Month: November 2012

Apart from Kenyan music, the genre of music I most prefer listening to is the classics. If I’m not jamming to the latest genge tune, then I’m probably going to be surfing videos of Don Cornelius’ “Soul Train” on YouTube. Because of this, Classic is one of my favorite radio stations, and many Kenyans are with me on that. However, while they have a good product, Classic 105 is far from perfect. Here are some of the ways I think they could style up:

Suggestion #1. Supplement Maina and King’ang’i’s Show:

This is a contentious one, as many conservative Kenyans would like to see the show disbanded altogether. But as they say: men lie, women lie, numbers don’t. When we look at the numbers from the latest Kenya Advertising Research Foundation report on radio stations, they clearly show that this is the most popular radio programme in the country.

While this is a good thing for Maina and King’ang’i, I don’t think it bodes well for Classic 105 as a company. It’s never advisable to have your brand so tightly attached to an individual(or two). What happens when Maina is hit by a bus?

Classic have to mitigate for this, and here is my idea as to how they can do it…

I believe Classic’s best bet would be to come up with a drive show to compete with A Mbusii Deh and Willy M. Tuva for the afternoon radio throne. My suggestion would be a show where the host plays old songs which have been sampled by today’s artists. Here is an example of what I’m talking about:

{youtube}MucY5wRYByU{/youtube}

That’s Mtume’s song “Juicy Fruit.” It was sampled in the following hip hop song:

{youtube}CHio4lLOhKc{/youtube}

Imagine a show where more of these samples are uncovered. It would be BALLISTIC.

Suggestion #2: Play songs from before the 70s

Classic 105 so far only play old songs dating back to around 1970. But this means that they are missing out on playing some of the great musicians from the 60s, 50s, 40s and beyond, like Louis Armstrong. Here he is singing “What a Wonderful World”:

{youtube}E2VCwBzGdPM{/youtube}

And how about Otis Redding, the hitmaker from the 50s and 60s, singing “Sitting On The Dock Of The Bay”

{youtube}rd3rA89VhtA{/youtube}

These are the classic classics which Classic 105 is missing out on. Get these on board and I’m sure quality of the station will improve dramatically.

And the third way Classic can improve, I will leave up to the audience. What changes would you like to see to this station?

A lot of argument has been going on about this issue and lots of them have turned out to be meaningless (no offence to anyone). In an argument, I believe, you need to step up with facts after researching for a while.

That is exactly what DJ Kaydee Lethal brought to the table through his facebook page. Check it out.

FOLLOW UP ON DEEJAYS’ ELIGIBILITY TO PAY “SINGERS”

In NAMELESS’ words  .. we need deejays to help promote, distribute & sell the content  Maurice of M. C. S. K gave a very transparent tale.

A pilot flies a jet. . . but the jet is not owned by the pilot. Yet again, without the pilot, the jet would not fly.  So, does the pilot pays for boarding on the jet??   It however emerges that without a jet, the pilot is futile & viceverse. Simply implying, they are both relevant to each other, same way a deejay is relevant to a musician & vice verse. WE ARE ALL ARTISTS.

ARTISTS   –  You are liable for this whole mess in the sense that, there are no structures in setting up on how your products can be distributed. You are hence vulnerable to exploitation & infringement. Y’all who make mass copies & hop from club to club giving out to every deejay. DO NOT cry foul because it is every artist’s dream to grow. If I do my mix, I will want to give it out to everyone to reckon my art. they necessarily do not enjoy just the music.  The reason I have touched on this is because, there are some artists who do not consider deejays to be artists as well. a deejay is a producer.

Kenyan musicians need to have the right structures in place. First, the distribution is wrong hence, need for a uniform / common distribution channel.  This has most advantages like :-       – Avoiding infringement/reproduction  hence, retaining the original quality

– Have a formal promotional channel of music & collect some revenue of online distribution (download the music at a fee)
-Help have a database on all the deejays as distributing channels where there would be a record on who is enrolled & eligible to get content from the pool.
– Help promote the industry & musician art level by getting feedback from the deejays who listen & tell their views before incurring more costs on the art.

This would hence help promote the so called reproduction right- fee through arts like remixing

DEEJAYS
We need artists, because the give us the music. For a fact, the ONLY weapon a deejay has over any other deejay is music.  So we can go on and say we will not play their music but sincerely, the industry is US. Charity begins at home. So WE NEED these art works. to manipulate & make our art out of them. it is however VERY elaborate that,  transforming any piece of work from one form to another, e. g. .WAV to .MP3, .MOV or .AVI to .Mpeg4 is otherwise known as violating production rights (infringement rights) or just even copying from one form to another. it is reproducing someone’s work which is breaking the law. It is for this reason that the two bodies   K.A.M.P – (kenya Association of Music Producers and the P. R. I. S. K ( Performers Rights Society of Kenya) come on board to work hand in hand with the M.C.S.K. DOWNLOADING YouTube videos for commercial use is illegal… It’s therefore for such so many reasons & crimes that we deejays may commit unknowingly that the notion for a DJ music pool for Kenyan music was arrived at. Through which, :-

1.  all content would be channelled
2.  All deejays would access, download music content (visual & audio) without worrying of the illegality
3. Help have a standard format of music content that would support any form of DJ art & meet the industry broadcast standards hence, curb this reproduction & infringement violation
4. help you have access to all the music & not illegally acquire music though illegal channels
5. Have a network forum between artists & musicians & give views, sentiments & help grown the industry as one.

I’m sure you have been in a record pool before, (www.digiwaxx.com) as a good example.

We will however choreograph deejay forums to help establish & groom this into a more accommodative & applicable turn in the Kenyan deejays music industry through some relevant reliable sources. Bottom line is, WE NEED MUSIC to be deejays, & Musicians need deejays to be relevant to the entertainment world.

Note*   To  ALL ARTISTS – both Musicians & Deejays
There is nothing like UPCOMING ARTIST. you either are or ain’t..   You should be having a vision of where you want to be in five years time from when you started. Otherwise you are wasting time & costing others. More worse, giving these names “deejay/musician” (artists) a bad image.  We all know of guys who have been upcoming for ages & still not been able to take off.

Therefore Fellow deejays & aspiring deejays, it is very evident that we cannot control the rate at which deejays crop up.  We have been manipulated, misused, abused still do not realize our worth. There is therefore need for streamlining & structures that will enable acknowledging deejays & create a relationship between a deejay & a music artist.  This will be done through structures like  deejay forums, workshops, record pools, associations & networks.

In summary:
Deejays should NOT pay for the  performance fee if the venue at which they perform at has fully met these conditions. i.e, Paid for the M. C. S. K license. Deejays will be the envoys between the M. C. S. K (artists) & venue owners hence, will be responsible to any venue that he performs at without inquiring on whether the venue has the relevant permits to acknowledge him as a legit artist. In simplicity, If a club does not have a license, inform the relevant sources & do not perform before all the conditions have been met.

Deejays will work out a formulae on having a uniform distribution channel for music content through the M. C. S. K that will enable all content get to the right hands and in the right quality. This will help curb reproduction, poor quality, easy accessibility & joy-rider deejays who spend a lot of time online illegally downloading content. There are enough avenues in Kenya we can explore such avenues.

Musicians should be elite in terms of music quality, technology compliance hence, know what format to distribute their content in and mostly, the demerits of mass duplication “in the name of promotion”

That M. C. S. K will work out a license/ permit to enable deejays performing on outdoor events and gigs to perform without breaching the relevant performance rights. This can be collected at the M. C. S. K offices prior to performance.

Artists should AVOID this culture of “spamming” their pieces of work to every “tom, dick & harry” with the thirst of being popularized. It is the start of all your misery.

You can follow  the following handles on twitter for any relevance, inquiries, information, criticism, recommendations, complains, ideas & motives. The main reason is to help move the music industry a notch higher.

https://twitter.com/priskkenya
https://twitter.com/kampkenya
http://www.kamp.or.ke
https://twitter.com/TheMCSK
http://mcsk.or.ke/        

Please leave any attitude or egocentric sentiments out of this…Be creative productive , reasonable  & focused

W. Regards,
Deejay Kaydee
Nairobi’s BEST kept secret

Before I even present to you the most discussed music video for this month so far, let me just state that this research is from the YouTube Charts. Not for all time, nor this week, but for this month so far.

With that cleared up, and with no further ado, the most discussed video this month is non other than Octopizzo and Anto Neosoul’s ‘Toboa’. Yap! The song has hardly finished two months after release and it is already causing ripples through out the music scene.

The Toboa song is all about the post election violence and what Kenya had to go through. It is basically a wake-up call to Kenyans, not to repeat the same mistakes that were done in 2007.

This is really awesome stuff. If you haven’t seen the video by now, check it out below.

TPF5 finalist Doreen Nyawira entertained participants at the Presidential Music Commission Youth Training Camp in Music in Mombasa yesterday. According to events and hip-hop ‘connector’, Buddha Blaze, Doreen has “grown in leaps” after her performance.

The National Youth Music Camp is a training programme that was started in 2008 by the Office of the President to promote music in Kenya. Her performance at the event goes to show how Doreen is keen on developing her singing talent. The programme also helps in identifying and nurturing music talent through equipping the youth with necessary music skills.

