Month: July 2014

The BET Awards 2014 went down two Sundays ago but for some time now there has been disquiet over the awards that seek to celebrate African Americans and other minorities in music, acting, sports, and other fields of entertainment over the past year.

For instance, many people don’t know that this year’s winner of Best African Act, Davido, received his award way before the main award ceremony started something different from what’s witnessed with other non-African winners. The cameras never showed where they were seated nor did they show the crowd’s response when Davido got on stage. In 2013, too, Ice Prince received his award to an almost empty auditorium when everyone had walked out.

Davido gives his acceptance speech after receiving his award

So this year, a renowned Nigerian blogger, Replay Tunes, decided he’s not going to shut up as African acts are embarrassed at the international stage. They opine;

“Last year, we watched as Ice Prince walked proudly on stage to receive his BET award, we smiled and applauded as he called up his fellow African acts to join him on stage in a show of solidarity. Later to my shock and disappointment I discovered that Ice Prince’s part was only aired on BET for Africa and UK.

This year, Davido did Nigeria proud by winning the BET award for Best International African act (BIAA). However, it was obvious the award was presented to him before the main award ceremony kicked off.

Without going into too much writing lets compare BET to the UK’s MOBO awards -At the MOBO awards, African acts that win in their various categories are awarded the same courtesy as their international counterparts. Everybody no matter what sort of star you are is in one room and the awards are presented in front of all attending Audience.

This is irrefutable evidence to me that BET or the black American music and entertainment industry and audience which they represent are truly ashamed of African acts. However they would not want to be seen as ignoring or being left out of the African wave (MTV MAMA) so they throw a bone.

BET Awards reminds me of the policy of racial segregation on the public transit system of Montgomery, Alabama when in 1955 Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat for a white person and move to the back of the bus.

Africa does not need BET, we are stars in our own right and we do not need some entertainment network in America to tell us what we are worth? It beats me why our established acts and their handlers would fall over themselves for this discriminatory show of support if there was ever such a thing – are we not aware of our own worth?

What a show of ultimate disrespect this is!!!!!

Ice Prince is congratulated by his fellow nominees at BET Awards 2013

Think about it for a second;

The poor International African acts are mandated to get to the venue before start off time so they could quickly collect their awards before the glittering American celebrities arrive.

My question also is, are the international African acts allowed to sit with their American counterparts or like Rosa Parks were they relegated to the shadows not to be seen?

Think about this article and if you are an African act reading this, ask yourselves –

Do I really need to be discriminated against and humiliated like this in order to receive validation from BET?

My advice to African acts is; Concentrate on getting to the MOBO’s instead and forget BET, their mentality of segregation and discrimination is ingrained and won’t disappear anytime soon because this is all the know this is their reality.”

Selfies and groufies had better take a back seat because groundies and climbies are in and are taking over social media by storm.

In case you haven’t heard about groundies or climbies , let me bring you up to speed. Groundies as the name suggests involved lying on the ground and taking a pic while climbies involve climbing on something and taking a picture.

Groundies were made trendy by drive show hosts Shaffie Weru and Kalekye Mumo who were the first recorded Kenyan celebrities to take a groundie. Other celebrities are now doing the groundie, among them Dillish Mathews, Bob Collymore,Wahu  and now Jalang’o.

The Papa Shirandula actor took a few groundies with pal Chris Kirwa and Alex Mwakideu

 

 

KRIS EEH BABA the BRAND AMABASSADOR for the AMAZING KENYA INITIATIVE .The lyrical prowess, an Afro Rap Maasai artist was recently crowned the brand ambassador for the Amazing Kenya initiative .

Amazing Kenya is an Initiative seeking to showcase Kenya’s beauty and diversity in resources. Kris together with his Amazing Kenya team will be travelling across the country to capture and film Kenya’s diverse splendor.

Recently Kris Eeh Baba and the Amazing Kenya team toured Mahiga Primary School ,where Kris addressed the kids and urged them to conserve the environment and participate in the maintaining the beauty of our country about 100 seedlings were planted all round the school’s compound , Kris Eeh Baba aiding the process.

Kris Eeh Baba said he will not stop until he sees his country gain its beautiful glory .He is set to tour the whole nation together with the Amazing Kenya team capturing and filming the country’s diverse splendor.

The Amazing Kenya initiative is powered by Elimu Tv and Princecam Media.

