Month: July 2012

Renowned radio presenter Caroline Mutoko last week was the toast of the town when she was announced as the new chairlady of the Kenya Tourist Development Corporation. However, our elders were not lying when they said, ‘what goes up must come down.’ Only days after the announcement, the High Court of Kenya has declared Caroline’s appointment illegal.

The Kenyan Minister for Tourism, Mr. Dan Mwazo, had appointed Ms. Mutoko through a gazette notice which High Court Justice Cecilia Githua promptly suspended yesterday. To add insult to injury Mutoko was also blocked from becoming a board member of Kenya Safari Lodges and Hotels.

Ouch.

Caroline is not a woman without a backup plan though. Despite this setback, she has her job at Radio Africa as breakfast show presenter AND programme controller. She’s all good.

Tanzanian rapper Fid Q used to host this show, Fidstyle Friday, that brought some of the best rappers together to lay down some of the best bars that have ever been recorded live.

Many rappers were featured on this show but personally, Abbas killed it as compared to the rest. Not that they were not good, but honestly, this guy’s flow is just off the hook.

Abbas lays down some of his best lyrics from some of his songs, non stop. Check it out. There is no doubt that he’s one of East Africa’s best rappers. NO DOUBT!

This has just gotten serious than it already was. It was a big deal when we saw those advertisements on TV and billboards talking about bringing Zack back home, but it’s now a huge deal, considering that his own son has just started his own campaign for his dad.

Zack‘s child, Danny, is just as amazing as his father. He might not have attempted to travel all the way to South Africa just to raise funds for his dad’s project, but he has now contributed dearly to it by visiting Kiss 100FM and making it clear that he’s missing his dad more than anything else right now. Through the radio station, the plea was simple. “BRING ZACK BACK HOME.”

Meanwhile, Zack is still struggling despite his state, to make that awfully long distance on his wheelchair, to raise funds for this sensitive project.

To make your contributions which will be very much appreciated, simply go to your M-Pesa menu, select the ‘Pay Bill’ option, and send any amount of money to the account number, 522500-ZACK.

Let’s re-unite this humble child with his father.

On the 23rd of June this year, Nairobi witnessed the biggest concert of the year. One of the hottest acts in the continent, DJ Cleo, took the stage on an excitement-filled night and rocked it.

Others who performed on the night included Just-A-Band, Madtraxx, Camp Mulla, the Teddy Bears, Kora, Mejja, DJ Stylez, G-Money among others. The event was meant to be a DJ-fueled show where they do mixes in between performances instead of having emcees.

Below is a the full set of DJ Cleo’s performance at the event. If you missed the Fahrenheit Party, this is how it went down.
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A storm is brewing over Calif and it doesn’t seem to be abating.

 After a spectacular internal burst up between Jua Cali (the stable’s leading artist) and some of his colleagues, there are questions being raised about how Calif -which is owned and run by Clemo, have been handling their affairs.

Schadenfreude is a term that i would use to describe the fascination most of those running the rumour mills have but i for what it’s worth must report the facts.
And the biggest is the fact that for a while, Calif was the hit maker that every other label envied. They churned out hit after hit after hit and gave us the likes of Nonini and Jua Cali, Lady S and Rat-a-tat et al. Then We were rocked by the news that Nonini was leaving the studio that made him.
Opinion was divided on whether or not this was a good move or not but he has since gone from strength to strength vindicating his decision to quit the stable in the process.
Then Size 8 also quit the stable and she cited the need to grow her career and the fact that she felt a rapper she was partnered with wasn’t serious.
Calif Angels also left citing the need to grow their careers, and the list reads like a script which has now added the names Q-tasi, Kendi and Vanika.
Jua Cali went in H.A.M and fellow label mates TN and Saiz 2 have also come out in defence of Calif but from any estimation, something is wrong. Again, keep it Ghafla as we’ll have Q-tasi in our offices and he’ll shed some light from his perspective on just what he believes ails this great production house.

Female rappers like Nazizi, Stella Mwangi, Lness and Muthoni Drummer Qween have paved way for more to come.

It is quite exciting to see more female rappers joining the music industry, especially when they are very young rappers. I came across this video on YouTube, which is a mixtape of two upcoming female rappers, with ambitions to become the next big stars.

This is but just the beggining of what may be natured to be greatness. Here, have a listen at the track below.

You have probably heard about the hip hop group known as Washamba Wenza. This group has lyrics deeper than what most rappers could comprehend. They have the distinct Ukoo Flani flow, though they are not part of them, but from the same hood.

One of the duo, known as Smallz Lethal recently participated in the ongoing Nokia: Don’t Break The Beat contest that has hosted many rappers across East Africa in the running to win the Sh. 250, 000 grand price.