Photo props: Buddha Blaze

Maichblaq aka Vickie and the late K-rupt’s younger brother The Herbalist are at it again, this time producing a sexy video for A-rio A-rio.

Known as “Deep It Low”, the video starts with some chic bopping on the stripper pole then Ario Ario comes into the scene with a super tight outfit with a bare-back that vividly outlines her figure. “Deep it low sasa whine twist it up, take it slow take it fast bubble it up, touch your toe whine your waist washow, it’s 254 gal yuko kwa floor” goes the chorus.

Basically Ario Ario sings about her beauty and how men are going gaga about it but they can’t get her. Check out the video below featuring Filthy Rich;

It’s been a while since Redsan showed face in the Kenyan Music industry. Yes, you will attend his concerts here and there from time to time considering he is the highest payed performing artiste in Kenya right now, but when was the last time you actually saw him in a music video?

Name of the song, ‘Dance to the rhythm’. Name of the artiste, Sahiba. Man, is this girl hot or hot? This track is a trance, techno type of song. The kind that would get you all sweaty on the dancefloor. Yes! The Redsan kind of songs. It also has some dancehall feeling to it.

This one is definitely a club banger and I am still wondering why it is not being played anywhere because this song is really good. The video, by Ogopa DJs is also on point. Redsan brings out the trance in him like never seen before in this track.

Check it out below.

Yap! She really does. I can see how they got familiar (though the record has finally been set straight). Little did we know that this lady, going by the name of ‘Pendo’, can actually sing. I mean, this lass even hits the high notes and all. Wow! I won’t even trip, I am impressed.

She first sampled this track of hers (Washa) at the Ghafla offices during a double interview with Willy Paul on their scandal.

We later managed to get the song on her facebook wall and decided to let everyone get a taste of it. Trust me, you won’t be dissapointed.

Click this link here to get the song.

Shortly after coming clean about everything and telling Ghafla!Kenya exactly what went down between the two at the recently concluded Kisima Awards that was held at the KICC, gospel artist Willy Paul and secular singer Pendo exclusively sampled for us their new individual tracks.

When Pendo first told us she could sing, I honestly thought this was just one of those scandalous lasses who believe they can do anything under the sun (no offence, Pendo). But when she opened her mouth and gave us a taste of her voice, man, there’s no debate about it. This girl can sing.

In the video below, Willy Paul goes first and samples for us his new track titled ‘You never know’ which is about all the trials and tribulations that we all go through from time to time. Dude can control and manipulate his voice so well, wish I could say the same about his temper, but it’s all good.

Pendo follows suit immediately with her track ‘Washa’ which will be released in two weeks.

Check out the video below.

Recently, Straight Up show host, Tamima, interviewed Safaricom’s CEO about what he thought about some of the best artistes Kenya has. Take a look at the excerpt of the rather hilarious interview;

Tamima: What do you think about Jimmy Gait?

Bob: He’s not fit; he’s not strong. There’s a time we went for a walk together with him and just after a few miles, he got tired and couldn’t walk. In fact we had to carry him. However, his performance on stage is so thrilling.

Tamima: His dancing?

Bob: He got his dancing skills from me.

Tamima: Best performer?

Bob: Juliani.

Tamima: No! Safaricom Live Tour artistes.

Bob: Camp Mulla’s performance is full of energy; they’re good.

Tamima: Size 8?

Bob: (thinking) She’s energetic especially on stage.

Tamima: Jaguar?

Bob: He’s solid. I don’t understand what he sings about.

Tamima: Jalang’o?

Bob: He’s funny but I write his jokes for him.

There you have it, frank and straight to the point.

This morning, rapper Nonini brought together the Music Copyright Society of Kenya (MCSK) CEO, Maurice Okoth, DJ Stylez of Code Red and author of the hashtag #DearKenyanArtist, DJ Goddo of MOB, DJ KayDee, Nameless and Angela Ndambuki of Tattuu and also CEO of PRISK (Performers Rights Society Of Kenya) to explain the licensing of Kenyan Deejays on his breakfast show on 1FM.

According to Maurice, if a deejay plays in a venue like a club, TV/radio station or any public performance that already had a license he/she does not need to pay for a license. However, if a deejay is playing music at settings such as weddings, parties or any other outdoor event and the organizer does not have a license from MCSK, then the deejay will have to acquire one. But if the organizer has one then the deejay does not need one.

