An Eclectic change in Kenya’s Heartbeat
They say music is the mind and soul of a society; the breath by which character and semblance emanate from any being and the lifeline that keeps the culture of a society vibrant and progressive. It happens to be this very same soul that evokes the pulses and emotions that affect the very same creators as well as listeners.
Kenya possesses nothing less than a rich history when it comes to the kind of music its populace indulged in. At the onset of the early 20th century, people were in a more traditional mindset of guitars and percussive instruments, with the likes of Fundi Konde capturing the minds and hearts of that generation.
The country then first embraced foreign sounds when Congolese rhythms colonized Nairobi streets with the fusion of benga and drums in the mid 20th century. This was a popular fad for quite awhile leading to Swahili and coastal tunes dominating the scene, though by this time Kenya was getting on its feet from independence and with it came a new and exciting 'global' perspective: the introduction of the western pop culture.
American music penetrated the ideological minds of the fresh Kenyan generation and in came hip hop and all that ensued. Young Kenyan musicians caught on with what was the 'in-thing' and fused this new beat with their own local influence and thus the birth of genge and kapuka which to this day rages on with a force to reckon with.
Time is ripe for Kenyan musicians to review their music style if they are to shine in the global market.
Since 2010 Dancehall genre has grown tremendously wakening the whole world to the new style from Caribbean region. The much hyped rivalry between Gullyside and Gaza has seen Dancehall music topping world charts beating long time dominators such as the Rock. The business has not only ripened in the music alone but has also left the street lifestyle transformed. Gone are the days when upcoming artists looked upon the HipHop world for inspiration. Nowadays, the sharp upcoming artists have their eyes on the Dancehall styles with many being attracted to voicing riddims as compared to own composed beats.
In Kenya the trend has penetrated much with top artists such as Wyre, Nazizi and even Raggamuffin Redsan making huge breakthroughs in the genre. Surely, Kapuka is fading and Dancehall is clearly dominating its position. We can only wait and see how the music industry will mature in the future but one thing is for sure, it will keep on surprising us.
Kenya possesses nothing less than a rich history when it comes to the kind of music its populace indulged in. At the onset of the early 20th century, people were in a more traditional mindset of guitars and percussive instruments, with the likes of Fundi Konde capturing the minds and hearts of that generation.
The country then first embraced foreign sounds when Congolese rhythms colonized Nairobi streets with the fusion of benga and drums in the mid 20th century. This was a popular fad for quite awhile leading to Swahili and coastal tunes dominating the scene, though by this time Kenya was getting on its feet from independence and with it came a new and exciting 'global' perspective: the introduction of the western pop culture.
American music penetrated the ideological minds of the fresh Kenyan generation and in came hip hop and all that ensued. Young Kenyan musicians caught on with what was the 'in-thing' and fused this new beat with their own local influence and thus the birth of genge and kapuka which to this day rages on with a force to reckon with.
Time is ripe for Kenyan musicians to review their music style if they are to shine in the global market.
Since 2010 Dancehall genre has grown tremendously wakening the whole world to the new style from Caribbean region. The much hyped rivalry between Gullyside and Gaza has seen Dancehall music topping world charts beating long time dominators such as the Rock. The business has not only ripened in the music alone but has also left the street lifestyle transformed. Gone are the days when upcoming artists looked upon the HipHop world for inspiration. Nowadays, the sharp upcoming artists have their eyes on the Dancehall styles with many being attracted to voicing riddims as compared to own composed beats.
In Kenya the trend has penetrated much with top artists such as Wyre, Nazizi and even Raggamuffin Redsan making huge breakthroughs in the genre. Surely, Kapuka is fading and Dancehall is clearly dominating its position. We can only wait and see how the music industry will mature in the future but one thing is for sure, it will keep on surprising us.
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