Reclaiming the soul of Kenyan music

When it comes to music, Kenyan musical taste is, arguably, democratic. This has been true since the first transistor or gramophone searched for signal in the country. We seem to possess a curiosity not just about what is happening politically, but also musically, everywhere else. Now, seeing that the presence of aliens was recently ‘sort of’ confirmed, you can be sure Kenyan ears will embrace their tunes, be it intergalactic afrobeats or something else entirely.

This habit of liking music from other countries has many times meant local artists especially those doing Kenyan popular music feel as if their efforts are not appreciated. The debate has raged, from blaming the DJS, the studios, promoters, radio stations, the government, to the artists themselves.

Over the years (1990s-2020s), we have seen different music genres take over Kenyan airwaves and dance floors, from Soukous, to Bongo flava, to Afrobeats to Amapiano. Alongside these was country music, reggea, rnb, hiphop and even for a brief moment rock. These genres are usually not considered competitors to be taken down because they already seem to have dominated the globe. They are already established. Reggae,for example, has never been vilified in the way afrobeats has. There is a deep love and respect Kenyans hold for reggea that even local genres cannot compete with. We are a country where one can find fame being an exclusively reggea DJ. On the other hand, traditional pop music such as Mugithi, Ohangla and Tindikti tends to cater to well established audiences and stays on brand.

Early 2000s Kenyan sound

In the early 2000s, there was a drive to create a Kenyan sound. Airwaves had been liberated and the kids who grew up watching KBC’s Music Time and Jimmy Gathu were now young adults. Ogopa DJs, Calif Records, Blu zebra, Mandugu Digital recording studios all produced some of the seminal Kenyan artists (Gidi Gidi Maji Maji, Nameless, Nonini etc). These artistes opened the floodgates for the younger generation of artists and genres like Gengetone. Afrofusion was already something Kenyans claimed long before Burna Boy made it a thing, artistes like the late Ayub Ogada, Achieng Abura,Suzanna Owiyo, Eric Wainaina and many others had carved out this niche in the early late 90s to 2000s.

Kenyan pop was majorly influenced by hiphop and dancehall as well as local sounds like chakacha and regional sounds like Lingala and even Kwaito. In an interview with Richard Njau of CTA, former Ogopa artist Amani explained how the producers, hoping to inspire their songwriting, would send Ogopa artists out to clubs to pay specific attention to the songs that got people off their feet. This was no doubt, one of the main ways that Ogopa managed to craft it’s distinctive sound, heavy on the percussion and generous with the call and response. Kleptomaniacs Haree for instance is a great example of this. Unfortunately, the popularity did not always translate to the type of monetary gains that would buy you a house. Many of these artists left the industry or moved on to music adjacent careers. It was not until the late early 2000s that corporates began to support Kenyan music wholeheartedly, but even this came with strings attached. Only a handful of artistes hit pay dirt with corporate partnerships, most times companies went for the biggest selling artists with mass appeal.

Streaming and Kenyan music

It’s now 2023, radio stations still play more Harry Styles than Fena, Nigerian Afrobeats and South African Amapiano stay ruling the dance-floors and the #playkemusic debate continues. Kenyans are more exposed than ever, trending sounds on TikTok find their way across the continent in such a rapid fashion, its become the norm to try and make a dance trend before dropping a new single.

In the past, Radio presenters like Shaffie Weru admitted to taking bribes or what he termed as “payola” to play certain artistes. This meant that good artists got overlooked for those with surface level talent and deep pockets. Enter streaming services, the gatekeepers are no longer the last say on what you hear. These new generation of Kenyan artists are using streaming to build their fanbases and it’s working. Their music is diverse and still distinctly Kenyan. Whereas majority of older Kenyan hits had to be dance-floor friendly, we are seeing an influx of mellow soulful sound. This could be the Sauti Sol effect or the fact that listenership is moving from matatus to earpods(more on this here). There is a shift happening with newer artists who do not feel pressured to create a definitive Kenyan sound. They are experimenting and still creating and in doing so, fighting for the soul of Kenyan music.

We may actually never have a definitive Kenyan sound*, and that’s okay. Whatever new sounds may be invented or not invented in the future, I am excited for the future of Kenyan music. Here is a soulful Kenyan mix for you to enjoy:

*Definitive Kenyan sound, in this context, means a music genre that can curve its own space in the world arena in a way that both hiphop and reggae have done.

Words: Naliaka Wafula