Dear reader, welcome to this week’s edition of New Music on the Radar, MAY 16. This week, we highlight the turn to vernacular lyricism: a complete one by dancehall star Dufla Diligon in Adok Ebei and a partial one by Nviiri the storyteller in Mwana wa Mubi. The Jinja born artist has spent much of his adult life in Kenya and shaped its urban culture so much that few fans […]
Kenyan singer-songwriter Nikita Kering stepped beyond the stage and into policy advocacy on May 13, 2025, as she represented Kenyan musicians at the All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA) Stakeholders’ Conference held at the African Union (AU) Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The 23-year-old artist, known for her soulful fusion of R&B and Afro-pop, joined artists and policymakers from across the continent to spotlight the growing concern over the exploitation of […]
Dear reader, welcome to this week’s edition of New Music on the Radar dated MAY 9. Explore the joys of coming out of a dark season in life with Jason Sibi-Okumu’s introspective This is My Life and Modest Chabari’s rather lighthearted No Balance. Sabi Wu and 4MR Frank White keep it gritty in their hustle anthem Dim My Shine, a theme V-BE also explore in their new number, For […]
Recently, Matata re-released their single Mpishi featuring Bien, a track that had initially been flagged down due to copyright claims. Since its re-upload, Mpishi has soared past 1.3 million views on YouTube in just eight days—an impressive feat that underscores both the group's magnetic appeal and the public’s anticipation of their audiovisual artistry. With this renewed momentum, Matata is once again affirming their place as one of Kenya’s most visually […]
This week’s New Music on the Radar brings a mix of comebacks, reinventions, and bold statements. Boondocks Gang’s unexpected reunion on Kafya shows the gengetone old guard regrouping to face off arbantone stars like Tipsy Gee who has made a matatu anthem Nganya with the help of Mavo on the Beat. Silly by Mau From Nowhere an hihi is as braggadocios as rap songs can get but this is cleverly […]
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 […]
