Jaguar and AY (Nimetoka Mbali)
This is the song that made Jaguar a breakout star. It’s what gave him
widespread mainstream credibility. AY has a litany of great
collaborations with Kenyan stars and this has to count among the best.
Both artistes brought their A++ games for this ode to artistic growth.
AY also turned in one of his best verses here, perfectly complemented by
the pensive production. Great jam.
French Boy and Ray C (Mot Moto)
This was back when Ray C was still a hot dark skin mamito. Nowadays
she’s just an overweight lightskin diva fighting with other artistes and
making silly demands about marital complexities.
Ray C might have nabbed top billing on "Mot Moto," due to her looks
and voice but former Historians member French Boy is the star on this
song. Delicate and spacey at first, then quickly turning menacing and
paranoid, the production on this track fits its title. It’s French boy
who delivers and it’s definitely producer R.Kay who churns the clouds
and brews the storm.
Victoria Kimani feat Diamond and Ommy Dimpoz (Prokoto)
This massive jam marked a historic joining of three of East Africa’s
finest artistes. I’ve had my differences with Victoria Kimani before. I
still think she’s a b****ch. But this was one cool wimbo. Tanzanian
superstars Diamond and Ommy DImpoz provided the much needed lyrical
support for a fast rising female singer. The result was magical
Nonini and Juma Nature (Nani Mwenza)
An underrated classic in it’s own right. The wildcard Nonini was at
the top of his game and so was Juma Nature, Debates still rage to this
day about which artist had the superior verse over the party-filled
production, but there definitely is a consensus winner: the fans.
Prezzo and AY (Nipe Nikupe)
The track finds Prezzo and AY going back-and-forth for two verses
apiece, waxing about the goodness of fame and merriment, a woman’s
attention, and a host of other issues. The rhymes on “Snipe Nikupe” are
as clever and competitive as any listener could possibly hope for, with
both rappers vying for supremacy
Nazizi and TID (Watasema Sana)
Over a decade ago, TID teamed up with Nazizi to create one of the
most touching and simultaneously bumpable collaborations in East African
musical history.
If Nazizi's reggae and hip hop fans were surprised by this mellow
collabo, it's maybe because they forgot she loves to reinvent herself.
The slow burner of a track was unlike anything she had done before, and
that's what made it so intriguing. Slippery and throbbing, "Watesema"
sounds more likely to be spun at a sleek, upscale club in Zanzibar than
in Nairobi parties. The radio still loved it though
Wahu and TMK Wanaume (Mkono Mmoja)
TMK members Chege and Temba enlisted the vocal talents of Wahu for
this track. The drop is so monstrous and so punishing, the little hairs
on your arms stand up even if you're only listening on laptop speakers.
This is the perfect music to help you forget how your girlfriend yelled
at you
Amani and AY (Usiwe Mbali)
Usiwe Mbali is a prime example of how chemistry between two artists
makes a tremendous difference in the quality of the record. These two
were dating when they collaborated on this incredible hit. Their love
for each other was clearly written all over the song. Kinda like Jay Z
and Beyonce’s Bony and Clide. I guess Amani eventuall y got tired of too
much love, that’s the hallmark of Tanzanian’s
Jua Cali and Enika (Niimbie)
The collaboration between Jua Cali and Tanzanian songbird Enika is
one that perfectly mixed two different styles of music. The melodic beat
makes for a calmed tempo verses from Jua Cali followed by Enika keeping
pace. Few have been able to recreate a record quite like this one.
Prezzo and TID (Leo Ndio Leo)
Back in the day, Prezzo was a lyrics-loving fan’s dream. He would
spit lines that left ladies saying…..o yeah. Nowadays his feisty antics
get more attention than his rap. However, that doesn’t give anyone
permission to belittle what he has done for Kenyan music. This track
clearly embodies the Swahili saying, ’Kama si sasa ni sasa hivi’. A dope
party anthem
Wednesday, July 8, 2015
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