Republicans of Ksouth (Kpac) Is a crew of 2 young and very talented hiphop artists David Omondi Owino (Abagha Imor) and Levies Owano (Levie Coded) both hailing from Kariobangi South with their roots traced back in Dandora.

They were inspired by the forefathers of Kenyan Hiphop – Kalamashaka and the affiliates which is evident in their lyrics/word play and punch lines.

The group was formed in early 2012 and was coined ‘The new Generation Ukoo Flani Mau Mau or Reincarnation of Kalamashaka.

Their Prowess in the art has seen them Perform in Various shows like the Sanaa Ya Kisasa hosted by PAU (Pamoja Amani Upendo), Hip hop Hook Up hosted by Nafsi Huru and Smallz Lethal, Sawa Sawa Festival just to mention a few.

They are working with Chuo Records under Samora GKV and have worked with Gdash and Mose both of the Headbangaz International. They are planning to work with other producers and have major collaborations with different artists.

Currently in the process is their Debut Album.

Sample their single ‘Awakening’ HERE.

He is Kenyan born, internationally recognized and with a husky voice that has gained him hordes of loyal fans.

He made history by being the first musician to rally together the G.S.U (who are very talented by the way) to bring us the ultimate patriotic song ‘Mungu Baba’.

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I learnt yesterday that the ‘Mwikulu’ crooner   is off the market. This was after I tuned in to one of the most popular shows Mambo Mseto which is hosted by the ever charming Mzazi Tuva. Tuva informed us that the musician would be getting married in two weeks to the love of his life.
We wish this young couple all the best as they ride off into the sunset.

Jaguar is one of the wealthiest artists Kenya has produced. Sadly, it cannot be said that he earned his monies through royalties because Kenyans do not support their artists enough for them to actually turn entertainment into a millionaire minting business -gospel. So you and I know that Jaguar’s money comes from his side hustles and this lad is hardworking.

But away from all that, Jaguar still earns the pretty penny off his music because it strikes a chord with fans from across East Africa. From Uganda to Rwanda, to Burundi and Tanzania. And he has been revelling in all the attention his fame garners.

And another thing about Jaguar is that he enjoys his life to the fullest. After having stacked up the wealth that we can’t take with us, he goes out and uses it to make his life more fun check him out on that tip below:

 

 

Rapper and philanthropist Holy Dave alias David Muthengi founded The David Muthengi Foundation with the aim of giving back to the society. He chose to focus on education sighting that education plays a direct role in reducing poverty and enhancing economic development.

Along with his friends Kelele Takatifu, Christ Cycoz, Recapp and Ken the Dj The David Muthengi Foundation has partnered with the Braeside School Community Service program to host a series of charity concerts raising support for purchasing special education learning materials for underprivileged students. The beneficiaries of the last two charity concerts were Thika School for the Blind and Dagoreti Special School.

Apart from partnering with like minded individuals and organizations on different charity causes the foundation raises support from well-wishers and manages the funds under the David Muthengi Foundation Trust Fund to pay school fees for underprivileged students, purchase learning materials for needy schools and to provide pocket money to disadvantaged students so that they can study comfortably. For more information visit www.davidmuthengi.com or contact Holy Dave on 0707966613 (business line).

 

When I first read the story on Standard Digital, I couldn’t believe what was alleged. Apparently, top Kenyan video director Kevin Bosco Jr. who was only just recently married to femcee Petra was on the verge if he hadn’t already initiated the process of divorcing his still blushing bride. I was alarmed. What could have caused such a drastic turn of events? I had to find out just what was going on.

 

The facts that were given in the article I read indicated that Petra his wife had allegedly miscarried their unborn child and I had to call up the couple to confirm these stories. When I spoke to Kevin, he was chilled out. All he had to say was:

“(chuckling) Nah, everything is okay between us.”

I then called up Petra. She was livid! She was vexed that the media reports were false yet they were carried with such an air of confidence that most, even members of her family believed them. Yes, she is back in Mombasa with her family but everything is fine. She later texted me to apologize for having lost her temper and she had this to say:

” I am sorry but I can’t talk about anything. I didn’t mean to insult you, I am a very emotional person and I’m trying to keep off media right now. It’s affecting my pregnancy alot. Please understand, I am out of entertainment so don’t call or text me again.“

This is what I am made to understand from the horses mouth. So there you have it. There is no miscarriage (thankfully) and may there never be one. And the pair are still happily married.

