MTM Drops Chekeche video but does it tick the boxes?

The very first video from Military Touch Movement as an ensemble finally dropped by way of the video for the song Chekeche.

As usual, the fans and critics alike were eagerly anticipating the dropping of the video for a song that has wormed its way into the discographic architecture of the 2017 listening season and almost effortlessly so. 

On Point...Military Touch Movement

And after a release of the video for he Jah Prayzah and Mafikizolo Sendekera which elicited mixed feelings, this collaboration also has received mixed feelings from the people.

If the truth be told, this is a far better product from JP and company than his solo foray into Mzansi to team up with Mafikizolo.

The video for Sendekera was like a very beautiful girl who you look at and fall in love with instantly so much so that you want to walk to her and talk to her. It was a video that was easy on the eyes in terms of production quality no doubt.

But start a conversation with her and not only be disappointed to find out that not only are her talking points shallow, but she also has terrible breath to cap it all and the only thing you want to do is run away from her gas chamber of a mouth to catch your fleeting breath!

Yes, the vocals to Sendekera were shallow and as forgettable as Vanilla Ice! And so we had a video that was sparkling accompanying as song that needed to be admitted to the emergency ward of the hospital pending transfer to the mortuary.

But Chekeche was always going to have an advantage. The first song by MTM is no doubt a scorcher and perhaps the sexiest and sharpest dance track to come out of Zimbabwe this year if not in recent years.

And a dance song is most usually nonsensical because we dance not to a message but to a feeling o euphoria. Which is why the critics begging for a ‘message’ in the video for Chekeche might as well try milking a bull. They seek a message from the video of the wrong kind of song.

The bottom line was to expect a feel good video for a feel good song.

Vusa Blaqs, having recently been tagged in the media as complacent and a developing egotistical at least proved why parts of his head are swelling. He has no brain or cranial tumour neither has he hit his head against a wall. He certainly can be allowed to brag with the degree of production and directorial prowess elicited in Chekeche.

The cinematography is on point and even those who are whingeing about the use of a drone might as well sit down; it wasn’t abused and there are countless other situations in which we have seen a drone misused-Chekeche is not among the list.

The idea of having a theme of flashing wealth, great dressed people and ‘chopping’ of money has been abused-true-but who was counting to say Jah Prayzah and crew were the team that would be disallowed from using it?

Who said the last video using that line of creativity-or lack thereof, was supposed to be the last one?

True, it is great to have a creative ground-breaking video and such creativity led to the first rap video cinematographic transformation in 1996’s Tha Crossroads by Bone Thugs n Harmony but perhaps Jah and crew just wanted to have a little fun and not spawn an award winning product.

After all, originality is often overrated. Only naked Adam, in the Garden of Eden, could say or do something (or someone) and know he was the first ever person to do that. We are all participating in a game of existential revision-doing what somebody else has bone but slightly differently.

Chekeche is a beautiful work of art. But it has one major flaw and Vusa Blaqs could not do much about that problem.

See. Chekeche is a dance video but apart from Andy Muridzo who was as energetic as Bev (no mischief meant) everybody else was dancing like they had not had breakfast.

In the end the only energetic bits by Andy Muridzo had to carry the day and a whole video rested on his shoulders. And that’s a big ask. Even for Andy Muridzo.

The choreography was lame, and the poor woman trying to dance and look sexy ended up looking like a sack of potatoes that had just developed epilepsy or the equivalent in the vegetable world. The dance aspect was lost as a result.

For a dance video to makes sense one has to watch it without any volume and still be able to follow the fun and nonsensical joy-something only the Andy Muridzo bits achieves.

And yet on the whole, any fair minded person can kick their shoes off and enjoy the workmanship of the team and fairly say they did a great job. It isn’t perfect, but then again nobody said it ought to have been.

Military Touch Movement have started their road to teamwork on a high and anyone who is not a hater will agree that the video sits amongst the best Zimbabwe has produced and perhaps sets the tone to argue that maybe next time Jah Prayzah can accept that he can do even better videos at home than pour Rands in South Africa.

Well done MTM!

Watch Chekeche Video here: