Month: April 2013

When Size 8 got saved, a lot of people’s hearts were broken.

I for one, really, REALLY liked the old Size 8, but alas, who am I to control her life choices? For us though, there remained a glimmer of hope, albeit small, when Willy M. Tuva asked her the following questions

Tuva: “Ukiwa born again kuna mambo yanabadilika. Does this mean that very soon you’ll be getting married?”

Size 8: “Sasa hiyo ni mambo ya bwana?(laughs) Mi nimeogopa hiyo nimeanza kufuata Mungu. Lakini Mungu akinipatia bwana hivyo well and good.”

Tuva: “Una mchumba?”

Size 8: “Hapana niko tu single yaani.”

Tuva: “Na je wakijitokeza?”

Size 8: “Sasa Mungu atanisaidia nichague yule amenipangia.”

Tuva: “What are the qualities of your mchumba?”

Size 8: “Number 1, he has to be a saved man. Mtu anapenda Mungu. Mwenye anamcha Mungu. Good morals. Alafu pia hardworking, na anipende as Christ loves the church.”

Tuva: “Ai, Size 8, mbona masharti hivyo? Kwa hivyo wakitokea masela masela hivi hautawaruhusu?”

DJ Flash: “Masufferer wa Mungu?”

Size 8: “Ukiwa kwenye light lazima pia upatane na mtu pia ako kwenye light”

Did you watch the inauguration? Apart from Museveni’s off the cuff remarks about cattle rustling, what else stood out for you?

The inauguration concert is all but forgotten news…seemingly. The performances however are not and one of the most memorable was the one by the Moipei sisters. I met them at the Alisha Popat event at Venom, when they launched Oh Africa. These girls are amazing on stage! Amazing! They have music down to an art, from the way they stand to the way they sustain, belt, and coo. Just from watching them, you get everything your music teacher tried to drum into you at one go! Enough with waxing lyrical, below is their awe-inspiring rendition of My Land Is Kenya, penned and originally performed by Roger Whitaker. 

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The group consists of Mary Moipei, Magdalene Moipei, Seraphine Moipei and Marta Moipei. These girls are disarmingly beautiful and affable to a fault. They truly are national treasures.

My favorite song by them is this Irish Lullaby below, by my side. You tell me if it isn’t one of the most beautiful songs you’ve ever heard.

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The Longombas have been away for a minute now.

Ever since they came out last year with that banging single with Kanja called ‘Angel,’ they’ve gone quiet on us yet again. Well, they’ve been out of the studio, but still performing their old tracks for Kenyans in the diaspora. Also, they’ve been making major additions to the family. From Ida Longomba to the kids, here is a photo gallery of them all:

It has been a couple of months since Goldie’s death and that single event rocked Prezzo to the core. But it would seem he’s finally bouncing back from that funk.

Prezzo is currently on set shooting a video for his single “Liqher”. The song was released late last year and is a “cut”/party song. The song is upbeat and rather catchy and Kone couldmn’t seem to get enough of it. Listen to the track here.

Check out the picture of the video shoot here:

It’s very common for musicians to look for jobs, in a bid to have enough income to finance their musical endeavours. The concept is called, ‘pay music before music pays you.” 

By the time you see a singer on stage, the amount of money thay have sunk into rehearsal and sustaining a band is colossal.

Meet Kevin Oluoch, a 25 year old a TV Presenter and Producer with GBS TV. You probably know him for Drum Beat, ARTLIFE 365 and Delicious Nairobi, a cooking show. What you perhaps did not know, is that he has featured in a couple of televison shows as well.  Starting out at the National Theatre, Kevin has featured in a couple of shows for example Inspecta Mwala and Guy Center on NTV.

Kevin is however planning to hit the ground running music wise. His first stop on the musical journey is a show next week. Dubbed Ricky Na Marafiki, it’s a show put together by Ricky Nanjero, who sometimes plays with Eric Wainaina. Just to show how serious he is, he is signed to Studio Kenya under Alphamotone. So note this date 23rd April, Ricky Nanjero’s An Evening of Jazz at the Phoenix Theatres is where you can catch him. Scroll to the bottom of this page to hear a song by him. He’s goes by the moniker Faraji, which sounds like a variation os faraja which is Swahili for comfort. The song is called Ndiwe Bwana. To read about the last Ricky Na Marafiki event at Phoenix, follow this link.

Speaking of Phoenix theatres, read about what Mkamzee Chao Mwatela, who starred as Usha in Mali is upto there.

