Zimbabwe's urban grooves movement grew around the turn of the millennium, blending popular R&B, hip-hop, reggae and local linguistic influences. Artists such as Roki and Leonard Mapfumo, alongside many other performers, producers and record labels, helped define its sound.

Music In Africa documents the movement and Roki's 2003 National Arts Merit Award for Most Promising Artist following his work with Mapfumo. A history of the genre needs contemporaneous charts and releases, not only retrospective rankings of popular songs.

Radio programmes, cassettes, CDs, school discos, video shoots and informal studios are part of what Zimbabweans remember. OurPride will invite original anecdotes, then place verifiable release dates and credits beside them.

No single artist should be labelled the inventor of urban grooves without strong independent evidence. Women performers, producers, engineers, promoters, DJs and the audiences themselves also need a place in the story.

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