Month: March 2012

We have seen Deejays like Joe Mfalme, Kytrixx and Scratch among others opening their own websites in order to market themselves and even help their fans to get easy access of there mix tapes.

DJ Mista Dru of the Deejayz Republic unit has launched his new Website. Check it here.

                                                                 DJ Mista Dru logo

He can boost of being one of the gurus in the industry and still he’s among the best.

People can check everything about him i.e. the events he will be staging, his latest mix and even his personal life.

This is a good move from these deejays as they are embracing the new technology. This is the change we believe in.

In a developing series where we seek to show you (with photographic evidence) how far Kenyan artistes have come, we bring to you this Bashment brother turned Love Child, Wyre back in the day when he was still shaping his career in the industry.

Checkout Juliani’s humble beginnings here >>

Wyre began his musical career around October 2000 with the formation of Necessary Noise, which also consisted of reknowned MC and rapper/singer Nazizi Hirji and sensation Bamzigi. After that, Bamzigi left and both Wyre and Nazizi teamed up with Uganda’s Bebe Cool to form the East African Bashment Crew in 2005.

The groups’ most recent recognition was the 2008 MAMA award for best group, though the three have since then concentrated more or less on their own individual careers.

Big Ted

Wyre was a producer under Ted Josiah’s Blu Zebra Studios but left to concentrate on setting up his own LoveChild Records. 

Checkout a photo he featured in from earlier days

FROM LEFT: Leakey Odera, Patrick Musumba (KANU), Kevin Wyre, Big Ted

We all love single tracks, but the fact is that mixtapes are way hotter. When a good DJ does a ‘work of art’ mix, fans celebrate. The small clubs without DJs enjoy the mixtapes too. It’s even better when you can download them instead of going around town looking for a place to buy them.

Reggae experience just got better as DJ Simple Simon has just completed a mixtape that promises to get the reggae/dancehall fans moving. The mixtape dubbed ‘Missile 51’ has been both mixed and produced by Simple Simon. He is one of the DJs that has been in the industry since Kenyan music came to be. So you know that he definitely has the experience and knows what the fans want.

Good news (apart from the availability of the mixtape) is that you can also download it courtesy of Supremacy Sounds.

Download it right here.

‘Jobless Corner’ is no longer related to that period after high school or college when you lack what to do as you organize your life to ask ‘What next?’ It is the name of the latest entrant into the entertainment industry in not just Kenya, but the diaspora, and primarily the United States of America.

Jobless Corner CEO Sir Keggah says his record label hosts a group of artists comprising an engineer, a producer, a graphic artist, a female lead vocalist, some singers and song writers as well as three rappers. The group is based in the US and they plan to take the Kenyan entertainment scene in the diaspora, and the region, by storm.

The record label produced its first single Chuki za Nini, performed by Abu Cnear of Tanzania and Mdabu of Kenya, and released it on 10th March 2012.

Sir Keggah has worked with other local artistes such as Bamboo and Nyota Ndogo. Have a first and  EXCLUSIVE look at the just released video Chuki za Nini right here on Ghafla! below…

The latest from Katenga Entertainment is from the new kid, Sos who dropped his new video titled `sugarcane’ featuring another talented new comer, Peter.

The video is shoot in an upcountry setting in Western Kenya, and going by the song title this was the perfect place. The clip is tight, and the white man was the perfect dancer as he just brought the humour out.

This is one of the Katenga Entertainment projects of helping young talented musicians who do not have the much needed finances to record.

Watch the movie down here>>>>>>

“Huyo sio mwizi. Anauza nyama pare gara…”, he said this to a journalist while sniffing on some glue after police had killed a youth along the Ngara streets. Little did he know that these words in broken English would bring him fame beyond imagination and even take him out the streets.

James Maina Kimani or ‘Bonoko Deh’ as he is popularly known by his Ghetto Radio fans is now a celebrated radio presenter along Mbusii deh. He owes all his success to Mbusii, whom unlike every other music personality, chose to give him credit. Bonoko’s voice has been used by many DJs and programmes to produce funny clips and mixes, yet he has never received any money for it.

Ghetto Radio also did a very good thing to hire him as a co-presenter. What better way to reach the youths who are sunken so deep into drugs, than using someone that has been there and done that. It’s understandable. As a street boy, he had to do what he had to do to get by, and so he did. Now, he is all refreshed and new akichapa kazi.

Today, most lost youths seek advice from Bonoko Deh about drug abuse, and he gives them reality straight up, while being hilarious at the same time.

Guess you never know how your life will turn out to be in the future. You might die of gonorrhea or end up being the owner of a company worth millions of shillings… who knows? Bonoko didn’t!

By the look of things from the Headbangaz Studios, I don’t think Kimya Miyaki is getting any rest. Constantly dropping track after track.

These are not just records, but hot records. Collaborations here and there, freestlyles there and here, video shooting everywhere. This is Hip Hop.

So, Kimya fused this beautiful track titled ‘candy cane girl’ with a beautiful lady we know as Yvonne (she does fit the song title). Harmonious singing voice with a husky rapping voice… A BIG TUUUUUNEEEE.

Have a listen to this track.

For along time people have been referring to cannibal as the Kenyan Lil Wayne and I agree with that, but check out this, The Makini Music Group duo, Prezzo and Cannibal are look alike of rappers Birdman and Lil Wayne.

Just compare these two photos and you will understand my point.

I think Prezzo knew he had some resemblance with Birdman and that’s why he had to bring Cannibal on board as he was already termed as Kenya’s Lil Wizzy. If this was what he had in mind when forming MMG, then it was a smart move.

What’s your opinion on this?

The Ukoo Flani Crew prove to be diverse and ever busy. Always trying something news. This time they brought in rappers Abbas, Lon’ Jon, kimya and Teichmann to the scene and like they always do, mad lyrics, mad beats and guess what, another hot video.

Apart from the song being awesome in terms of ‘music’, the video is unique (in Kenya) in that it features… no, actually the whole video of the song is extracts from the Kenyan movie ‘Soul Boy’.

I wrote a piece on this off the hook movie that no other Kenyan movie has yet reached its level a month ago (READ RELATED ARTICLE).

Check out the video below and get to know a little bit about the movie Soul Boy and just feel the music while you are at it.

MTV have just announced that the hotly anticipated video to the Shuga: Love Sex Money  soundtrack, also going by the same title ‘Shuga’ will be released this Friday 16th of March 2012.

The song, which features in most of the Shuga episodes, features Nigeria’s Banky W and Wiz Kid, South Africa’s L Tido and Kenya’s very own Boneye (of P Unit). It was released on the 10th of February and made available by the MTV shuga website for free listening and download.

The premiere of the video will take place at the Lagos Silverbird Galleria at a VIP event, and simultaneously be aired on MTV Base’s popular segment Spanking New (DSTV Channel 322).

‘Shuga’ the title track video is directed by Clarence Peters and was shot on location in Nairobi.

Have a listen to the title track right here, below…

Simple really… just sing/rap about it. The Invisible Children’s aim is to make Koni, the leader of the Ugandan rebel army (LRA) famous, not to celebrate him but to bring to light his evil deeds. To make everyone know him and make the fight against him much easier.

Music would play a great role in this just cause, since it is one of the fastest means of media communication. This is strength that most celebrities have not yet discovered they posses. There is definitely massive strength in numbers and that is exactly what the Invisible Children are using.

Why not chip in and help in bringing down this monster of a man.

You seriously don’t want to see images like these…

(no matter how funny it looks).

We bring together two artists who are well known in Kenya for a photo comparison to establish just whether the two are related or could have been separated at birth. Introducing the ‘Facebook’ and ‘Do Sumn’ maestros, DJ CLeo and Konshens.

With Kenya’s growing love for riddims and kwaito or house music, the two are no strangers to the realm of the Kenyan dancefloor and airwaves. Have a look at the photo above pitting DJ Cleo (left) and Konshens (right) and decide for yourself…are they related or it’s pure coincidence?

“Pass the kutchie on the left hand side…” Remember this song? Very few knew the meaning of this phrase but lately, with all the incitment that the youth receive through entertainment, I’m sure magority of us are are now familiar with the phrase.

Most of the music videos and films these days preach the usage of drugs and alcohol but you can’t blame them. It actually takes trends like these to actually sell in this entertainment market.

Even the kids are not safe from this negative media education neither are the elders. Here is evidence.

Don’t you just love it when you walk around and come across a Maasai in his traditional attire. Walking in strides so proudly, with his club clenched tightly in his hands and dagger hanging from his waist? That’s real African/Kenyan culture right there. Just fills you with pride.

I listen to some of Kenya’s music from way back, the days of Suzzana Owiyo, Achieng Abura, Erick Wainaina, Tony and Jack Nyadundo, Dola Kabari and so on, and I just fall in love with Kenya all over again. Traditional music is the root to all music in Africa. Why we choose to ignore and forget it, I really don’t understand.

There are artistes who have however tried to keep the culture alive and they deserve all the credit they can get and more. These are artistes like Sauti sol (soma, Blue uniform, etc), Nameless (salari), Anto Neosoul (jikaze), Dan Chizi Aceda (sana sana) just to mention a few.

I love Hip Hop and dancehall but would it hurt if we came back to our culture once in a while?

I’m sure most of us were never fond of ink back in school, but now everyone wants their own ‘colouring book’ just like VybesKartel and Lil Wayne. Think about the pain later, they say.

“When the ink ah load up and the needle ah poke. Tattoo sell off, everybody have to look…” It is this words of the Gaza King Vybes Kartel that have incited most people, both young and old, to tattoo their bodies with art.

I have seen tattoos on questionable locations on people’s bodies that I am not sure I was supposed to see. Even our own celebrities have joined in the trend. Some have been spotted with images of their families on their arms, like Prezzo. Others just express their love for music by placing a mic on their bodies. Definitely no one can take that away from Abbas Kubbaf.

J’Mani’s arms are just a work of art. Check them out.

Some don’t think it’s right, but who really cares? Do you?

It’s just crazy out there these days. Clubbing is now as addictive as gambling, maybe even more. You see more explicit images in the night clubs than you see in the rated 18 movies… shameful or awesome, haven’t decided yet.