In a sensational troll move, Prezzo has unleashed a photo of him having breakfast in bed. The dish? Dollar dollar bills y’all!

This comes hot on the heels of the last pic of him posted in front of a Lamborghini Mercy. Coz you can’t knock the hustle.

After Size 8 got saved, Mzazi Willy M. Tuva and I asked her some questions to clarify the situation.

One of the questions was whether she will be performing her previous songs any more. This is how the conversation went:

Tuva: Ukienda jukwaani, utakuwa uki-perform kina Vidonge, Shamba Boy, Fire?

Size 8: Vidonge, Shamba Boy na Fire hizo ni kama tumesahau. Sitakuwa ninaimba hizo sasa. Ni kama chanzo kipya. Ni kama I’m a new artist, na hii mateke ndio itakuwa ya kwanza ndio na-perform. Alafu nikitoa ingine(ya gospel) ndio nitakuwa nikiimba hizo zingine.

Tuva: Kwa hivyo tusema hautawai tena kuimba hizo ngoma?

Size 8: Ndio

Muigai wa Njoroge, a Kikuyu gospel musician accused of hate speech last year, has now joined the MOHAS(Movement of Hustlers and Sufferers) as a patron.

The movement represents Kenyan Youth in The Struggle^(TM) who are sick and tired of being discriminated on when looking for jobs for lack of experience. Their argument, according to one of their members, is that Senators County reps, MPs and other lawmakers by law don’t even require Form 4 education. “Are you telling us that policy makers need less education than implementers?” said the representative.

For fairness’s sake, they now want to be given jobs by the government, no interviews, no papers, no questions asked. The group has a big musical element to it, which Muigai may have contributed to. Check out their protests in the Bullseye segment below:

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A while back I wrote about Jemedari’s letter to the president. The song is laden with punchlines and poignancy, the kind that ought to engender change fast!

Well if you missed that story, read it here. Now Jemedari back, this time teaming up with the vey capable Point Blank Evumbi and Vocalist cum public relations heavy weight Zosi. Their mission; to bring an event of epic proportions! Dubbed Suits and mics: A moment in rhyme, this is one of those events that blows all others out of the water. It shall be held on the 10th of May 2013. 

Picture this, Jemedari and Point Blank looking Dapper in their tailored suits, while Zosi with her soaring voice, stands resplendent on stage crooning away! The best part of this whole ensemble is the live band, heck they even had a saxophonist last time! Why should you part with 500 bob? You get interact with industry heavyweights as rhymes are spewed on the microphone like it’s a bout between creativity and passion. The venue is the recently renovated art haven, Safaricom’s Michael Joseph Centre along Waiyaki way next to the DO’s office. Its literally a melting point of the arts this place.

The press release aptly captures this.
“A Moment In Rhyme: This edition celebrates the music that made us into who we are today. A wonderful ensemble of music, by phenomenal hip hop artistes JEMEDARI, POINT BLANK, KIMYA weaved intricately through time and executed flawlessly, to the backing of live music by Band254. Supreme vocals by ZOSI and the beat makings of THE LIVE LEGENDS.” Kimya is a leading light in this rap game, show up and attest for yourself! Point blank, the Emcee of the night is that multi-faceted guy that makes the rest of us look like ‘non-achievers.’

Live legends consists of an amazing deejay Kelvin Justus, and a violinist Scott Kabugi (Spookie). Their fusion is nothing short of thrilling! Scott by the way happens to Dj Protege’s younger brother.

Dress code for this classy event is Black Tie for the blokes, and Black Dresses for the ladies. Think sassy, sleek, suave. Kimya recently headlined another event, read about that here.

A little birdie told me that two beautiful ladies; Ms Mandi and Amina Abdi were at Capital FM for a voice test. It would seem that they really impressed the judges so to speak so much so that they beat off stiff competition from a crowded pool of hopefuls.

And the thing is, I met Amina on Friday and my word, she is quite the stunning beauty. But as we left IMAX, she said something to me… She informed me that she would have a big bomb to drop on Tuesday. That small comment got Uncle Chim Tuna thinking…

Joey left “Hits Not Homework”. She is a fine female. Solo was left all to his lonesome self. I wonder what he was doing and whether certain aromatherapy lotions were involved… But I digress… Anyway, thing is, there were 3 lovely ladies that had the judges in quite the pickle.

Corrine, Amina and Ms Mandi -whom i might add has quite the sharp fashion sense. But when Amina dropped that small clue on my lap, my senses tingled. No, not those ones. Uncle Chim Tuna isn’t one dimensional… There are times when I think about more than matters coitus.