Beauty queen and singer, Rachel Marete, has spoken for the first time about how she managed to penetrate the impossible and highly competitive Hollywood. There have been rumours floating around how she had to drop her pants to make ends meet in The States.

She says;

 

I wanna share with you, my dear Facebook friends, how I make my bread and butter. You see, for those of us who are courageous enough to pack our bags and leave home behind to join the rat race that is Hollywood, we come to realize very quickly that there’s millions of us already here and coming in daily. That means it’s very hard to make it here. Though most of us are very talented, the sad reality is that only 1% of 1% of us will make it. For that reason, they say every year that 1 million hopefuls come to Hollywood and that by the end of that year only one percent of that million remains and the cycle continues. Of the remaining 1% only 1% of us will get to see our names in the lights. Still for those of us bold enough to remain starving and dreaming here, the struggle is real! Not only do you have to chase your dreams, the famous American bills never stop coming in. Rent, insurance, phone bills, food, gas, etc then add on to that the expenses that come with chasing the dream: headshots, online submitting breakdown site fees, reels, etc (all before you catch the eye of any agent worth his weight and pull) plus time to do it all while still finding a way not to completely starve and be homeless.

A few lucky buggers in our midst come from rich families where daddy simply says something like, “well child, here is a million dollars! Go to Hollywood and follow your dreams! If that doesn’t work out, just come back and daddy will help find another job you like or make you CEO of the family business”. Sigh… At least that’s how I picture it. How we all wish we were them! Then, since this job attracts A LOT of good looking people, many choose to go the find me a sugar daddy or sugar momma to fund my dream chasing route (which is another rat race in itself around here). Unfortunately for those, like me, who are unwilling to sell our souls to get ahead, we have no choice but to juggle the dream chasing with full time jobs. That’s where the famous waitressing jobs of Hollywood come in! Guys, you will be surprised how competitive the waitress job market is around here! It’s a job fought for and actually hard to find! You have to be a highly qualified/ experienced one to get in to the right places where tips are big enough to pay bills and afford head shots. It’s funny how here, to be a waitress you actually have to pay your dues at crappy establishments first, sometimes for years, to get into the “big leagues”. Then when you finally do, you can get tips from stars who are empathetic and once were where you are (case in point, Brad Pitt was once one of the many waiters of Hollywood chasing dreams of stardom that made it out!). No sir/ madam. No one laughs at waiters here! Not only can they spit in your food if you piss them off, but they might also be the next George Clooney or Angela Basset!

 

Now this is why I value education. Thanks to mine, I haven’t had to be a waitress… yet (knock on wood). The challenge has always been to find the perfect “bills job” that you don’t absolutely hate but that also IS NOT a 9-5 because everyone knows most of the great auditions are on weekdays on those very same hours. It’s not unusual for us to go from job to job because of this. “Scheduling issues”, we call it. Well for me, I’ve been lucky to hold down good jobs. My favorite one, before my current one, was when I was an Account Executive for Transit TV (I acquired advertisers for the channel) and a news anchor for the station as well. It was perfect and also my first job in Hollywood. I had to give that up for an awesome opportunity at SKY TV where I got my own TV show; V-Style. I sold high end jewelry, watches and fashion over the air at bargain prices to my viewers and it broadcast live from LA to Europe. In between and during these two jobs I was also juggling side TV gigs wherever I could get them. Hey, build that resume! Anyway, back to the SKY TV job. This was it! I had made it to the big leagues!! It was only going to be higher and higher up from here. I could kiss the hustling struggle good bye… At least that’s what I thought… UNTIL MY SHOW GOT CANCELED SIX MONTHS LATER! Womp womp! I was devastated. I plunged deep into depression. Sad part is at first I wasn’t aware of what was happening. I just knew that when the sun came up, I did not want to get out of bed. Then there was also this new thing where when I got upset or worried, I’d run out of breath and struggle to breathe again. I came to find out that these were called, drum roll please, and panic attacks! Yes, I became one of those people. I always said before that since we do not even have a word for depression in African languages, it was just some thought up disease that crazy westerners had made up. I know better now. I was like “what’s the point? I’m never gonna make it!”. Again, not unusual at all in this tough, cold industry.