Check out how the battle went. Freestyling ain’t as easy as writing rhymes on a piece of paper.

Camp Mulla gave an electrifying performance at the Fahrenheit concert as they curtain raised for African star, DJ Cleo.

This concert was one of the best that Kenya has seen so, and Camp Mulla did not disappoint, considering that they were opening for an international star (as they join the international stardom circles).

If you missed Camp Mulla’s performance on that epic night, check it out right here.

Jackson, the second runner-up and one of the favourites for the Tusker Project Fame crown, has been signed by Universal Music Group. The Rwandan singer was signed just a day after Ruth was crowned as the ultimate winner.

Now, the only difference between Jackson and Ruth is the Kshs. 5,000,000 between them. And maybe the add on wins like gym membership and security, etc. It is not clear if he also gets the Kshs. 10,000,000 deal like Ruth.

Tusker Project Fame is an annual reality competition that crosses the Big Brother style 24-hour on-watch concept with a talent showcase where the winner walks off with Kshs. 5,000,000 from EABL and Kshs. 10,000,000 recording deal from Universal Music Group. Universal has previously been rumored to be in talks with Camp Mulla, who performed on the finale show.

Abbas and Nazizi recently collaborated with Germany’s best DJ, Modeselektor, to create this epic track, Monkeyflip, that has been on top of my playlist for quite some time now.

It gets even better. The much anticipated video has finally been released and it is even more than we expected. Going all electronic and futuristic, both the track and the video have that electrifying feeling to it.

Nazizi and Abbas as always, managed to impress the fans with their ill and unique flow. Something about Abbas just makes him the best rapper Kenya’s ever seen (my firm opinion). Maybe it’s because of the fact that he has never disappointed in any of his rap songs. Keeping the punchlines afloat in every single bar and maintaining his legendary flow. Man, you just gotta love this.

Nazizi also shows that she still got it. Check out the video below. Just one word… AWESOME!

Camp Mulla haters have been having a field day at the expense of Kenya’s most prolific act.

And they have taken to trolling the group’s facebook page. Don’t get me wrong, i for one believe in constructive criticism but when people take to regurgitating spite, i refuse to be party to that.

The bone of contention that the haters are using to beat down these youngsters is their TPF performance this past Sunday. And the bile being spewed on the page ranges from the relevant to to absurd! some are talking about their clothes and others their hairstyles but i won’t go off on a tangent.

All i will say is that artists have genuine fans who have opinions and artists should take them seriously in order to grow. Camp Mulla’s true fans are those with genuine criticism that is aimed at helping the youngsters grow and be even bigger. The rest talking about how they never really liked the group need to simply unlike the page and stop pretending to be trolls!

These guys are young and they have a bright future that will only get brighter so all your hate doesn’t really scathe them. but they do have a lot to learn and they should be humble enough to learn from their fans.

This is my humble opinion.

Amidst all the controversy surrounding Calif records, Jua Cali still manages to get work done.

He has dropped the video to his track featuring Juliani “Si Siri” inspite of everything going on in his backyard and that is admirable.

The Genge artist’s video is simple and well put together and in it he features sporting a new hairdo: the classic afro! He and Juliani manage to blend their different styles and genres well with Juliani’s rap and gospel infused lyrics not clashing with Jua Cali’s genge.

The song is about thanking God for all he has done for the two and was dirested by Charles Luche and the track was produced by Clemo his long time collaborator.

Check out the track here:

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As hard as he works, Nonini has been stepping beyond borders to make unforgettable music, expending his name and brand all across East Africa and eventually, the rest of Africa.

The godfather of Genge knows no limit when it comes to music and potential collaborations. Known for his distinct flow, Nonini was has now featured in a Ugandan star studded song that is a remix to the song ‘Dream‘.

The Dream remix has the likes of Navio and Chameleon, among other Ugandan artists. Nonini is the only Kenyan artist in this song so the expectations on his verse are kind of high. Check out how he did in the song through this link.

On her latest video for Utatabasamu, Choku went all gangster on us. The song is about an all-girl, bad-a** gangster squad. The song was produced by Bizzi-B and the video by Boomba Pictures. The singer has previously done Pole featuring Jua Cali, Kilio with Rat-a-tat and the late Lady S as a member of the Calif Angels trio.

The video for Utatabasamu was released about a month ago but photos from the shoot have been streaming in slowly. You can check out the video here. Check out shots from behind-the-scenes below.

Check out the rest of the photos here.

Kaka Sungura is one of the hardest working rappers in the Kenyan music industry. He puts out tracks on a regular and is responisible for a popular urban catch-phrase, “Niko kwa jam na-come.”