Fortunately this was one of them. “Hmm…” I said to myself, “Could it be that Amina got the job?” and with that, I am here to stake my name on that fact! Uncle Chim Tuna believes that Amina is the newest employee on Capital FM’s roaster.

Time will tell. Log Onto Ghafla!Kenya tomorrow to find out whether Uncle Chim Tuna will have a face full of egg or a chest raised high! Run and tell everyone that Uncle Chim Tuna has declared after reading the tea and gazing into his -not so- crystal balls that Amina is now Capital FM’s newest radio host! And wait, she what about her boyfriend? Find out here!

Then Tuva followed that up with a question from the fans:

“Kuna swali umeulizwa na shabiki wako hapa. Anauliza, je, utakuwa ukienda club kuwatunguza mafans wako?”

To which Size 8 replied:

“Kama ni kuingia kwenye club, mimi naimba kitu ya Yesu. Naimba gospel music, yaani muziki wa kumsifu Bwana.”

There you have it. Do you think this is a wise move from Size 8, or should she avoid the whole club scene completely? Leave your interesting or creative responses in the comment section below:

Socialite-cum-musician Pendo was supposed to host an epic birthday party for herself on Saturday.

She had arranged a bash at her fiance’s house. Her fiance, the son of a prominent MP, had set everything up, and invites had been sent out. They were on the way to the party venue, accompanied with two friends and a driver, when all of a sudden, the car lost control and rolled twice!

The driver of the car suffered serious head injuries and internal bleeding, while Pendo herself was injured on her legs and neck. She says that she is currently recovering and hopes to be back to normal by Thursday.

It should be said that there were some people who believe that this whole story is a CLEVER RUSE by Pendo to avoid the responsibility of hosting her party. To these people, Pendo said:

“Enough with the blame. I had an accident on the day of my party, not even funny. If all you cared about was the party, it’s OK. For you I have no choice than to postpone it, I’m sorry. I escaped death by a whisker, thank God. Now in hospital.”

Pendo is no stranger to controversy. Just recently, she released some nvde pictures, and gospel artist Willy Paul, who was last year accused of having sex with her, came out to admonish the pictures.

The Willy Paul comment about Pendo’s nvde modelling seems to have the snowball effect. It just keeps getting bigger and bigger! And now even genge artists are commenting about it.

Here’s what Solexx Genge had to say about the whole Willy Paul/Pendo affair:

“i have been following this story way from the first day and this time I swear I can’t hold it back anymore, I have known willy Paul from scratch to one of most sort for after teen celebrity in EAST AFRICA, and I am here to stand by him and support him, people do crazy things just to get noticed, for instance who knew about pendo before that saga about having sex with willy Paul in the basement,and if the indeed THEY had sex ,who cares,we all have our businesses to mind about, This goes to PENDO who said men will like you more when nvde, who will call you up for shows with that kind of immaturity.Being scandalous only denies you some of the greatest opportunities, ASK YOURSELF why was juacaligenge appointed to brand orange wireless, why was Wyre appointed as the sumsang mobile brand ambassador,yet we have never heard of any scandals about them .WILL PAUL AND PENDO I know you are acting your age but I think it’s time you realize you are in the limelight where all eyes are on you GROW UP”

What do you think about all this? Read what Willy Paul said here and follow that up by reading Pendo’s rejoinder here. Then leave a comment with your thoughts below.

When you hear Caroline Mutoko ranting and raving, you know something big is up!

I was tuned in this morning, and I heard her saying that she listened to Sauti Sol’s new song and she is sold. What to do? Check your email is the first thing you do when there’s breaking news. And there it was, sitting pretty in my inbox thanx to the Lovely Anyiko. She, is Grapevine’s host, as well as Sauti Sol’s publicist.

This song is a beautiful love song, the kind that tugs at your heart strings. It’s that kinda music that induces mushiness in copius amounts, and makes your hairs curl up in awe. The chorus is so catchy, you find yourself harmonising as if you were part of the songwriting process. I bet you in a week tops, it will either be the biggest song on radio, or the most requested song on Karaoke platforms.

The song is from their yet to be released album, and is produced by Ulopa Ngoma. Listen below and be transported to the place only lovers know. My favorite part is the bridge, a nice mellow melange of some of their biggest hits. The tapestry they have woven with this song, le sigh.

