Bruce Chikuni
THIS year marks the 15th anniversary of King Shaddy’s smash hit, “Letter To Amai Huni.”
The track laid out the direction for the Highfield chanter, who was still virtually unknown in local music circles, until he dropped his bomb.
But, the catchy song also holds sad memories for him as he started fearing for his life after its release.
In this track, he revealed what was penned in the love letter which he claimed to have been assigned to deliver by former Warriors ‘keeper, Tapuwa Kapini, to Amai Huni.
By that time, Amai Huni — played by the late actress Charmaine Mangwende — was one of the well-known stars in Studio 263, a television soap opera that had a massive following on ZBC.
The story was perfectly told and King Shaddy risked it all, putting Amai Huni at the risk of losing her marriage, as he insisted in the song that the letter was based on a true story.
He even went as far as mocking Kapini for his inability to write proper English.
King Shaddy was hit with a lawsuit by one of the Studio 263 directors, Godwin Mawuro, who demanded to know why he had not asked for permission.
He said he was also congratulated by some Government officials for producing such a masterpiece.
“The Amai Huni track brings so many memories to my life, it’s a song that I never thought would have a heavy impact.
“It made me who I am today because I was still studying this industry and what the fans wanted.
“This song answered all my worries given the way people enjoyed it and it made me jump from one endorsement deal to another.
“I also experienced hell at the same time because Mawuro was not happy with the song but I had to find ways to get rid of him.
“As I was battling with Mawuro, I was summoned to the Mukwati Building and I thought that was the end of my career only to realise that top Government officials just wanted to congratulate me for making the impact I made with that track,” said King Shaddy.
Kapini told H-Metro that King Shaddy phoned him before the release of the song but he did not reveal what it was about.
“King Shaddy contacted me saying he was planning to release something and he refused to tell much about the song and I was curious.
“When the song came out, many people phoned me to check if I was cool with the song and most of them were surprised with my reaction.
“I was happy for King Shaddy because I knew that was his way out of poverty.
“I interpreted the song differently, because I felt that was his way to appreciate me and the track strengthened my relationship with him.”