Kenya's hip hop scene has
really taken off over the past five years. Only five years ago it was unthinkable for a
kenyan to earn any money let alone earn a living from the trade. Well brace yourself,
kenya's hip hop scene is among the most vibrant if not the most vibrant in Africa.
The proliferation of radio
and Television stations has been a major factor in promoting Kenyan hip hoppers. Artistes
can now get the much needed television exposure and radio airtime. The Kenya Television
network were the pioneers in promotion of Kenyan hip hop in the early nineties. Famous TV
show host Jimmi Gathu introduced some of kenya's trail blazing artistes including himself.
Who can forget songs like "I 'm in no hurry", Jimmi Gathu's tirade at careless
matatu drivers. But back then hip hop in Kenya was nothing more than a mere curiosity.
Today however , hip hop is
serious business with producers, rappers and studio owners earning their broad from the
trade. In Nairobi, the top ten list has since 1999 been dominated by hip hop. At the 1997
Kisima awards to recognize local talent , "Hardstone" Ngunjiri who became famous
for his track "Uhiki" was voted the artiste of the year. His success was to be
followed by other artistes such as Poxi Pressure. But it was the song "Tafsiri hii " by the group
Kalamashaka which took the kenya music scene by storm in early 1999 and awakened kenyans
to what kind of talent was available in the country. Kalamashaka are a rapp trio who
specialize in Kiswahili rapp. In 1998, they released a track called "Au siyo"
which while excellent, failed to catch the publics imagination. Months later they
performed at the opening of American rapp star, Coolio's concert but once again received a
cold reception. Then came Tafsiri hii in June 99 and the Nairobi music scene was roaring
in delight.
Another group which has
really set the hip hop scene alight is Gidi Gidi Maji Maji , a group rapping in Dholuo.
Their track "Ting badi malo" (Throw your arms in the air) took the Kenyan
airwaves by storm and set record sales. The group was also extremely popular in the club
scene performing in several of Nairobi's night spots.
Gidi gidi and Maji maji send the crowd into a frenzy at a popular Nairobi nightspot.
Poxi pressure (Pretchard Olang) is a
talented yet mercurial lyricist who has found himself at odds with both fans and
producers. In 1998 , while in a drunken stupor he attempted to disrupt the Love Jam
concert before being dragged from the stage by security officials kicking and screaming.
This led to a fallout with his producers. Just when fans thought his career was finished ,
He came back storming with the release of the album "Total Balaa" which He
promptly followed with another album "Wape Really" in which He launches a
scathing attack on the afficionados for exploiting musicians. Darlin P (Anthony Wainanaina) is another up and
coming hip hopper whose debut hit "4 in 1" received rave reviews. The song is a
comedic mix of Swahili, Kikuyu, Kikamba and Maasai Lyrics. Other up and coming performers
include Majizee, Dola-Soul, K-South Flava, and Malkia Rukiya whose fused Taarab with rapp producing
a new concept called "Taarapp".
Majizee is yet another example of why kenya's hip hop scene is ablaze.
With the rapid rise in the
popularity of hip hop both in Kenya and worldwide, Kenya's hip hop scene will only get
better. Evidence of the increase in its popularity can be seen in other African countries
such as the Ivory Coast, Ghana, Zimbabwe and of all places Tanzania, where rappers have
succesfully fused Swahili lyrics with hip hop beats.
Besides the proliferation of radio and TV stations , another factor which led to
the emergence of African hip hop is the emergence of Raggamuffin or Dancehall reggae in
Jamaica in the early 90s. Led by such big names as Shabba Ranx, Patra and Buju banton Jamaicans successfully fused reggae beats with
American hip hop to produce their own brand of rapp which became extremely popular the
world over leading some to think that Roots reggae was on its way to extinction. Inspired
by the success of Jamaicans, African hip hoppers set off in various countries including
Kenya to create a style of their own.
Besides Rapp, R & B
and Gospel -hip hop artistes such as Shades O black and Five alive has also registered
some measure of success in Kenya.
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