Month: October 2012

In America, we have a horde of celebrities swarming around both President Obama and that Mormon chap Mitt Romney.

And it would seem that Kenyan celebrities are beginning to pick sides and politicians in the upcoming general elections and are digging in. But unlike in America where the celebrities actually contribute finances to the politicians’ campaigns, in Kenya they seek to benefit from the politicians’ deep pockets.

P-Unit were recently spotted with  Machel Waikenda of Blackstar -the company contracted by the political party to oversee the smooth running of the TNA campaigns. This is the party backing Uhuru Kenyatta.
Holy Dave has chosen to side himself with Peter Kenneth, Redsan endorsed Raila Odinga of the beleaguered ODM Party and so on and so forth. But the question of the day is, is it wise to side with a politician irrespective of the amount of money in question?
I’m reminded of a conversation i had with Anto Neosoul; a lad wise beyond his years who said that nothing would induce him to endorse any politician. The reasons he gave were testimony of his wisdom: the PEV that erupted the last time, he wouldn’t want to be associated with any of these fractions should a similar scenario ensue and also because he feels that Kenyan politics is yet to mature. The electorate would ensure that he couldn’t freely visit any region “loyal” to the opponents of the candidate he endorses.

Which is why i’m asking whether after stock taking, artists are fully aware of what they risk. Kenyan politics is dirty, conniving and treacherous. Why would you want to align your brand to any of the politicians in the country who recently voted to award themselves obscene and opulent pay-off?
Keep in mind that some of the presidential aspirants are suspects in the PEV tragedy that was witnessed in 2007 December-2008 February. While you will reap handsomely during this brief period, the damage done to your brand could be enduring. When the ICC cases are heard, you will forever be associated with them even if only by proxy.
Your fans who do not agree with your political stance will leave you and your brand and trust me when i say that alot of big name artists have suffered this fate the last time round.
Think about it and if the benefits outweigh the costs to you, go right ahead. Uncle Chim Tuna has spoken. But as my people say; Onye ji onye n‘ani ji onwe ya: “He who will hold another down in the mud must stay in the mud to keep him down.” To be party to the murky world of politics leaves you sullied with all the murk associated with politics.

During previous elections, musicians have been used by politicians for their campaigns. The biggest hit in 2002 Gidi Gidi Maji Maji’s Unbwogabble, which was milked by the NARC party. In 2007, it went a little deeper. Nonini and  reworked the lyrics of We Love To Party to We Love Kibaki for PNU’s re-election campaign.

Uhuru Kenyatta’s TNA went even further to win the youth vote. The National Alliance Party commissioned event organizers and DJ outfit, Blackstar Entertainment to oversee their campaign. It was not clear to what level they will be steering Uhuru Kenyatta’s election vehicle but Machel Waikenda of Blackstar seems to be seriously involved.

A couple of months ago, Machel put up a photo of the Vitimbi cast at their offices. Today, they put up a photo of members of P-Unit visiting their offices. So we wonder, will we see a political song from P-Unit soon? Check out the photo of members of the group with Machel, Bruce Odhiambo and Sakaja Johnson.

Musicians and content developers in Africa have accused mobile service providers of taking the lion’s share – between 70 and 80 percent – of the revenues generated from ringtones and mobile apps.

They have attacked the scheme set up by mobile operators and lack of proper entertainment policies by regulatory bodies, saying it is poorly structured and artistes end up with little or no money.

“The contracts with these mobile operators are handled by Premium-Rate Services Providers (PRSPs), who divide with artistes what is left of 85 percent made from the sales or downloads of our content.” Frasha, a Kenyan musician said.

According to Frasha, mobile operators have capitalised on the disunity of artistes who cannot come to an agreement on a universal pricing for music content.

“Mobile operators have assumed ‘full control’ of these services where their ideology is that they do most of the marketing and own access to the customers, as music is not taken seriously in Kenya and most people do not know it is intellectual property,” he said.

Terms for the deals for Value Added Services (VAS) by mobile operators vary, however they are significantly less favourable for African artistes. In most cases where PRSPs are involved, a fifty-fifty split of the 20 to 30 percent revenue takes place.

Entertainment experts have argued that a model like Apple’s iTunes should be adopted, where the operator keeps 30 percent as the artistes and their labels keep the rest.