 

Click HERE for part II

 

Since it’s inception in December 2012, Mdundo continues to make its value-added music distribution top priority and give artists and easy way to distribute music. This July Mdundo is paying out royalties for the 7th time in just 18 months and the service is distributing money to more than 3,000 East African artists.

Thiru Mungai, Head of Music at Mdundo.com, says, “Mdundo is still a small brand and young company. We are happy to see that artists support our transparent and honest approach to music distribution despite our small size and financial power. We have high hopes for the future and we hope to help artists pushing their music on global platforms as well and show the world how much good music we have here”.

In the past 6 months, Mdundo has begun various initiatives aimed at supporting the Kenyan artist. Initiatives such as the Mdundo Awards, an annual event that acknowledges the most downloaded artists; The Mdundo Lounge, a monthly event that gives artists an opportunity to network with each other and showcase their music and The Mdundo Workshop, a monthly workshop where industry players can discuss and share experiences.

CEO at Mdundo.com, Martin Nielsen, explains, “We are super pleased about the contentious growth the industry is facing. Currently more than 1% of all Kenyans with Internet phones are registered with Mdundo and we are seeing an increasing interest from abroad with more of 30% of our users located outside of Africa”.

Users can downloads limited music free of charge or subscribe for unlimited access the growing library. The service is available everywhere in the world and South Africa, United States and Europe are among the biggest markets.

Mdundo Co-Founder and Artist, Frasha says: Mdundo has come of age and as a start up the company is doing well and will continue to support it…I appreciate the hardwork by all the staff and wish that they continue with the same spirit

Mdundo have impressively 3,000 artists available on the service and the library is growing with 20% every month. An increasing number of artists from outside Kenya have started to join the platform where especially Tanzania is picking up with more than 200 artists and several songs on top 25.

What does an artist stand to gain when they join Mdundo.com?

Mdundo prides ourselves in being transparent. Once music is uploaded, an artist is able to track each download they receive. They can also submit news stories and keep an updated profile for their fans. We also have a dedicated team to assist in any queries, new content, industry-related communication and music promotion. As mentioned earlier, Mdundo has created events and initiatives for the benefit of our artists. And lastly, unlike other digital distribution platforms, Mdundo pays out royalties to our artist on a quarterly basis based on downloads.  We are currently collecting artists metadata allowing us to partner with platforms like ITunes and increase our artists reach. It’s clear that Mdundo is on the right track and has the artist best interests at heart.

#KEEPITMDUNDO

Taurus Musik is excited to introduce to the Kenyan market a budding new artist… Mz. Kiss. She is most known for her successful new release SPATUCUZ that has elevated her fame to amazing heights.

Mz. Kiss is a rapper, singer, songwriter and performer. Born Akindele Justina Omowunmi in the early 90’s to Mr. and Mrs. F.A. Akindele, Mz. Kiss hails from Okiti Pupa in Ondo State, Nigeria.

Mz. Kiss started her music career in 2010, when she released her debut song titled “YOU GO CRAZE” produced by Frenzy and then later released “HOLLA AT ME” freestyle.

Mz. Kiss is presently receiving massive airplay in Africa for her two hit singles “FIGURE 8” and her latest release “SPATACUZ”.

Mz. Kiss is currently signed to BAD DOG ENTERTAINMENT in Nigeria but still working closely with Taurus Musik.

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Today happens to be the birthday for Willy Tuva’s daughter, Tanya and the Mambo Mseto presenter took time to put down a very poignant dedication to her.

Take a look;

At 2:58am 7/7/2009 I was there to welcome you to the World and it was love at first sight 🙂 You are a GIFT from GOD. You came into my life and changed me. Am better than I was: I see me in you my closest friend coz we have so many things in common: You were born on 7/7, I was born on 17/7: You are so talented, intelligent and clever. Just like me…you are an artist…unapenda kuchora : The sweetest breakfast served to me are the 3 kisses you give me on my forehead and cheeks : The sweetest words ever said to me are, “I love you dad.” When you go to school, “See you dad,” when I travel or go to work, “I will miss you” .

 

 

 

Unapofikisha Miaka Mitano Mola akuzidishie Maisha, Upendo, Akubariki na Mafanikio na zaidi ya yote akujaalie kumuabudu na kumtumikia yeye (MWENYEZI MUNGU) : Wazazi utuheshimu, Kakako Uzidi kumpenda : Hahahahahappy Birthday Tanya Wangu!