He recently released the video for his Swahili Shakespeare and a collaboration with Man Njoro. The rapper has provided the codes for all his Skiza Tunes-available music. The following are codes for half a dozen tracks by Kaka Sungura. Check them out and subscribe below.

Staki Kukuona – 9010626
Yesterdays – 9005085
Jam Nakam – 9010217
Mtu Hivi Hivi – 9010325
Nakuchukia – 9005083
Last Hope – 9005079

Kaka Sungura: “Send ‘skiza code’ to 811. Thanks for your continued support.”

In a recent interview with Ghafla!, Kenrazy spoke with fondness about his girlfriend, Sosuun. The two have known each other for six years and she has been around for most of Kenrazy’s career. She has appeared in a lot of the rapper’s videos and even featured as an artiste in some of them.

The two have now released a new song, God Ana Ni C Thru. And this time, ‘Razy is the featuring artiste. The one-scene video features the couple rapping on the rooftop of a building. The video only features the two rappers without no extras, as opposed to the typical Kenrazy bar-scene videos with revelers and video vixens.

The two recently released a track hitting out at Pastor Njoroge, the prostitute-recruiting man of God. It looks like religion is a theme in the couple’s latest tracks. The track doesn’t exclusively stay on the religion path, though, with lines like “Kupandisha ma-upcoming na kuchokesha ma-veteran.” Check out Sosuun and Kenrazy’s God Ana Ni C Thru.
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Calvo Mistari is just about to release the video for his track Down Low, which he did with Nessa. The nine-minute behind-the-scenes clip not only shows the making but also the preparation that went into it, including interviews with the makers.

The video was shot by Edu Gee at Choices Bar & Restaurant and the surrounding area. The video was professionally produced and shot, with make-up artists, high-tech equipment and well orchestrated scenes. One of the shots includes at least a dozen cars simulating a traffic scene.

Rapper J’Mani, Mseto East Africa’s Willy M. Tuva, singer and actor Mchizi Gaza also make special appearances. Check out the behind-the-scenes footage below.
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Local electronic music quartet, Just-A-Band have been busy lately with performances outside the country. They are scheduled to perform at the Summer Stage concert in Central Park, New York on the 4th of August. Their third album is scheduled for a September release, which will follow Scratch To Reveal and 82. Below you can see the band members hanging out with two members of The Roots.

Since their formation in 1987, The Roots have been nominated for a dozen Grammys and won four of them. The band has gone through changes over their 25-year history but Black Thought and ?uestlove have been with the group since inception. And Just-A-Band got two meet the two.

For three and a half years, The Roots have been the official band of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Check out the photos below.

Just-A-Band with The Roots’ ?uestLove

Just-A-Band with The Roots’ Black Thought

A group of upcoming local and Tanzanian artistes have come together on the same track, Kicheche. The result of the blend is a mix of typical Tanzanian Bongo flavour ,hip hop and RnB with Kenyan ragga and Kapuka.

The mellow song talks about a girl who unashamedly plays a group of guys in the same social circle. Kicheche by SAV Clan–which consists of Shirko and Amoury Beyby–also features Aslay & Mheshimiwa Temba of TMK. The video was produced by Lil Guy-G Films and audio by Vibe Records and Poteza Records’ Shirko.

Other production credits go to Malumbo Jr and Mambo Bado Sounds Entertainment. Others featuring in the video include Mkubwa na Wanawee, Sarah, Flim-C and Honey M among others. Check out the video for Kicheche below.
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You can get a physical copy of Sauti Sol’s EP at next month’s Blankets & Wine. The self-titled record which was released two months ago has only previously been available for purchase online. Sauti Sol are scheduled to perform at same event on August 5th.

The EP was produced by South African artiste and hitmaker Spoek Mathambo, who has recently been in the U.S. for a series of shows. He mixes contemporary African music with electronic and pop instruments and released an album this year, Father Creeper.

Sauti Sol has only recently come back from a European tour where they shot a couple of videos for tracks off the same EP. The quartet of Bien, Chimano, Mudigi and Polycarp have previously released two albums, Mwanzo and Sol Filosofia. They are currently working on a third album.

The anticipation of the return of one of Kenya’s best rappers is soon to be over. Abbas Kubaff has been in Germany for his music projects for almost two months now and he is finally coming back.

Abbas confirmed through his twitter account that he would be landing in Kenya on the 16Th of August, and that he has actually already bought the tickets. He is just as excited as we are on his return.

I can’t help but think what he and Bamboo can do as soon as they link up again. I just can’t wait. This will be one awesome re-union.

The Mr & Miss JKUAT 2012 went down last weekend at KICC and had artistes like Octopizzo and Avril perform live for the wild revellers.

From the looks of these pics from Octopizzo, the night must have been off the hook.