Where did Tanto Wavie lose it? - Vatsvunhi Vazvo Kwazvo EP Review

 TAWANDA CHARI

There’s always been something about Tanto Wavie that makes you lean in a little closer. Maybe it’s the unpredictability. Maybe it’s the genre bending experimentation. Or maybe it’s the fact that you never quite know if you’re about to hear brilliance or something that just … doesn’t stick.

His five-track EP 'Vatsvunhi Vazvo Kwazvo', released on February 13, is pretty much decent body of work. If not actually good. This is peak Tanto experimenting. Sonically adventurous but on brand. (And quick shoutout to DC Graphics on the cover art too.)

That said, there’s an interesting discourse here: replay value. Toppa Tingz hits on the first listen, but doesn't necessarily pull you back in. Maybe it’s an acquired taste. Maybe it’ll age better. Time will tell.

Kuzvinzwisisa leans into that Sungura Museve pocket. A man deeply in love but also lowkey shocked at himself. Like “how did I even get here?” type of love. She’s unlocking emotional settings he didn’t even know came installed. Bro basically found hidden features in himself like he just updated his software overnight. She touches him in ways that can reveal buttons and feelings he didn't think existed.

Then there’s Kongasheni, another love record but this one slides into a rhumba-esque lane. And yes, that guitar? Maybe I'm bugging a little bit. The concept is cheeky too. The man compares his girl to cough medicine. A concoction. She heals him, soothes him. Calling love “medicine” is cute until you realise you might just be describing an addiction. At least it’s not contraband, so we’ll allow it.

Hambo (Humble) is where things really click. Arguably peak Tanto. This is the Tanto that reminds you why people believed he was next up. There’s a familiar melodic approach here that almost echoes Takura's influence. I can hear a little bit of our favourite Shona Prince but l digress.

This is something he used to get called out for, but also something fans secretly loved. On this track, he leans into vulnerability, asking God to keep him grounded no matter how high he rises. He acknowledges temptation before it even arrives. even if he becomes successful or rich or both. because what God gives, can be taken back. He says he knows he will be tempted when God blesses him. this is not to say he doesn't feel blessed already or he hasn't been blessed before, he just asks for that guidance to remain humble.

On the track IshowSpeed naKai, Tanto pays homage to globally renowned streamers, IShowspeed and Kai Cenat. Like them, he relates to the narrative of starting off from nothing to becoming global icons. Off the back of Speed's hugely successful tour of Africa this song feels apt and is framed in the right context. Tanto himself came from being looked down upon to become The Tanto Wavie, founder of Sungura Museve aka TrapSu (TrapSungura). He might not be as big as the streamers of course but the metaphor is not off by any means. Even though he goes on to beg to stay humble on the next song but sometimes you really need to pop off and flex on people for kontrol. He then went on claim he is on top of things on 'Toppa Tingz' , so he understood the assignment. 

So … where did Tanto Wavie lose it?

This isn’t about pitting artists against each other but it’s a conversation that’s hard to ignore. Tanto Wavie has not reached the heights he ought to have reached. Yes, the music may still sound very much palatable, but one cannot brush aside the sentiment that he could have been bigger than he is now. 

This sentiment comes into sharper focus when one engages in a comparative analysis with Mugaratia. 

Mugaratia, once mentee to Tanto, is now arguably moving at a higher trajectory. More bookings, more momentum, more presence. (I could raise the question: when did you last see Tanto Wavie being included on the lineups of some of the country's foremost music events and festivals?) 

The next line of inquiry - 'what happened to Tanto Wavie?' - is ineluctable here. A question that quietly sits with this latest EP. 

Because talent isn’t the issue. It’s never been.

Tanto is still really good. That’s clear across this project. But he isn’t scaling the way people expected him to. Meanwhile, Mugaratia is refining the basics at an elite level, writing better music, crafting better melodies, and making music that feels more palatable (as well as being included on key platforms such as Unplugged Zimbabwe). 

Pemurai Dzose the album already feels like it will enter “hall of fame” conversations at some point. So he's making better albums too. And he just announced another album is on the way. The Boy From Santa Maria. That is the title; and the anticipation is palpable already. 

With Tanto, it feels like there has been unused potential; and even this term doesn’t quite capture the current placement Tanto finds himself in. Maybe under-maximised ability is closer. The ideas are there. The creativity is there. The identity is strong. But something isn’t fully translating into sustained growth. And that’s what makes 'Vatsvunhi Vazvo Kwazvo' such an interesting listen. It’s not a J Cole's fall off. No, Tanto isn't falling off just yet. I hope. But it’s a reminder of how high the ceiling still is and how much of it hasn’t been touched yet. That is if it will ever be touched.

Maybe he is content and we are the ones being apoplectic for no reason at all. Who knows?