A number of artistes have resorted to selling their music online, including uploading content on Soundcloud.com or Reverbnation.com, and recently www.mdundo.com, where downloads are restricted to payments.

“Mobile service providers generate tons of revenue from these VASs, while artiste returns from the same are pathetic. It is of concern that our artistes are given their right share,” said Mr. Majani, CEO of Kenya top e-magazine Ghafla’s!

The Music Copyright Society of Kenya is currently in the process of changing tariffs in favour of artistes. The artists have concluded that it will gain them more income, but the problem will remain the same since mobile operators have the upper hand in dictating the structure of payments.

In Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania, providers like Airtel and Safaricom have run services such as “Skiza Tunes”, “Wazup”, “SMS Sokoni” and “iDJ”..

Larger companies have a monopoly on offering payment systems and larger operators such as Safaricom are in a dominant position — more than two-thirds of Kenya’s mobile users are on the Safaricom network.

(This article originally appeared on HumanIPO.com.)

Did you know that your favourite rapper is also a motivational speaker? Motivational Speakers Africa, a hub for inspiring orators from around the continent lists Octopizzo as Henry Ochieng and provides his profile and contacts for booking.

Part of the profile reads:

“Owing to this rags-to-riches story of his life, Henry, a.k.a Octopizzo has proved a very inspirational person to whom the youth look up to as a role model. He has, therefore, received invites to speak to high school, college and university students.

The bottom line is that Octopizzo is the motivational speaker you need if you want to ignite the inner potential of the youth in your event/school/organization. He will deliver the determination and success message, energize the people in the meeting and motivate them to action.”

If you would like to have Octopizzo speak at your event and inspire your audience, get in touch with Motivational Speakers Africa here.

Gospel music in Kenya is growing tremendously and so is every other genre of music here. But let’s face it, these gospel artiste just know what to do to get the fans on their side and whatever it is, it’s working well so far. Follow their personal lives and you will tell.

Other gospel artiste have emerged and are already making way better videos than most of the already established artistes. They are clearly stating their presence and the force that comes with it.

The song that I’m talking about is this that is titled ‘Mfalme’ which referrers to The King (God). These artistes, Gooya featuring Jannekah and Samukat, seem to be well accustomed to the art of good video production since all their videos are hot. Not afraid to spend on quality, I see. That should be the way forward for artistes.

Check out the video below.

Am sure by now you have already watched Nonini’s latest music video, Pole Pole, featuring Annette. However, it took some extra effort to make it not just a ‘kawa’ video like Nonini puts it, “There is no need of re-inventing the wheel coz a nice video is about people looking good in the video, lovely ladies, good choregraphy and msanii na swagga balaa”.

He however attributes the quality of the classic video to great team work (most importantly). Watch this this rare footage of what goes down when Prohabo and Big Ideas Owussu are at work. Enjoy the behind-the-scenes from the Pole Pole music video set.

You remember him from the jam, Githurai, featuring Mr. Googz from back in the day. The two however parted ways in 2004 as each one preferred solo careers. Mr. Googz turned from secular to gospel music in 2005 and consequently released his first gospel album His Love in 2006. While he has retained his popularity even after the switch to gospel, it has not been so rosy for his former partner.

Speaking to 1FM, Vinny Banton revealed that he has been working as a producer and that’s why Kenyans have not been feeling his presence that much. He however insists he still has his eyes focused on doing music and would be releasing a new jam very soon.

Vinny Banton admitted that it has not been easy for him to work as a solo artiste considering he initially started out as part of a group. He has however been able to reinvent himself into one of the top Afro Dancehall Reggae acts in Africa with ten tracks under his name.

The artiste’s latest work is sextape featuring musician Linda Miriga.

Oh my! Although most of the artiste who visit Kenyan end up having a good time in this beautiful extra-ordinary country, some of them actually leave wishing they never stepped foot on this ground.

It is sad really, that an artiste would fly all the way from Jamaica only to complain about the treatment. This case however, is debatable.

Re the Jamaican dancehall duo that came over to perform in Kenya and they left the fans astonished at what they saw them doing on stage? RDX is their name and they came together with Busy Signal and Ding Dong on their tour. Theirs was one of a kind performance. More of controversial than legendary, but it was one to definitely always remember. We watched as a Kenyan girl almost got it on with one of the singers on stage. Our eyes were also wide open as her skirt was yanked upwards while they danced on stage, revealing everything beneath. I would go on, but some of you would actually be automatically redirected to explicit sites, and I honestly want to keep you here (watch the controversial concert below).

