Urban Grooves Make a Major Comeback as Gen Z Reimagines Zimbabwean Music
Category: Music Culture | Trend: #UrbanGroovesRevival | Era: 2000s meets 2025
The early 2000s are roaring back into Zimbabwe’s mainstream musical scene. What once dominated radio playlists two decades ago is finding new life on TikTok, Spotify, and college campuses. A new generation of musicians is bringing back the Urban Grooves sound—but with fresh twists, modern production, and youthful confidence.
From sampled classics to reimagined love ballads, rising stars are digging into the archives of icons like Stunner, Alexio, and Sanii Makhalima. It’s proving that nostalgia still has a powerful pull in shaping Zimbabwe’s contemporary music culture.
The Remix Generation
Blending the Golden Era with Afrobeats, Amapiano, and Drill.
ANDRE THE VOCALIST
The Track: 'Ndofira Kure' (Remix)
Original by: Sanii Makhalima
Andre recently sparked a massive conversation by teasing a version of Sanii Makhalima’s classic, blending it with smooth Afrofusion textures. The TikTok snippet attracted thousands of videos from youths who weren't even born when the original dropped.
JAYDRU
The Track: 'Team Hombe' (Drill Mix)
Original by: Stunner
The 22-year-old rapper trended after turning Stunner’s iconic hook into a street anthem for Gen Z. "We're not trying to copy, we're trying to expand it," says JayDru.
Why the Comeback?
Music Analyst Tawanda “TJ Beats” Jena: "Urban Grooves raised a whole generation. Young artists today grew up listening to them at school concerts and family gatherings. It makes sense they’re bringing the sound back with better production and global influences."
19-year-old TikToker Mellisa Chikowore: "We didn’t grow up in the era, but the songs hit differently. There’s something warm and emotional about them. When artists remix them, it feels like culture connecting generations."
The OGs React
The hitmaker known for 'Shaina' welcomes the movement: "Music evolves. What we created twenty years ago was for that moment, but I’m happy the young generation is finding new meaning in it. If they can carry the flame forward and introduce Urban Grooves to the world, that’s even better."
Beyond the Music
AESTHETIC & LIFESTYLE
The Look
It’s not just audio—it’s visual. Vintage baggy jeans, bandanas, and street-style aesthetics are resurfacing. DJ Dee Nosh from Club Sankayi confirmed: "When we play a throwback Urban Grooves set, people lose their minds. Mixing a throwback with a new sampled version creates magic."
A Sound Reborn
Arts journalist Valerie Choga sums it up: "Urban Grooves was the soundtrack of a hopeful, youthful Zimbabwe. Revisiting that era brings comfort and identity."
One thing is clear: Urban Grooves is no longer just a memory. It is a living, evolving sound carried by Zimbabwe's new stars into the future.
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