Most of the hiphop artistes back then had a major challenge of getting airplay on radio. At the begining, 'Mizizi' on KBC TV hosted by Nimmo, was the only TV show that offered them a platform to get noticed. Later on Nation TV (now NTV) had the show 'Warehouse'. On radio, Metro FM was also instrumental in supporting upcoming artistes with shows that invited them to do freestyles and hold cypher sessions. Another notable figure on radio was Muthoni Bwika who had the show 'Party Up' on Nation FM which was a favorite of many due to its huge hiphop playlist.
As more artistes took to music videos, we had 'The Beat' on NTV and 'Baseline' on KTN, creating room for more acts to be showcased.
Afterwards, around early 2000s, the most significant show to play Kenyan hiphop was 'Da Joint' on YFM (now Hot 96) hosted by Mwafreeka and DJ Zack. This helped bring out most of the current crop of hiphop artistes such as Mistaree, Walanguzi, Span One, 7-11 The Crew, Kalahari Jeshi among others. Artistes got airplay, were invited to perform cyphers and also hosted to interviews on this show.
Mwafreeka later moved to Ghetto Radio and started the show 'Nairaw' which basically was a continuation of where he left off with 'Da Joint' on YFM which had changed to Hot 96 and consequently scrapped Mwafreeka's show in a restructuring process.
I believe Mwafreeka has played a big role in elevating Kenyan hiphop to the point it is at the moment. His influence and contribution through his radio shows cannot go unacknowledged. He helped by educating most of his listeners on what was happening in the hiphop industry on the local front and also on the international stage, made critical reviews of what was good and what was poor hiphop music and most importantly he gave upcoming hiphop artistes a chance to show the world what they had to offer fans on his radio shows. On Capital FM we had Eve d'Souza, who was also did a good job to try and put kenyan hiphop on the map.
Worth a mention is Channel O which at that period was airing on some of our local TV stations, and it was a big deal at that time as it presented to us information of what was happening on the international hiphop scene with shows such as 'Nasty' and 'HeadRush' and this was giving inspiration to the upcoming local emcees from the exposure. At the moment the main radio stations that give hiphop some quality airplay include Ghetto Radio, Capital FM, KBC English Service and Homeboyz Radio, though more is still required to quench the Kenya hiphop fans' thirst.
RELATED POSTS:
Kenyan Hiphop History pt 1: The Beginnings
Kenyan Hiphop History pt 2: The Foundation
Kenyan Hiphop History pt 3: The Growth
Kenyan Hiphop History pt 5: The Dilution
Kenyan Hiphop History pt 6: Current State and the Future
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