5 Lessons Artistes Can Learn From E-Sir

There are various reasons the late Issah Mmari a.k.a E Sir is considered one of the greatest artistes Kenya has ever had, in spite of his relatively short musical career. We think the great rapper can teach other artistes a thing or two about being successful in the industry, and here are just 5 of those things…

1. Brand Loyalty

From start to finish E Sir was Brand Ogopa DJ since he signed on to the record label in early 2001. The talented rapper and lyricist made a splash on the scene with his first single ‘Jo’, and the sky was literally the limit for him.

2. One Hit Wonder? NOT!!

E Sir broke the age old myth that an album can’t all be about hits. His gross selling ‘Nimefika’ album (indeed he had ‘reached’) had virtually ALL of its 13 songs become massive hits and get regular airplay. These included ‘Boomba Train’, ‘Sare’, ‘Kamata’ and ‘Moss Moss’ among others.

He chose to go down the route few other musicians in Kenya venture; to come out with an album first instead of a series of singles.

3. Positive Influence

Every musician that leaves a (positive) mark on his/her fans is celebrated long after they are gone. E Sir was generally a pleasant person. He did not suffer from the ‘celeb syndrome’ thinking he is better than the rest, but rather was down to earth and sought to connect with his listeners.

E Sir even encouraged his own brother, Habib, to develop whatever talent he had, and rightly so he did, as Habib is a respectable artiste in his own right.

4. Adapt, but be Unique

At the onset, his first single ‘Jo’ sounded close to the single ‘Woah!’ by another famous American rapper, Black Rob. Despite this, E Sir’s career sky rocketed mainly because he learned to read what his fans were craving for and managed to OWN his music by making it sound local and authentic.

This enabled him to create a style that was unique to his brand and thus have a strong and dedicated fan base.

5. Everlasting

There is no argument here… E Sir’s music lives on, mostly because he was original and as mentioned in point 4 above, unique. Artistes shouldn’t just make ‘populistic’ tunes to run with current trends but develop styles and tunes that can last a lifetime.