One of Jah Prayzah’s biggest collaborative highlights was his 2016 song “Watora Mari” featuring Tanzanian star Diamond Platnumz. This marked a strong regional statement for Jah Prayzah, expanding his reach beyond Zimbabwe. The collaboration was part of the Mudhara Achauya album’s shift towards more ambitious YouTube singles aimed at racking up millions of views.
On that same album, the track “Goto” featured Jah Prayzah channeling his ancestors in a powerful display of his cultural revivalist bona fides. He joined forces with reggae legend Luciano on another song, continuing his tradition of territory-growing collaborations.
The 2013 album Tsviriyo included the poignant “Sisiria” with the iconic Oliver Mtukudzi. Their intergenerational musical meeting was described as Mtukudzi consciously passing the cultural torch to the younger griot. It represented a pivotal moment where Mtukudzi lent his legendary gravitas to anoint Jah Prayzah as the standard-bearer of Zimbabwe’s musical traditions.
On his 2020 album Hokoyo, Jah Prayzah teamed up with Zimpraise on the spiritually-tinged “Miteuro,” though the songwriting was criticized as lyrically wobbly. The Zahara-assisted “Kana Ndada” continued his penchant for wholesome love songs built around cross-pollinating with other artists.
While collaborations with regional giants like Diamond Platnumz amplified Jah Prayzah’s continental impact, his most culturally resonant features remained those that tapped into Zimbabwe’s intergenerational lineage of musical greats. By engaging with iconic predecessors like Mtukudzi and reggae legends like Luciano, Jah Prayzah paid respect to the traditions he was reinterpreting while reinforcing his own mantle as the griot’s torchbearer for a new era.
