Music and Kenya
I like to think of myself as receptive and appreciative of all types of music, that is among other things, so I have been up to my ears in our, read Kenyan music. Listening to it, liking it, sometimes that is, and ultimately trying to discern what is behind the music. This has left me sometimes fulfilled and others downright disgust. First to the fulfilment:
There is a hip hop group called UKOO FLANI. Their offering is hard core hippity hop. With two albums, ‘Dandora Burning’ and ‘Kilio Cha Haki’’ (A Cry for Justice/truth in English) they push the bar for hip hop excellence higher. Maybe it’s because they’ve got Kenya’s hip hop pioneers in their ranks. But, man, do they rock. Singing about the ghettos they live in, and the hustles they go through is way, way too cool. The thing that stands out is that there isn’t any pretence in their lyrics. This isn’t for the guy after a club hit (there are some in there by the way) but a chap who wants to bob his head as he hears the words.
Save for a few other chaps & ladies. I have been slowly getting fed up with the excuses for music guy are putting out as tracks.
You find a track with no sense to it. Granted it has the beat, it starts and then it ends but after that zilch. Club tracks are alright, coz I mean who doesn’t like to party. After a quafty day, some dancing and some drinks are just the thing to chill you out. But if you are going to release a club track have some decency to offer your 100 percent
Computer generated beats are fine, but after a while they start getting old. Even a 100 year old kid who doesn’t have to be a nerd can do it. Releasing half-baked stuff, while hankering for your 15 minutes of fame is lame, man! Better settle in some white/blue collar nine to five arrangements. Coz music is an art form innit! And if you can hack it keep off.
All this said, there is a music scene, albeit underground (if you can call it that) and not the ‘underground’ that every new wannabe keeps harping about, that’s thriving. You can hear it at the poetry readings KWANI hosts every month and other gatherings where true artists let rip and you can only watch in awe.
PEACE
I like to think of myself as receptive and appreciative of all types of music, that is among other things, so I have been up to my ears in our, read Kenyan music. Listening to it, liking it, sometimes that is, and ultimately trying to discern what is behind the music. This has left me sometimes fulfilled and others downright disgust. First to the fulfilment:
There is a hip hop group called UKOO FLANI. Their offering is hard core hippity hop. With two albums, ‘Dandora Burning’ and ‘Kilio Cha Haki’’ (A Cry for Justice/truth in English) they push the bar for hip hop excellence higher. Maybe it’s because they’ve got Kenya’s hip hop pioneers in their ranks. But, man, do they rock. Singing about the ghettos they live in, and the hustles they go through is way, way too cool. The thing that stands out is that there isn’t any pretence in their lyrics. This isn’t for the guy after a club hit (there are some in there by the way) but a chap who wants to bob his head as he hears the words.
Save for a few other chaps & ladies. I have been slowly getting fed up with the excuses for music guy are putting out as tracks.
You find a track with no sense to it. Granted it has the beat, it starts and then it ends but after that zilch. Club tracks are alright, coz I mean who doesn’t like to party. After a quafty day, some dancing and some drinks are just the thing to chill you out. But if you are going to release a club track have some decency to offer your 100 percent
Computer generated beats are fine, but after a while they start getting old. Even a 100 year old kid who doesn’t have to be a nerd can do it. Releasing half-baked stuff, while hankering for your 15 minutes of fame is lame, man! Better settle in some white/blue collar nine to five arrangements. Coz music is an art form innit! And if you can hack it keep off.
All this said, there is a music scene, albeit underground (if you can call it that) and not the ‘underground’ that every new wannabe keeps harping about, that’s thriving. You can hear it at the poetry readings KWANI hosts every month and other gatherings where true artists let rip and you can only watch in awe.
PEACE
posted by victor at
10:22 am
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