Friday, 27 January 2017

2016 Recap


2016 came to a close a few weeks ago, and I think it's only proper to do a small wrap up of what we had in 2016 before I embark on the business of 2017. So here we are a few highlights.
Some of the new music that we had in 2016 was as follows;
From King Kaka we got Mr 254, Thug Love, Sinzia and Besha Shigana. Khaligraph Jones gave us Micasa Sucasa and Wanjiru and Akinyi. Octopizzo's new tracks were Butere and Utanisho among others.
Other new big hits released included;
  • Das - Ita Ambulance,
  • Walanguzi - Vile si Hufanya,
  • ZJ Hena - Iz You Down ft Khaligraph, Kayvo Kforce and Lon Jon,
  • Assassin - Wacha Story,
  • Mwenyeji Biz - Ye Anajua,
  • Oksyde - Makilo ft Chiwawa,
  • Lon Jon - Ease Up,
  • Wenyeji - Pole Sana,
  • Kaa la Moto - Machozi,
  • RIC - Nisombe Sombe,
  • Labalaa ft Omae and Beryl Owano - Wanataka Kula,
  • Shukid - Psykotic, Oksyde - Tell em We're Ready,
  • Wakadinali - Ujinga Ujinga,
  • Kayvo Kforce - Wataitana
  • Nafsi Huru ft Agano – Tingisha Kichwa

Some of the mixtapes released included the following;
  • Kingsko Ligih – Zaidi ya Telly
  • Oksyde - Niko True EP
  • Wangechi – Don't Consume if Seal is Broken
  • Nafsi Huru - Hali Halisi
  • Ace tha Don – Bars 101
  • Monaja –Temaimbaa

On a rather sad note, death robbed us of Tash (Victor Muiruri Macharia) who was part of Washamba Wenza.

Friday, 16 December 2016

Kenyan Hiphop History pt 6: Current State and the Future


With many artistes going commercial in their music, another breed decided to remain 'underground' and stay true to the hiphop game. The emergence of this lot was propelled in 2006 by the famous WaPi (Words and Pictures) monthly event that was being organized by Budhaa Blaze courtesy of the British Council and later Sarakasi Trust. The stage was set for hiphop artistes to re-invent themselves after a lull of several years caused by the shunning of their art by major radio stations, for the more crowd appealing popular rap music.


WaPi presented a platform where these artistes could showcase their talents through freestyle battles and cyphers. Some of the artistes who can credit WaPi as their stepping stone in this industry include Moroko, Khaligraph Jones, Octopizzo, Big Mic, Point Blank, Muthoni Drummer Queen, Gadi Moja, Monaja, Rabbit, Xtatic, Kayvo Kforce among many others.


It also gave a stage for dancers, graffiti artistes and spoken word poets to hone their skills. In late 2012, a year after WaPi had ended, Hiphop Hook up was launched by Nafsi Huru and Smallz Lethal to continue giving stage to the upcoming emcees.
Through years of struggle and hardwork, we can now see the fruits of their efforts as some hiphop artistes have made a breakthrough in the industry. Several other artistes are also emerging and have shown the potential to take Kenyan hiphop to another level. Octopizzo, Khaligraph Jones, Rabbit, Juliani, Abbas and several others are now household names in the entertainment industry.
With the availability of social media and penetration of internet usage, artistes are now able to easily reach out to more of their fans and also interact with them on a more personal level. They are now creating brands out of their talents which enable them earn more from their music. Its no longer just a local thing but they are now placing themselves on an international level.
New acts like Camp Mulla, Raj, Ace tha Don, Oksyde among others have risen in the new era to claim their stake in this industry as well, and from the signs being currently witnessed, Kenyan hiphop is now very much alive and ready to set its mark in the globe. All that is needed is alot more quality, consistence and unity. On our part as fans, lets support our hiphop artistes by buying quality music and attending shows.



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 4: The Media Role
Kenyan Hiphop History pt 5: The Dilution

Kenyan Hiphop History pt 5: The Dilution


Around 2002/2003, a new wave began to hit Kenya's hiphop scene as more and more artistes emerged. The industry became flooded by artistes who made music that was more commercial and club-oriented just to get airplay and fame. The number of production houses also increased and each developed their own signature style.


Among the popular ones was the Ogopa Deejays stable which had artistes such as E-Sir, Bigpin, Krupt, Kleptomaniacs, Deux Vultures among others. Their style was commonly refered to as 'boomba' or 'kapuka'.




From Carlifornia (Calif) estate, another group emerged with a style that they dubbed as Genge (which meant 'music for the masses'). This was championed by Juacali and Nonini through the Calif Records studio which was run by Clemo.
The two sounds became very popular and were accorded more airplay both on TV and radio. The hiphop artistes began to fall out of favour and as a result most of them fell along the way due to lack of airplay and recognition. A few turned to crime while others ended up doing odd jobs to survive as they could not keep up in the industry.
This era too marked the dawn of beef in Kenyan hiphop. Chiwawa came up with the famous 'War Song' track that dissed various artistes who did kapuka music. Bamboo was also featured and he vented out his frustrations on Samawati studio producers. Others involved were Wodhes, DJ Loop and MC Sharon who took a swipe at the 'fake' female emcees. More beef sessions were to follow later as Bamboo feuded with Prezzo, Chiwawa against Kleptomaniacs, Abbas against Chiwawa and most recently Octopizzo against Khaligraph.



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 4: The Media Role
Kenyan Hiphop History pt 6: Current State and the Future

Tuesday, 13 December 2016

Kenyan Hiphop History pt 4: The Media Role



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

Kenyan Hiphop History pt 3: The Growth



With the successes that Kalamashaka had achieved, they ventured into a project to mentor other youth, mainly from Dandora estate and also from Mombasa town, into music and away from crime. This led to the birth of Ukoo Flani Mau Mau, a movement of more than 40 artistes from Nairobi and Mombasa. Some of the products of this group are Juliani, Zakah, MC Kah, Kitusewer, Wakamba Wawili, LNess, G-rongi, Cannibal, Sharama, Richie Rich among others. KShaka and the Ukoo Flani Mau Mau crew had a number of projects including Kilio Cha Haki and Dandora Burning.
Other than Ukoo Flani Mau Mau, several other artistes also came into the limelight right around this time and they included Poxi Presha, Nazizi, Nanoma, Warogi Wawili, Ndarling P, and Gidi Gidi Maji Maji.Nazizi paved the way for female emcees when she started back in the days with the track 'Nataka Kuwa Rapper' and this made her a big inspiration and role model among upcoming female rappers. She later became part Necessary Noize trio (together with Wyre and Bamzigi) churning out hits such as 'Kenyan Boy Kenyan Girl', 'Tension', 'Da Di Da', 'Nataka Toa' and 'Clang Clang'.



Gidi Gidi Maji Maji was also a big sensation, rapping in the luo language. There most recognizable hits were 'Ting Badi Malo' and 'Unbwogable'. Later on they landed a deal where they recorded another big single 'Many Faces' with the Gallo Records of South Africa.



RELATED POSTS:
Kenyan Hiphop History pt 1: The Beginnings
Kenyan Hiphop History pt 2: The Foundation
Kenyan Hiphop History pt 4: The Media Role
Kenyan Hiphop History pt 5: The Dilution
Kenyan Hiphop History pt 6: Current State and the Future