PAPA AND DUNCO IN TOBINA
From the album ‘System ya Kapungala’ Daddy Owen aka Papa Fololo stars in this hit single ‘Tobina (Kupe de Kalle)” in collaboration with the latest gospel king of collabos Dunco and Kerah. This Kenyan music online track takes on the intro parlando. Continue reading
AS FOR ME AND MY HOUSE…
Kenyan Music Production is back with lyrical stammerer Eko Dydda doing a single “As for me and my house.”
He takes off in a parlando “God, nataka ku-give up, infact nime-give up, juu najua kuna mtu juu, atachukua, that is you.” He then synchronises to a harmony and goes, “as for me and my house, I will serve the Lord, I wanna live on the Lord’s side, I live on the Lord’s side” amidst a well produced crunk track.
He straight on picks his rhyme lines and gives spectacular lyrics with various pauses and stacatos as stylistic inputs to enhance accuracy in his strong beat and synchronisation with the rhythm.
He begins: “Na-feel niko far na Jesus ka pekee ya wahii na kuwahi, juu temptation zimeni-beat, zimeniwahii, kuwahi” pulling off some great lyrical rhymes. His creative side is felt in the various applications of Biblical allusions and real life situational comparisons ranging from the prodigal son, to physical critique. Consider these lines: “mimi ni kondoo wa baba, lakini bado na-con dough ya barber.” He creates an acapella harmony interlude thus “umeiweza roho yangu, Yesu umeiweza.” and joins back to the rap. He finishes off in the chorus “as for me and my house, I will serve the Lord.”
This young gospel artiste is a super star in the making and with his unique stammer and echo style of rap, he is going places. Keep up the spirit, this is a worthy track.
SAUTI SOL’S BLUE UNIFORM
The beauty of a Kenya songs live band is felt in the exact output quality sound without exaggeration of vocals or instrumentation. That is exactly what Sauti Sol is giving in their single titled Blue Uniform, which is from their album Mwanzo. It begins with a melodic quadruple beat guirar just before a solo in a conversational tone. Consider the lyrics “Sina makosa afande, niwie radhi” as the rest of the band join in in harmony at the end of his bar line. The rhythming is superb and the chorus quite melodic considering its rhyme scheme being very good. Check this line out: “Hey you in the blue uniform, if I have wronged you I will reform, raia nalia” giving it a poetic touch.
The dialogue picks up from the police responce where mimicry as a stylistic device has come to good use in the accentuation of the lyrics it goes “eeh natambua kwamba huna kosa, mapato yangu madogo nategemea kidogo nitakuseti raia fuata sheria eeh.”
The rest of the band then join in the chorus and a second solo comes in a descending hum in a bass he goes on. In a passing note he says “umezoea kuchelewa siku mingi nimekulenga siku moja nitakuweka ndani”
A pseudo modulation is created towards its end and then the chorus picks up a semitone lower to a soft finish. Great harmonic control. This is good work.
KYRAZ ft. WYRE – NO MORE
This is one artist who seems to know where he is headed. He teams up with two major local industry movers for his, I believe, debut track.
He has the very distinct and loved “Ulopa Ngoma” signature at the start of his track, something that means instant hit. He also teams up with one of the biggest artists, Wyre, for a collabo. But it is never a good idea to team up with a big star if you are still unknown since you can be overshadowd and people will think you were featured in the song when it’s the other way around.
Wyre starts the song very well and you start swaying to the beat. Wyre is in his element as is expected. Kyraz joins in immediately and he does not disappoint. I know this sounds cliche, but by now he would have done himself a great deal of good if he at least threw in some Kiswahili words here and there. I am hoping he is a Kenyan.
There is something about Kiswahili that gives a song charachter and don’t tell me about targeting the international market. Explain P Square, D Banj and even K Naan.
But Kyraz should not be denied. He has a good Kenya music online track here and although it is hard to tell what his genre is, let’s say his only way to the top would be diversity and less collabos. On this one he gets it right.
VERDICT: HIT
JEROMARSH – TWEDE ALBUM REVIEW
This is the man who lit up the Kenya music industry this year with his infectious tune “Twede” has finally released an album. Was Twede a fluke or does this artistes have more where that came from? Let’s find out.
The first track off this album is a complete turn-around from “Twede” and with good results. “Umeniacha” is a soulful worship track and the lady in the track provides some good background vocals and is most probably the reason why the song is so good. The video is a bit amateurish with all the overlapping of scenes.
“Twede” is that track that just gets you dancing from the first beat. It is playful and has a really good message, something you don’t find often with some of the other gospel hits. They have some “Akorino” swagger going on and this is a definite hit for all ages. The video is not up to par but that is what makes the song and video all the more adorable.
“Nakuita” is another track where Jeromarsh shows his ability to get serious. Here, he is offering a prayer to God on what is wrong with the world today. “Baba mimi nakuita, mwana wako nimefika, nimekuja niokoe kabla dunia haijanikwisha,” goes the chorus.
“Uliniokoa” is very similar with “Twede” and that is a problem. When you start sampling one of your own songs in the first album, that is not a good show. This is a very talented guy who makes gospel and being born again fun and I have a feeling we are yet to hear the best from him.