Anyway, have you ever watched a Jamaican ‘pasa pasa’ video? You know, footage of mad raving and dancing that you can only see in sin cities like say Vegas, Mtwapa, Mombasa, Nairobi and Kingston Jamaica… explicit right there. Funny thing is that many see these Jamaican videos and go like, “I wish we were more free in the clubs like these Jamaican cats”. Well, go out there and you will live your dream. It’s actually happening right here in our streets. You wouldn’t believe your eyes at first and you’d even feel uncomfortable if you ain’t used to it, but after five bottles or so, you will be part of it.

In these dark clubs, I have seen things that no man should die without seeing. Seen dancing styles that have not yet hit the streets or music videos.

I’m surprised someone hasn’t yet started filming these wicked nights and make money out of it, but now that I’ve mentioned it, I’m sure someone is on the case.

The Nyadundo brothers, Jack and Tony are the most celebrated Ohangla artistes. Jack is referred to by his fans as the general and he’s also the pioneer of this genre of music.

Tony who is the younger sibling said that his brother is his mentor and always looks up to him.

There have been defferent opinions on who is the king of Ohangla between these two brothers. Tony said that Jack is the guru in this game.

To me Tony is the king as he has managed to fuse Ohangla with new skul music.

What’s your take?

We all knew him as ‘the guy in the red T-shirt with the sick flow’ back when he did the track ‘Fanya Tena’. He illustrated his lyrical prowessness but still most of us thought that he was just another hustler. Juliani had a plan of driving a Mercedes Benz and flying high and he would make it happen.

“Msichana sasa mama, nashika tama. Mawazo ninazo, sikutumia condom nikichwado something. Saa hii najifunza kufunga napkin.” With conscious lyrics like these, many thought that Juliani together with the Ukoo Flani crew would never get the greens in this ‘Club influenced’ music industry. Nevertheless, juliani had this unique flow with his rhymes that kept the fans coming back (me included).

Just compare this photos of Juliani in two very different timelines and see the success that I’m talking about.

He has definitely moved from a struggling underground rapper to one of the most celebrated artistes in Kenya. Still coscious and lyrically lethal. Big up Juliani.

P-Unit single `gentleman’ featuring Sauti soul is a hit. The phrase gentleman has become a pick up line amongst young men.

It’s true that finding the real gentleman is hard but Joey, a top model and former editor of a showbiz magazine found her self with the perfect gentleman.

Introducing, Prezzo the gentleman. He did represent as he entertained the beautiful Joey.

The three lyricists from the Hip Hop group Autopilots are ready to blow you away. I just heard their latest conscious track titled ‘Life kwa mtaa’. The beat just gives you the feeling you get when you are in the middle of a freestyle rap battle. Something out of a cypher.

Their flow is kind of a spoken word skit and they fuse it very well with the beats which is also collaborated with an acoustic guitar. Real Hip Hop right there. The lyrics take you through the life of a regular ghetto child and what they have to go through everyday. Straight from the heart, Autopilots deliver.

Lyrically fit, they are ready to release the video for the track this Friday and as usual, we’ll hook you up as soon as its out there. Just feel this track first.

The music industry in kenya is evolving with a pace so fast that if you don’t keep up, well… hauko! New artists come up everyday with mad creativity and style. Some original and some wannabees. Fact is, music here is just abundant.

Now, introducing to you the latest and freshest group in the Hip Hop scene, the reason that the current best #newschool Hip Hop groups like Camp Mulla and Coolagang should start worrying, they are the guys with the plan… PLAN ZEE.

This Hip Hop group consists of four rappers, Wes Prodigy, Top Cat, Wyzle Wyzle and Marcus Wii. Their names have character and so does their swag. Their hot track ‘Mkono Juu’ has received airplay at KBC, HOT 96 and Ghetto Radio and has also caused ripples on social media.

Fly beats, great voices, hot track, original, what more can you ask for. Listen to there track ‘mkono juu’ right here.

Possibly the most anticipated video of the year, ‘Fire Fever, Lighter Speaker’ by Kora featuring Madtraxx is about to hit your screens and we have the first EXCLUSIVE behind the scenes footage, courtesy of Enzymedia, to prove it.

The single, which is also one of the feature soundtracks of MTV Staying Alive Foundation’s Shuga: Love Sex and Money, was a massive hit when released mid last year, as it got massive airplay on rado stations and in popular nightclubs across the region.

Now the video, a masterpiece in progress, is in the pipeline. We take you behind the scenes on the set of the shooting of ‘Fire Fever, Lighter Speaker’. Check it out below….

Blackstar entertainment owner and former Kenya Airways pilot, Machel Waikenda has landed himself a lucrative job. He will be working in Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta’s youth campaign team.

His task will be to market brand Uhuru as they sensitize the youth on good governance and the need to vote.

                                                          Blackstar Entertainment owner Machel and a friend

It looks like our politicians have seen the need of having to incorporate the showbiz finest as they prepare for the next general elections.

Former presenter Luis Otieno is currently working for the Prime Minister while other media personalities will be joining them soon.