In 2024, Kenyan music is not just surviving—it’s thriving. New data from Spotify reveals that Kenyan artists were discovered by new listeners over 95 million times, with fans across the globe spending more than 120,000 hours streaming their music. Over 16 million user-created playlists now include Kenyan songs, with exports up by 94% and local consumption soaring 277% in just three years. As Kleptomaniax once asked in their iconic chorus: […]
The Kenyan oontz music scene is buzzing with excitement as videos of Kenyan Afro-House sensation Idd Aziz performing at Coachella 2025 have surfaced online, courtesy of a collaboration with Haitian DJ and producer Francis Mercier. The clips, shared by Ngoma Charts on X, capture the artist in his element, commanding the stage with his signature sound and vibrant energy. Fans are speculating that Idd Aziz might be the first Kenyan […]
In Nairobi’s buzzing hip-hop and arbantone ecosystem, a storm is quietly escalating beneath the surface of viral TikToks and high-streaming singles. A recent online spat has brought the usually blurred line between inspiration and imitation into sharp focus, as Kilimani-based rapper and producer Sabi Wu accuses the more prominent Lilmaina of biting his style. The saga began with Instagram close-friend stories — videos initially visible to a select audience — […]
This week’s New Music Radar is a thrilling ride through the many moods of Kenyan music—from defiant trap anthems to playful rap experiments, reflective soul cuts to genre-bending surprises. Nazizi reminds us why she’s still the queen with a bold return in Gai Fafa, while Joefes delivers street wisdom with swagger in Balance, Bien and Suldaan start their SAFARI with fans who might just need to grab a delicious Smokie […]
In todays day and age, where you can practically get the answer to anything using AI, we as people are genuinely becoming used to getting or going for the easy things. People don’t read or listen anymore; all people seem to care about is getting the answer. We don’t seem to care about understanding and knowing the material, everyone wants to be right and have the right answer but even […]
After the unexpected breakup of Sauti Sol, arguably Kenya’s biggest musical export. It appears that Kenyans as a collective have decided to lay the burden of putting Kenyan music on the map on the shoulders of Bien-Aime Alusa Baraza popularly known as Bien. Some have argued that the success of Bien as a solo artist is a testament to the fact that it was Bien who in fact carried and […]
On April 17, 2025, Kenyan artist Charisma, known offstage as Fidel, shared a heartfelt moment that resonated deeply with his fans and the creative community at large. In a tweet that quickly gained traction, Charisma posted a screenshot of a message from his mother, whom he has saved as "Mum Safcom." The message read: “My son Fidel, I really wanted to be there as history is made—your first international performance […]
Recently, An21 KE (@antweeeezy), a US-based Kenyan producer and hip-hop media previously a Coke Studio Africa protégé, with stints at Radio 254 and NRG Radio, sparked a vibrant discussion on X by posing the question: “Who is in the Kenyan Hip Hop Mt Rushmore?” This inquiry ignited a reflective conversation among Kenyan hip-hop enthusiasts, contemplating the genre's most iconic figures. The concept of a "Mount Rushmore" in pop culture symbolizes […]
Clark Keeng ft. Zawadi Mukami & Chris Barr – “Table” Some songs feel like memories in sonic form. Table, a melancholic yet hopeful R&B ballad by Clark Keeng featuring Zawadi Mukami and Chris Barr, conjures the intimacy of love lost but not entirely let go. The title object — a table — is the emotional anchor around which the song revolves, not just physically, but metaphorically as the place where […]