This news was received with great joy by deejays considering MCSK CEO had asserted that DJs were in fact supposed to pay Sh.31,000 and NOT Sh.21,000 earlier in the show. He also asked deejays and artists to visit the MCSK website to find out more about license fees and tariffs. Since this issue has been put to rest, kazi iendelee sasa.

They are the new guys in the Kenyan mainstream music industry. They got the beats, they got the flow and definitely know how to put it down as they showcase in this video.

They go by the name of Military Swagg Team (Deebouwy, Khamisi H’Payne, Stunna Stan, Tracey Kush, Rocky Bumaye and Dan Kapila) and this right here is their new track, ‘keep it fresh’. There’s just something about a street video that just appeals to any type of hip hop track, be it old school or new. It just brings out the ‘cool’ factor especially when bikes and cars are in the background.

The producer himself, Kanyeria, also makes an appearance in this video and I am glad that he finally sheds off his trademark serious/pissed-off look. In this one, he lets go and adapts well to the hype.

Ever wondered how a party in the streets would be like? This is it. Check it out.

It had to come down to this, and so it did. The scandal about Willy Paul being caught pants down with secular artiste, Pendo reached boiling point, putting Willy’s career on the line.

It is at that point that a mutual ground had to be established, thus bringing together the two artistes and shutting it down, Ghafla style. All this comes after the publication that started all these in the first place failed to own up to their story, with no prove whatsoever.

Anyway, the fact is hear. What better way to know more about a scandal than bringing the involved parties together in one room, in an interview? Man, you only see these kind of stuff on Ghafla. If we write about it, be sure that we will definitely mention names. If it is factual, why be parabolic?

Anyway, Willy Paul and Pendo walked into the Ghafla offices and gave us the real deal. They even squashed the beef that was brewed by the scandal, on this video right here.

Take a look and give us your opinion on this matter.

Here is Octopizzo’s message to Baba Jimmy;

So Today was our Presidents Birthday and I have this to say,Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty.
Patriotism is the virtue of the vicious.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MR PRESIDENT NA UENDELEE IVO IVO,na plizz uvae t shirt yako ukifika Muthaiga!

Here is the OFFICIAL announcement from Conrad Gray(G-Money) himself:

“Okay, Okay, I finally admit it, due to public scrutiny and pressure; I think its only right to respond to all these claims doing the rounds questioning my beliefs and value systems. I don’t do interviews, so as a public figure (whether I want to be or not) there is always going to be speculation as to what I am really about. So here goes ….

The fact is, I have always been a member of a rare cult that only allows successful people to join, in fact, you will find that most people who are leaders in their fields are members of the same cult. Now it wouldn’t be fair on the wider society to deny the ordinary man access to the secrets that govern the earth, so let me be the first to break the code. I might be vilified for this, but let the chips fall where they may.

I AM A MEMBER OF THE CULT OF WORKING DAMN HARD!!

There, I said it, now you all now. I wake up most mornings at 5am and sleep most nights at 2am; I try to fill all my waking hours with positive growth. Sure I have my lazy moments when I do nothing but watch football, eat and doze, but usually, I am crafting a plan, a life plan that hopefully will see me enjoy the sunset of my life with a degree of comfort, security and a feeling that my days spent on earth were well spent.

It’s the same belief system instilled in me by my Grandmother, a woman who raised my siblings and I with the culture of hard work. A woman who spent her life making sure that we were ok. Even though she has passed, I still operate through her belief system. Hard work never killed anyone. Success is the result of hard work, exploiting opportunities and taking risks, when I got on that plane to Kenya on 2007, I had no idea what the future held, but I had confidence in my ability to make it. You see, I know myself well. Hard work doesn’t scare me. I am from the ghetto, the real ghetto, I don’t want to go back.

So here we are in 2012 and today, I am happy with my progress thus far in Kenya, there is still a lot more I could be doing and I pray for good health to allow me the chance to live the dreams I still have daily. I have seen and read all of the various explanations of the little success I have had and honestly, some of the stuff I read is hilarious. I just wish people would spend as much time examining their own lives as they do examining other people’s lives.

I plan to keep working hard as long as I have the strength to do so, see, I know nothing else. The safety nets in my life were removed earlier this year through the passing of the women who raised me. As one of the heads of my family now, I have no time to waste so I keep trying to get to that next level. Some corporate bodies recognize that effort and a few have bought into my work ethic through various deals that I have cut, I appreciate their support, it’s nice knowing that people buy into brand G Money, because that’s what it is. Conrad Gray manages brand G Money with a small team of visionaries. We make plans, set deadlines and act upon them, it’s called strategy.

So now you know, I am a fully paid up member of the cult of working hard. It’s a cult everyone should try to join – “step into the light” *cue laughter

Peace out!!”