Channel O winners of the 2012 Most Gifted Video East-African Video, Sauti Sol were also a headlining act in the recently held historic inauguration concert. As the press release states, “the smooth ballad is a dedication to all die-hard Sauti Sol fans, equating them to [its own] love interest, with simple yet intricate lyrics. Still the One, upholds Sauti Sol’s original stamp of harmonious ballads, once again, flaunting their famed articulate song-writing skills and story-telling abilities.” Packaged in rich instrumentals, and Polycarp’s rhythmic lead guitar, it is love, it is warmth, it is memories, it is an odyssey. “Bado we ni yule yule, bado baby nakufeel vile vile..”, aren’t those the words a lady wants their man to seranade them with? 

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From their site, this is what I gleaned. “Sauti Sol’s two albums, Mwanzo (2008) and Sol Filosofia (2011), have received high acclaim on Kenyan charts and gained international attention with shows in Europe and the US, as well as television appearances, various nominations, including their 2011 celebrated concert performance in Kenya with Ladysmith Black Mambazo (Internationally renowned South African a cappella group). In June 2012, Sauti Sol released ‘Sauti Sol’, a self-titled EP and collaborative effort with South African avant-garde innovative rapper/producer Spoek Mathambo. A successful tour in Europe in July saw them launch the EP in Amsterdam’s MC theatre. They performed in Lagos recently thanks to Africa Magic. Read about that here.

In September 2012, the band released ‘Range Rover’ music video, the first single from their new EP. The video was shot in Hembrugterrein, Zaandam, Netherlands, an old ammunition factory. Its styling and concept was by www.vandewijs.com, camera direction by www.checkmeprodukzies.com and the executive production by Penya Africa.

In 2012, Sauti Sol’s song ‘Shukuru’ with Tanzanian rapper AY won East Africa’s Most Gifted Music Video at the 2012 Channel O Music Video Awards. In 2012 the band won best collaboration at Kenyan Chaguo La Teeniez (CHAT) Awards after bagging the Best Group Award in 2011. In 2011, they also won two Kisima Music Awards for Best Afro-Fusion Group and Best Music Video (“Coming Home”). In 2010 they received a Museke Online Africa Music Award (MOAMA) for Best Group and a nomination for Best African Newcomer at the 2010 African Music Awards (AMA).

Last week Willy Paul hit out at Pendo -read what he had to say about Pendo here: Remember The Willy Paul and Pendo Sex Saga? Willy Paul Tears Into Pendo For Her Nvde Pictures!.

On her part, Pendo hasn’t taken Willy Paul’s statements lying down. She has responded using her Facebook page and she had this to say:

“C’MON theaz a difference btwn NVDE PIX AND NVDE ART!!!
if u cnt deal wth it….$**k a nut!!
#realtalk#”

And…

“Boy why u so obsessed with me???cant u jas move on??why do my pics bother you so much???am happilly settled dont u c??
hahaha….ur funny!!!!”

Then there was this…

“aaaaaw!!!how cute!!!”   This particular one was posted with a link to the story i did on Ghafla!Kenya.

Her fans and friends went ahead to tear at Willy Paul some of them posting the following message:

Military Swagg Team are signed to SUB-SAHARA. These pictures I have shared  are behind the scene shots of their new yet-to-be-released music video titled “GIVE ME” featuring KANJA the african King. MilitarySwaggTeam consists of DeeBouwy,,Stunna Stan, Kushy & Hyper Payne. The video was directed by Bosco Kisome who doubles up as Militaryswagteam’s manager.

One of the ladies is Sharleen aka Che barbie, a plus size model and socialite.

In case you’ve been living under a rock, the hot news of the day is that Size 8 has ditched secular and gone gospel.

After we wrote that story, I followed it up with a cool interview involving Willy M. Tuva, DJ Flash and myself. First off, Mzazi asked her what made her drop gospel, and she said that she used to cry at night after shows when she was secular.

Then came my turn to ask her questions. I asked her,

“Size 8, sa kuna vile mafans ka mimi tulikuwa tunapenda ile dress-code yako… ma mini na nini… ma hot pants… Sa tunauliza, utaendelea kuchocha watu na mavazi ama utabadilisha?”

To which she replied, “hizo sasa zimekuwa mbaya. No more! No more skimpy clothing! Unajua hizo mavazi zinatisha watu. Sasa nitakuwa nikivaa mavazi za heshima. Mavazi zenye Jehovah pia anafurahia akiniona nazo.”

I asked her whether she will now switch to long dresses and such, to which she replied,

“si lazima ikuwe dress refu. Nguo tu ya heshima.”

