•BRIAN Cheengwa aka P-jay performing during the Miss Copperbelt University (CBU) at club VIP on November 28, this was P-Jay’s last performance before his death after the road traffic accident which happened enroute to Lusaka from CBU. Picture By ISAAC MUKANDO

By CHUSA SICHONE –
BRIAN Cheengwa, popularly known as P Jay can be likened to late American Hip Hop star Nate Dogg for arguably being the most featured artiste with a vocal ability to turn almost every song into a hit.
Unfortunately, that will not be the case anymore as both artistes are now deceased but their music and memories will still linger on.
Nate Dogg born Nathaniel Dwayne Hale died aged 41 in 2011 of stroke related complications while P Jay, 30, succumbed to the injuries he sustained in a recent road traffic accident when he passed on in the early hours of Sunday, December 21, 2014 at the University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka.
Messages of condolences over P Jay’s untimely demise have continued pouring in on social media like Facebook and Twitter as well as radio stations and the multitude of people that turned up at the Lusaka
Playhouse and Leopards Hill Memorial Park on Tuesday this week is testimony of how much Brian was loved.
Speaking in an interview on Tuesday, XYZ record label boss and rapper Slap D said P Jay’s vocal ability was a combination of several other renowned artistes.
“Like I said before, you cannot remake P Jay, you cannot duplicate that voice.
We have lost a Whitney Houston, we have lost a Gerald Levert, we have lost not just a big name, we have lost huge talent, really huge talent.
“He inspired a lot of people. R and B (Rhythm and Blues) was his thing, man, he was holding it down. You couldn’t drop a hit song without P Jay on the chorus. Whenever P Jay did a hook or chorus for
you definitely it was going to be perfect,” he said.
Slap D described P Jay as a humble person, great friend who was more like a brother to him and a great father, adding that his death was sad as it has left a huge hole in the music industry which will be difficult to fill up.
Slap D, who closely worked with Brian said what is even more painful was that P Jay died at the time when he was finalising his new album under XYZ.
“He (P Jay) was under XYZ for a few years and then left for our sister company Digital X but then right before he died we recorded an album under XYZ, another project.
He came back and signed another contract with us for one album. It’s sad because he was just finalising his album and he died,” he said.
Slap D said XYZ will go ahead to release the yet-to-be titled P Jay posthumous album and that all profits to be realised will be channelled towards the deceased artiste’s family.
Speaking during the send off ceremony, P Jay’s younger sister Bertha said her “legend” brother will still live on through his siblings, adding that what was comforting was that he gave his life to God before he died. She also implored all local musicians to remain united.
Zambia Association of Musicians president Njoya Tembo observed that it was not the first time an artiste was dying in a road traffic accident thus challenging the Road Transport and Safety Agency to consider engaging musicians and using them as ambassadors of road safety.
P Jay’s close friend and fellow musician B Flow could not help it but break down before giving the life history of the artiste who was also known as The Future.
Brian was born on April 21, 1984 in Kitwe. He did his primary education at Woodlands A Primary School (Grades One to Four) and Tunduya Primary School (Grades Five to Seven) before proceeding to Munali Boys High School where he completed his secondary education in 2005.
P Jay shot to fame in the music industry in the 2008 with the hit song Ukufuma epowaya and went on to unleash and feature on several other famous tracks.
He is survived by a fiancé Machimba Chapotoka and a daughter Naomi Chelsea Cheengwa.
The Future is gone forever but there is no future without the past.