It seems the nights have been long and cold for Ogopa Deejayz singer Marya. Barely a week after breaking up her latest boyfriend, the sexy singer has now taken to Twitter to beg the same guy to take her back but by the time we were going to press the guy (Reuben Ndege) had not replied.

Apparently Reuben was also ignoring her direct messages as evident from one of the tweets. Take a look at the string of tweets below;

@IamNchaKALIH,hey i knw i went wrong in this r/ship.the 8mnths we spent together werr the best i want u back and yes I LOVE YOU,it gonna see

@IamNchaKALIH the real me and not the woman u fell out off st first i was kinda scared

@IamNchaKALIH to showu the real mebut Noè in NOT,im not askingu to jump back into this im asking a chancè to find a away back imnto ma heart

@IamNchaKALIH i know i wronged you and im sorry.

@IamNchaKALIH  give me another chancè to make things right i love you and only you you know deep down u do.

@IamNchaKALIH can I get an answer

@IamNchaKALIH are u getting ma dms

Hmmmm…

Their name says it all. They are unique musically and their lyrics tell it all too. Not only are these guys good in music, but they are also theatrical. I mean, these guys could easily pass for actors.

The first scene of this touching video brings out the poverty that can be witnessed in all ghetto hoods. The way the guy brings it out through the lyrics and acting is just precise. That scene is simply priceless.

The song titled ‘Ni sisi’ tackles the hardships that the average citizen goes through all because of empty promises that the elected politicians fail to keep.

If you have the same grievances, and I assume you obviously do, this is the song to check out.

The Freedom Mixtape is a music project that aims to make positive music. Now they have released an electro track with Kanjii Mbugua.

Hello Freedom is the latest addition to the mixtape that has previously featured tracks with Kambua, Jaya, Michelle, Kelele Takatifu’s Moji, Bupe, Kriss Eh Baba and Astar among others.

The song was written by Charles Righa and Kanjii Mbugua. Additional vocals by Lisa Oduor-Noah and Fena Gitu. Hello Freedom was produced by SoundMind’s Jaaz Odongo. Check out Hello Freedom below.

Ogopa Records have once again proved that they are a force to reckon with in music production in the country. The production house has ventured into a music genre that most record labels (and artistes) have shied away from; trance.

Done by an upcoming artiste, Brian Murray, the song is titled “Buried Love” and just from the title you can be able to figure out that it’s about a relationship gone sour. Initially, Brian’s intention was to do a song with a rock feel to it but his producer, Anthony Kamande, told him that the song was too sad and so he gave it a pop-trance twist and so the whole concept had to change. And after listening to it you’ll notice it was not a bad idea after all.

You would not know this is Brian’s first song and if this is anything to go by then he’s definitely going places.

Check out this great masterpiece below;

You might think that Madtraxx has been going H.A.M on his music career and forgot everything about the DJ side of it. Little did you guys know that he has been saving the best for the last.

DJ Madtraxx just dropped his latest mix dubbed ‘November Mix’ and this is the type of mix you would put on replay on your iPod all day long.

I’m not pulling your leg. This is the real deal. Just take some few minutes to listen to this mix or even download it.

Check it out below.

The controversy is on another level right now, to the point that these two have finally decided to come together and set the record straight. You are all familiar with the scandal that came up immediately after the Kisima Awards Show, something to do with Willy Paul being caught pants down with Pendo, a secular singer, at the KICC basement?

Well, they are now here at the Ghafla Offices for a short interview in which they will be giving a statement together. Too much has been lost already and names slandered. It is now time to set the record straight.

Keep it Ghafla for the exclusive video that should be up by the evening.

Call it political or what you may, but it looks like these rappers are forming alliances and making great music and progress in the process. This is not one of those random groups that you would come across on shows. No. This right here is an all-star group.

Four rappers, one singer. Let me just name them straight up; Khaligraph Jones, I.T, Mista Tash, Bubba and the lovely Dhahabo. Name of the studio the song was produced from, UDS. Their new and extremely hot track titled, ‘Run This Club’ has just been released and is already driving the guys in the office crazy.

The video might be very simple but I can’t say the same thing about the track. Oh my God, there are just so many sample of different kinds of sounds that blend together so well giving out this hip hop beat that slightly sounds electronic. And the lyrics that these guys drop on their individual verses, off the hook. You know how Khaligraph does it, and I know having a favorite verse isn’t polite and all but hey, fact is, Khaligraph Jone’s verse is on another level as usual. These four rappers have started off perfectly and I have a strong feeling we’ll be hearing and seeing more of them soon. In the meantime, check out their fresh and new video, ‘Run this Club’ below.