Rockford Josphats (born July 7, 1985), better known by his

stage name A stage name or professional name is a pseudonym used by performers, authors, and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. The equivalent concept among writers is called a ''nom de plume'' (pen name). Some performers ...

s Roki or Rocqui, is a

Zimbabwe file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...

an contemporary musician, who has also tapped into acting. Born in

Harare Harare ( ), formerly Salisbury, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Zimbabwe. The city proper has an area of , a population of 1,849,600 as of the 2022 Zimbabwe census, 2022 census and an estimated 2,487,209 people in its metrop ...

and raised in ParkTown Waterfalls

, Roki made his debut in 2001 after releasing hits such as "Seiko" which featured

Leonard Mapfumo Leonard Mapfumo (born January 30, 1983) is an urban grooves/hip-hop artist from Harare, Zimbabwe. Active on the national hip-hop scene since 2000, he has gained recognition as one of the fathers of Zimbabwean urban sounds, with four number one hi ...

and Suzanna. Proud holder of the "most Promising Artist for 2003" through the prestigious National Arts Merit Awards of Zimbabwe (NAMA), Roki has made a name for himself as a gifted songwriter and exceptional performer. His album which carried the undying hit "Chidzoka" won best video of the year and song of the year in 2007. In 2012, Roki participated in the '' Big Brother Africa 7'' show, he was tipped to win, but was disqualified after an altercation with fellow Zimbabwean house mate Maneta. Despite this, Roki rose to national and regional fame. The urban grooves star has apparently fathered at least five children with different women, he dropped out of school at about age 15. Roki's songs centre on the themes of love, death, life and the clash of Western and African culture. In 2021, Roki collaborated with legendary Congolese soukous singer and dancer star, Koffi Olomide and Tanzanian BET award winner on a song titled Patati Patata.

Style and influences

His music style includes Urban Groove, Soca,

Dancehall Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially, dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots reggae, roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2 ...

Afro-pop African popular music (also styled Afropop, Afro-pop, Afro pop or African pop) can be defined as any African music, regardless of genre, that uses Western pop musical instruments, such as the guitar, piano, trumpet, etc.Olabode, O. (2023, J ...

and

House music House is a genre of electronic dance music characterized by a repetitive Four on the floor (music), four-on-the-floor beat and a typical tempo of 115–130 beats per minute. It was created by DJs and music producers from Chicago's underground ...

. In 1996, while on a bus singing with friends, Roki was heard by a local musician who invited him to provide backing vocals on the musician's song. Some of his songs include Chidzoka, Ndokuda Gugu, Jordan, Zion, Ndoda, Mumwe, Suzanna and Nhliziyo.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rockford, Josphat 1982 births Musicians from Harare Zimbabwean musicians Living people