Mussa Effect remarked. And the well wisher in this regard is Masvika Resort. It was their benevolence that made this initiative a success, such that even Harare artists showed up.
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| Truth [Image: Splix Photography] |
“Thing is I had gone around Christon Bank, Mazowe, and all the way to Bindura but couldn't find any studios; and talking to the artists in these areas I realized that we needed to make something happen to resolve the issue even if it’s for a weekend so they [the artists in these areas] were anticipating it, and it’s crazy that we also had artists from Harare pulling up,” Mussa shared with this author.
On the relationship with Masvika Resort and how it fits in the equation, Mussa had this to say: “The team at Masvika Resort was kind enough to sponsor our first camp, and the release strategy for the compilation project. These are the well wishers I was talking about. We were treated very nicely; it’s just that we were working so we couldn’t really enjoy the space as we would have wanted to but man, I almost bit my tongue off so many times over that weekend tagocherwa nyama.” Well …
Although buzzing with the excitement of an event that went well, Mussa acknowledged that a fundamental challenge experienced throughout the weekend of the recording camp was “balancing energy … especially when you have so many big energies in one room.” But he also saw this in a positive light, stating that he views this is a golden opportunity for personal growth.
Moving forward, Mussa Legendary Multimedia brims with the optimism that the release of this project will garner lots of interest from more creatives, asserting his unwavering conviction in the success of the pilot project. It would be good in actuality to see more creatives from the nearby environs as well as those from the capital come to support this initiative. Because this is what inherently drives Mussa Effect to continuously pursue this, as he stated, “I’m trying to create moments in culture, connect with other talented people while making long lasting art as we go through this thing everyone calls life.”
Long lasting art. That is what the Hitmakers Competition is all about. The long term plan espoused by Mussa Legendary Multimedia is for this initiative to grow into something that can connect continental talent. And yep, that is such a bold ambition. But that is how everything phenomenal starts. “I hope that the hit-makers camp lives a life beyond my own, creating opportunities for artists like myself all around Africa, fostering collaborations that evolve into sustainable communities,” Mussa stated, concluding with the powerful words, “I am because you are. Always remember that.”
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