So, after this what some might call ‘inappropriate performance’, some Kenyans complained bitterly about it, saying that they brought immorality on stage for everyone to see. Personally, I honestly don’t think anyone attending a dancehall concert is sexually innocent at all. Have you guys ever watched ‘pasa pasa’? Anyway, that’s just me. These Kenyan talk resulted to the dancehall group calling us out on matters of ruining their reputation. Going on to state that they had even ignored the fact that they were treated to a bogus hotel (Jacaranda Hotel, Westlands) and that they were conned off their money. Oh man! I just hope this doesn’t affect any future relationships with international artistes. We still haven’t forgotten that Tarrus Riley’s friend ‘lost’ his I-Phone right here.

Are we just gangsters like that, or are we just being pricks? Or are they? You tell me.

I said I call him the guy with no limits and indeed he proved it to be true. Prezzo arrived in DC early yesterday morning at the ONE Campaign office, together with Goldie, to get acquainted with the rest of the members and get familiar with all that they do.

Being the celebrity that he is, he got a King’s reception, as he is the ambassador and all.

Delighted and humbled, Prezzo treated the ONE Campaign members to a freestyle session, at 9AM. This is as fresh as it gets.
Check out the freestyle video below.

These two shall not be separated. As if that is not clear enough by now, it is the message that seems to be sent off from all their photos. If one of them is somewhere that matters, the other is always near, if not right beside.

Prezzo flew over to the Jay Z concert in New York some few days ago and after the electrifying and life changing (it would be to me) concert, he headed over to Washington DC, where the ONE Campaign have their offices. As their Ambassador to Africa, Prezzo received a warm welcome, just like a celebrity should. Which makes me wonder, who really was the BBA ‘winner’? Hmmm.

Anyway, Goldie tagged along with her prince charming and this made it even better. With his new ‘Swagger Farmer’ t-shirt initiative, Prezzo discussed with the other ONE members on the way forward. The progress keeps on escalating as we watch with a keen eye. Keep it Ghafla! for more on Prezzo’s efforts in the ONE Campaign.

Prezzo is finally registering great progress and activity in the ONE Campaign, of which he is the African Ambassador. First off, for all those who had little faith in this bold rapper, this first step should prove you all wrong. Oh, and for those that kept on insisting that he wouldn’t do this without pay, this is all voluntary.

Prezzo has demonstrated his dedication and commitment to the ONE Campaign by unleashing his first initiative and contribution. He has designed a T-shirt line that bares the slogan ‘Swagger Farmer’ and is currently on sale worldwide. Yes, WORLDWIDE.

“What in the world does Swagger Farmer even mean?” you might be asking yourself as you scratch your head. Relax, this is Ghafla!, we got you. Prezzo independently came up with the slogan ‘swagger farmer’ with aim of making the youth see the fun, importance and coolness that comes with farming. Or if you prefer, the success that comes with it.

Above all these, Prezzo dropped by the ONE headquarters in DC, shortly after enjoying the Jay Z sold out concert in New York City, which was one of the perks of being the ONE Ambassador to Africa (that is an unforgettable intangible trophy right there if you ask me). At the ONE DC offices, Prezzo got to interact with the ONE staff and learned more about the movement, its objectives and drive.

“I want to work hand-in-hand with ONE, and I am more than willing to put my contributions out there. I already came up with that slogan, “Swagger Farmer,” and hopefully it will attract a lot of people and youngsters. The more farmers we have, the less chances we have for Africans to suffer from malnutrition and poverty,” Prezzo said while in the ONE Campaign office in DC.

To top it all up on his efforts, Prezzo revealed to his fans that he is planning to collaborate with a massive number of international artistes in songs that will create awareness of hunger and poverty in Africa, not to mention death, which is a result of ignorance of the general world population. You know, facts that actually matter to us as human beings. Something that we actually want to hear. Isn’t it clear that Prezzo is about to make us proud all over again? That is the Kenyan blood right there. Self-less and warrior-like. Wish I could say the same for our MPs, but then again, God doesn’t grant you everything.

I just can’t wait to see what more Prezzo has in store for us. The man with no limits, I call him.

