Essential Sundays: Where Harare’s Underground Sound Finds Its Stage

By Samantha Deone Munyurwa

A Rooftop Alive With Rhythm

On a warm Sunday afternoon in Harare, the rooftop of Travel Plaza slowly transformed into something more than a venue. As the city moved through its weekend rhythm and the skyline softened into evening light, Essential Sundays returned with a special Hip Hop and R&B edition, bringing together artists, audiences, and creatives in a celebration of music, community, and purpose.

Running from 2 PM to 10 PM, the event unfolded like a carefully curated playlist, each performance adding a different layer of sound and energy. Hosted by Raven Duchess, the rooftop gathering blended live music with a charitable initiative, encouraging attendees to donate baby items, dry goods, and feminine hygiene products for Charlton Girls Safe House.

In the spirit of Women’s Month, the event carried an intention beyond entertainment, creating a space where music could exist alongside social awareness and community support.

Opening the Stage

The afternoon began with Aytee, whose soulful rap style set a reflective tone for the performances that followed. Delivering tracks such as Hapana, Words, and Killed It, his set combined introspection with rhythm, drawing the audience into the atmosphere of the event.

Soon after, Ushe Brown shifted the mood with his melodic vocal presence. Songs like Fair Play, Say Whattt! and On the Dance Floor carried a blend of pop and reggae influences, bringing movement and warmth to the rooftop stage.

Hip-hop group TMG followed with a powerful performance that included Patience, Took It Too Far, and Dead Deadzone (Crossroads) — tracks rooted in storytelling and lyrical reflection.

Meanwhile, Bill Kollekt, formerly known as ILL Manner, delivered a versatile set featuring Dreams of Luxury, Ndururani Yasvika, Dumbfounded, Lately, and Sheesh, blending sharp lyricism with confident stage presence.

Raw Talent and Freestyle Energy

Beyond the structured performances, the event also left room for spontaneous creativity.

Artist Nozipo Mcwabeni offered a moving acapella performance of Whispering Hope, filling the rooftop with a moment of quiet intensity that contrasted beautifully with the heavier hip-hop beats heard earlier in the evening.

Freestyle sessions also gave space to emerging voices such as Adler Syer, Mr808 Wrestling, and Griffin, each stepping forward to deliver improvised bars that captured the raw spirit of hip-hop culture.

Other artists continued to shape the evening’s soundscape. Enhle came through with Moon water, performed 263 Interlude and Harare Drive while teasing new material, including the unreleased track Ivory Tower. Parka energized the crowd with songs like Heat On, Errybody, Problems, No Love, and Bump, while Taps115 delivered a grounded hip-hop set featuring Numbers Don’t Lie, Mazhets Emu Movie, Cheap, and Ipe Chese.

A Blend of Nostalgia and New Voices

As the evening progressed, Nico C brought a sense of familiarity to the stage by blending original material with covers of beloved Zimbabwean songs. His performance included renditions of Kuno originally by Jah Prayzah and Handichina Basa Newe associated with Nox and Maskiri, alongside original tracks such as Baba Anita, Matirasa, and Why.

Later in the night, RayKaz delivered an energetic set with songs including Deuce/Chozen 2, Slippery, and Hupenyu Ivhiri, capturing the evolving sound of Zimbabwe’s contemporary hip-hop scene.

Closing the musical journey was Asaph Afrika, whose performance of Vibe Is Correct, Mambo, Keeping It G, Good Times Anthem, and Viki 2 Viki turned the rooftop into a collective moment of rhythm and celebration.

The Vision Behind Essential Sundays

Behind the event is organizer Tara, who created Essential Sundays with the intention of giving underground artists a meaningful platform. She explains that this particular edition was inspired by Women’s Month and the strong connection many women have with R&B and hip-hop music.

“This edition of Essential Sundays was inspired by Women’s Month. I know a lot of women love R&B and hip-hop, so I wanted to bring together the best underground artists in those genres and give them a platform to put on a good show.”

For Tara, the event is about more than performances. It also serves as a way to support community causes, particularly organizations like Charlton Girls Safe House, which provides shelter and support to young girls who have survived abuse, child marriages, and early pregnancies.

She intentionally keeps the event intimate.

“Essential Sundays is designed to be a space where people can actually connect. It’s not meant to be overcrowded. It’s meant to be a place where artists and audiences can network, collaborate, and experience the music together.”

With around sixty attendees present that evening, the atmosphere felt personal and interactive, allowing each performance to resonate with the crowd.

A Moment of Pride

Among those attending was Zimbabwean artist Chengeto Brown, who experienced the event from a different perspective this time around.

Instead of performing, she was running a burger stall, serving food to attendees while reconnecting with a community she has long supported.

“I came through to Essential Sundays in a different format than my usual way. I came to open my stall and serve people while they were having a good time.”

The night carried a particularly special moment when her younger brother, Ushe Brown, stepped onto the stage.

“Watching my younger brother perform was the moment that stood out the most for me. It was his first performance of the year, introducing the project he’s working on, so I felt like a very proud sister.”

Coming from a musical family, the moment resonated deeply.

“When you come from a family of music, it’s always really cool to watch the next sibling fall into that momentum.”

A Stage for the Future

For Chengeto, events like Essential Sundays play a crucial role in Zimbabwe’s creative ecosystem. She believes there are still too few platforms that allow emerging artists to develop their craft before stepping onto larger stages.

“We don’t have enough stages that give new artists room to craft and sculpt themselves before they reach bigger audiences.”

Spaces like this provide an environment where artists can experiment, perform, and learn from one another without the pressure of massive audiences.

“It’s a space you can trust. Whether you’re a young artist or someone who just wants to be inspired by other artists, the atmosphere is welcoming and positive.”

When describing the event, she emphasizes its authenticity and originality.

“Essential Sundays is authentic and original. You can’t find it anywhere else.”

More Than a Music Event

As the final performances faded into the Harare night, Essential Sundays revealed itself to be more than just a rooftop concert.

It became a meeting place for artists, audiences, and creatives — where emerging voices shared a stage with established names and where collaboration felt just as important as performance.

In a music industry often shaped by commercial platforms, spaces like Essential Sundays offer something different: community, authenticity, and opportunity.

And as the city lights flickered beneath the rooftop stage, one thing became clear — Essential Sundays is not only showcasing talent.

It is quietly shaping the future of Zimbabwe’s underground sound.