Now Mzazi Tuva saw a chance to jump in with a question, “kwa hivyo zamani nguo ulizokuwa unavaa hazikuwa za heshima?”

To which Size 8 admitted that she probably went too far with her clothing before:

“Ni ukweli siwezi kataa,” she told Tuva.

She has already released a gospel song called “Mateke” which you can listen to here.

Today, Size 8 set off a storm when she announced that she was going gospel.

We wrote about the sensational move online, and this prompted Mzazi Willy M. Tuva to invite me over to his Radio Citizen office to talk about it. We called up Size 8 and she told us why she switched to secular.

Willy M. Tuva: Tuanze namna hii… unajua mtu akifika turning point ya kuokoka, huwa kuna vitu ambavyo vinampeleka yeye kuokoka. What was your turning point?

Size 8: Maisha yangu ilikuwa sawa. Pesa nilipata, fame nilipata, lakini ndani ya roho, moyoni sikuwa na amani. Sikuwa na furaha. Naweza toka show nimetoka ku-perform, lakini nalia, yaani sikuwa na amani. Nahuzunika, majonzi kila siku. Sa nilikuwa najiuliza, kwa hii dunia, hakuna kitu ingine kuliko pesa, anasa, raha? Ndio hapo nikagundua yesu.”

 Size 8 was known for her seductive routines on stage, as well as her provocative dance style and ways of dressing. Could it be this that made her feel guilty?

Besides that, DNG, who has also recently turned from secular music to God, has come out in support of Size 8.

Size 8 has already released her first gospel song, which you can listen to here.

there has been alot of talk about size 8’s new found faith with her getting support from DNG amongst others but what you probably haven’t heard is the new song. I have it! Kaboom!

And enough of my jibber jabber, the track is called “Mateke”. It premiered today on Mambo Mseto with Willy M. Tuva and you can finally hear the change if any in her music.

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Kenyan celebrities need some serious media training. I am honestly sick and tired of people calling me up to ask me to take a story down but that’s not even the point. I am just tired of seeing adults act badly in public then when i write about it, i get the stick.

As a mentally sound adult you and you alone are responsible for your actions. If you decide to fight in public, that is on you. Self same way, if you get drunk in public. But that doesn’t seem to be the case with alot of Kenyan celebrities who hope i’ll let such incidences slide.

And for the people unfortunate enough to get “busted”, please respect me enough not to call me up to rant and rave. I respect myself whether or not you do and in my perspective, your opinion is tertiary, not even secondary. But all of this is nothing compared to the responsibility your status accords you. You are a role model. whether or not you want that lofty billing, there are kids who look up to you. Act accordingly.

Kenyan artists need to learn how to be Machiavellan about the media. You all need to learn how to work with the media to grow your brand. I actually don’t mind helping anyone grow their brand. If anything, I prefer it to writing about celebs fighting in parkinglots. I prefer it to writing about theft allegations.

And on that note, consider this rant over.

Size 8 is the hottest topic of discussion around town. Baba Ghafla is discussing her right now on Mambo Mseto on Citizen with Willy M. Tuva.

And DNG also has alot to say. DNG has come out to support the artist and welcome her to salvation. He even  asked some lass who attacked her on Facebook to calm down and leave judgement to God.

Here’s what DNG had to say:

I tell you, choosing GOD is
inevitable. He tags on our hearts
daily, patiently waiting for us to
turn to Him I am happy for Size-
Eight Genge. I too went back to
God and I am LOVING IT! However,
to answer the queries herein e.g.
Lucille Shii Kibachia and the rest:
Being saved does not mean one
MUST sing gospel music. One can
entertain and minister differently.
Ministry is not singing, “Yesu
Anabamba” but about walking in
a manner that represents Christ
and draws people to Him. The
unfortunate thing is that Kenyan
Christians imagine legalistic
dogma and preach it without
basis on the Word of God. Look at
Tabitha’s comments above. If you
are really ‘godly’ yourself, you will
understnd that you are not the
one to judge. Correction must be
done in love, and not scathingly. I
hope one day, we will
UNDERSTAND what it means to be
a child of God.

You guys call him Mista Majani, we call him Baba Ghafla and he’s on air right now with Mzazi Tuva.

If you’ve ever wanted to know what he sounds like, today is your chance. He’s live on air giving his opinions on various matters including Size 8’s new song Mateke, which yes is gospel! If you don’t know, Size 8 is now saved and a gospel artist. He’ll be answering questions about Ghafla’s birth, as well as the milestones and challenges that have defines this entertainment outfit. Listen to him ask Size questions the Ghafla way.