Flashback 2009:The Kenyan Music Scene at Home and in the U.S.

While Kenyan urban music has come a long way since the days of Hardstone, there are some urgent issues that need to be addressed. First and foremost, the industry needs to do a better job of grooming new talent, especially women. Wahu, Amani and to some extent Sanaipei (Sana) are the only female artists who have some history. Although STL, Kendi, Habida and Choku did release new songs in 2009, the industry can surely do better.
While their male counterparts seem to be ahead, the scene has nevertheless been dominated by a few veterans including Nameless, Redsan, Nonini and Jua Cali. Mejja and Proff are two new artists that cross my mind as having come up in 2009.
On the traditional or folk arena, the popularity of Mugithi has been on the decline for the past two years while Ohangla artists such as Tony Nyandundo have slowly taken their place. Rumba artists including Musa Juma and Jamnazi have also seen their popularity and fortunes grow. Suzanna Owiyo and Eric Wainaina have worked hard to keep their names afloat over the years and deserve all the credit.
The United States Diaspora saw the emergence of new artists with great potential. The Piga Picha Crew, Daddy V and Jeiddah aka Gengegal are some of the artists who have seemingly made a name for themselves. On the live music circuit, Jabali Afrika, Samba Mapangala and Miriam Chemmoss have kept the Kenyan flag flying high although their primary market is not Kenyan. They mostly cater to the World Music market.

By George Ndege (Jojo)

Reggae: Bob Marley Live

The featured Reggae video is Bob Marley performing the song “Zimbabwe” live at the Amandla Festival, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts on July 7, 1979.

BUY THE CD “LEGEND” BY BOB MARLEY

South Africa: Traditional Dance

The featured African video is a traditional dance from South Africa. You may not be able to dance like them but I am sure you can feel the energy.

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