BLACK FELLA ft. LEON – ALIYE JUU REVIEW
There is something about listening to a rap song done in pure, clean Kiswahili. That is what made me fall in love with Bongo’s Hip Hop. The flow, the lines, the beats are just to die for.
That was the same reaction when I listened to this piece of Kenyan music online: “Aliye Juu” by Black Fella. Right from the word go, it’s a head-bumping session and the chorus sets you off, hooking you up on the stop.
“Kila kona lawama, wahuni na mabanga, madawa mapanga hayaishi tena masanga… Bongo liko active hata wakati nimelala/ nasketch maplots hata kama nimecharara”
The coastal Swahili accent does alot of good for this track, not forgetting Leon’s voice is half of the reason the chorus is so catchy and infectious.
“Ki-Hardstone nakunja sura mbele ya Jua Cali. Kiite kisomo nimekisoma…”
The flow is easy to understand when he’s using those big Swahili words that Nairobians and their sheng love to listen to and try to understand.
This has a hit written all over it and as long as he can maintain that style and flow, not forgetting creativity, then Black Fella will be a big fella in the Kenyan music industry.
VERDICT: HIT
Playing With Words
Song: Wordplay
Artistes: Kimya ft. Richeezy
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
This is one of the tightest jams of recent times from an artiste we nearly forgot. The flow is nice and compact, the beat is brilliantly assembled and the delivery is sublime.
The video shoots off in a studio set with two producers seated in front of control desks before the camera moves to Kimya who picks it up. There is something about the warmth of a studio setting that always makes a video look good, visually.
Soon as Kimya picks it, this shot quickly leads to another indoor set where he is rapping.
On the back of his superior lyrical delivery, Kimya has the presence the energy in front of the camera, and good movement. He feels the jam enough to keep a viewer glued.
The indoor setting, on the other hand, alternates between a white and a black background, with the latter having the slight disadvantage of having dramatisers also dressed in black overcoats, thus making the clip look dreary dark.
The use of good graphics, especially those words that the rapper grabs and throws away – a literal wordplay – further enhance this clips’ flow.
All gels in well; the strength of the song, the good delivery and a simple fluid feel to deliver a compact Kenyan music video.
A Little Bit Below Par
Song: Kadhaa Mtaani Remix(Kenya Songs Review)
Artistes: Nonini ft. P-Unit, Mahatma and Chidi Benz
Rating: 3 stars out of 5
Just like in the original, this remix has retained the flow of the original song. The use of various artistes has served to put emphasis on the video, rather than the danceability factor. The beat is as good and the lyrics in this song are more diverse, thanks to the use of different artistes and is in fact better, lyrically.
The video, however, is set in an enclosed setting – the inside of a limo – in complete contrast to the ‘all out party’ outdoor setting in the original. This gives the clip a chill-out factor, a certain laid-back feel. The dimmed lights and artistes’ decor fill this part, which is further accentuated by use of the camera shots of pictures of Nairobi by night.
The individual artistes all stand out in their performances with the use of up-close shots coming in handy. BonEye stands out for special mention – his energetic rhymes gel in well with his notable presence on screen.
A problem arises when the use of one scene for too long starts to feel monotonous as the cameras roll on. At some point, one feels that it is only the strength of the song that keeps matters flowing. A bit of creativity would have perhaps come in handy.
Pointless Pain of the Ex
Song: X-Friend
Artistes: Yupi ft. Alahola
Rating: 2 stars out of 5
This song has that characteristic Calif fluid beat and a simple catchy swing to it. The singer delivers his lyrics well and in a way that brings out the message easily. It is worth a listen, much as it sounds somewhat cliche-ish; there is nothing setting Yupi’s style apart as a Kenya music online artiste.
The video is set simply on three main scenes. The first is indoor with a dark background where Yupi is singing up-close, a car scene where, again, Linet aka Size 8 dramatises the ‘wronged girl’ charachter who takes the phone away from Yupi, quite effortlessly I might add, to see messages from his ex. She causes a raucous, of course.
The other scene is another indoor scene where the ex friend is seen posing with Yupi. The song is about his ex-girlfriend yet she registers no presence at all, compared to the bubbly Linet, for example.
There isn’t much else to this video, and the energy is all left to the song. Alahola comes in later to bring some energy at the end with his rap and perhaps registers some presence. The decor is OK although the same pair of stunners is re-used by the singers and it doesn’t take much to notice that.
The story comes out well, largely from the song, not necessarily the video.
Song: Ilete
Artist: Big Pin
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
The Beast from the East is one of Kenya music‘s better known artists, with a unique flow and a Kora award to his name. In this song he brings out the high energy that we have come to expect from him. This song is a club-banger with its heavy beat and energetic flow.
The video is set simply in a restricted indoor with a dark-walled background and a DJ turntable by the side, for decor. This is a simple set that focuses more on the people than the set. They have colourful clothes that give the set a visual feel of activity.
This song’s energy is carried through the energy of the artiste, and to some extent, the dramatisers. One still feels though, that more could have been done. There is a hurried feel about the shooting of the video. The girls can dance and as much as they are doing freestyle, some choreography could have come in handy to prevent it looking ad hoc.
The video also suffers from the use of one setting. In that the very high energy levels of the song are not carried through to the end of the clip. The use of one scene brings it out more, unfortunately.
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