Recently, one of Jamaican dancehall duo, RDX, was hosted by Robbo Ranx, one of UK’s biggest dancehall radio presenters where he grilled the two musicians for being controversial. However, the “Bend Over” hit makers came out guns blazing arguing that they are not controversial and that they only got that tag after their performance in Kenya.

“We are not controversial. This whole controversies [sic] started in Kenya where they painted us as some really immoral musicians. Our music is normal and we sing about what goes on a daily basis; this is the dancehall culture,” said Renegade.

This move will definitely re-ignite the apparent beef that the duo had with Kenyans. Last year, RDX lashed out at Kenyans after their erogenous show at KICC and complained about the reception they were accorded terming Kenyans as thugs and that the show was a rip off compared to the one in Uganda.

The duo even had the guts to diss Nairobi’s Jacaranda hotel, calling it a fake hotel and that they had been given a raw deal. In a nutshell, the musicians blamed Kenyans for generally damaging their reputation internationally especially when the explicit clips from their performance (labelled Bend Over Madness) went viral on the Internet.

Have come across those pics of guys posing with their hands placed on KICC’s roof-top so that it appears like they are touching it? Am sure even some of have them but don’t worry you’re not alone. Kumbe Kubamba’s DJ Soxxy is also a culprit here. Check out this photo (click to enlarge).

They came, they saw, and later left. However, they made quite an impression on their fans. Proved that music can be birthed from beef and a name can actually be made through it. Coolagang, a hip hop group of five rappers namely, Shukid, Kevin Grants, Taffie, Kapela and Greg Black Rock, held it up for their hood in all their tracks, but it seems as though time has come for them to go their separate ways. Sad, but it already happened.

You might have been wondering why you have not been getting any musical progress from Coolagang so far. Thing is, these well compiled rappers broke up a long time ago but they have been reluctant to disclose the real reason for their separation… well, up until now. Ghafla managed to finally convince one of the rappers to reveal the reason that caused the break-up (identity withheld of-course).

Turns out that one of the rappers from the group received a record deal. We all know what that can do to a music group which has not been signed, both as a group and as individuals. The signing of this one rapper (who they have completely refused to name), eventually caused insecurities and would later, and inevitably, cause inferiority among the other four rappers.

This obviously had to cause a drift, thus the break-up. The rapper however let us know that the group members, oh my bad, ex-members are still friends, though they are all pursuing their musical dream separately.

After a very long time since releasing a single, after a series of appearances on other Katenga videos, funny man Alfayo is finally back with music. Honestly, I had missed this guy’s music. The humor that comes with it is just priceless. He knows how to get one’s mind off everything else and just concentrate on him, a quality every artiste should posses.

Alfayo is back with a bang. A new track that is set to be a club banger for sometime. I’ve always said that this guy should have been a comedian. Not that he is not a good artiste, no, he is actually good at music, but personally, I think he is way better at making people laugh. We spent just two hours with this guy and we couldn’t help but chuckle at every word that came out of him.

Even when the lyrics of the song are not that funny, his actions in the video will still get you laughing or at worst, smiling. That is clear in his latest song and video titled ‘Sambusa’. Yes, sambusa. He uses those lyrics that we all sang way back when we were still playing ‘cha mama na cha baba’. Remember, “chips kidole sambusa”? Yeah, good times. Alfayo brings it all back in this song and the video which was produced by Katenga Entertainment, speaks for itself.

Watch this hilarious Jaluo on a boat below.

If you remember and you enjoyed the last musical serving from this combination called “Happy”, you’ll be happy to learn of this new musical serving.

This time round it’s a whimsical track titled “More Than Just Friends” and it’s basically a tale of illicit love. Picture if you will that you hit the club and you find your mans’ girlfriend there looking enticing and she gyrates to the music so seductively when you ask her for a dance… That’s Kantai’s take on the track. And he gets poetic talking about “/Love is a wild horse and you can’t ride it!/”

And STL takes is similar seeing as she admits to know the lad has a girlfriend going crazy at home. Interesting.

The track has a slow feel without being a bore. It’s the type of track you can’t help but bump your head to. It is reminiscent of the golden age of hiphop back in the 90s when love jams were done with a catchy hook, tight lyrics that actually made sense and instrumentals that though were soft on the ears, weren’t soppy.

This track is definietely a winner by my books! Give it a listen below.