Boomba music
Encyclopedia
Boomba music, also referred to as Kapuka (due to the beat pattern; not to be confused with Kapuka rap), is a form of hip pop music popular in Kenya
. It incorporates hip hop
, reggae
and African traditional musical styles. The lyrics are in Swahili
, Sheng
or local dialects. It is associated with Ogopa DJ's and is believed to have originated in the late 1990s with artists such as Redsan
, Bebe Cool
and Chameleone
. It went on to dominate East Africa (especially Kenya and Uganda) airwaves, especially after the release of Ogopa DJs
' first album in 2001 which included artists such as the late E-Sir
, Nameless
, Mr. Lenny, Amani
, Mr. Googz
and Vinnie Banton amongst others.
The over-saturation of this music style caused some to criticise the style including the artists K-South
in their hit, "Kapuka This, Kapuka That." This also led to other styles such as Genge
music being formed by producer Clemo
to diversify the market. Despite the critics the music continues to be very popular in Kenya although more so now in Uganda. Of late, "Genge" has also come to refer more generally to Boomba and "Kapuka" music.
or colloquially Naks/Nakx as many youths call it.
The music is a blend of indigenous Kapuka, mixed with a reggae baseline. It is characterised by very flashy rappers who mainly rap about their sexual escapades and the number of women that they keep. It's interesting due to the way they cipher their language to avoid being explicit.
Artists in this genre include O-Life Civilians, GML, F.N.M, I.P, DNK DANIKA, Danika Supreme among other rappers that are affiliated with Double-O Records and Southnakx Music.
that is derived from Boomba music, but incorporates more of trip hop
, dance pop, synthpop
and electronic music
than reggae
and ragga
but still incorporates some hip hop
. Artists such as Collo
and Camp Mulla
incorporate Kapuka rap in some of their songs.
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
. It incorporates hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
, reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
and African traditional musical styles. The lyrics are in Swahili
Swahili language
Swahili or Kiswahili is a Bantu language spoken by various ethnic groups that inhabit several large stretches of the Mozambique Channel coastline from northern Kenya to northern Mozambique, including the Comoro Islands. It is also spoken by ethnic minority groups in Somalia...
, Sheng
Sheng
Sheng can refer to:* Sheng * Beijing opera#Sheng, the main role in Beijing opera* Sheng , a slang dialect of the Swahili language* Province , an administrative division of China, called sheng in Mandarin...
or local dialects. It is associated with Ogopa DJ's and is believed to have originated in the late 1990s with artists such as Redsan
Redsan
Redsan is a reggae and ragga musician from Kenya.- Biography :His first album, Seasons of the San was released in 2002 under Ogopa DJ's label. Best known tracks on the album are "Julie" and "Wanipa Raha"....
, Bebe Cool
Bebe Cool
Bebe Cool is a ragga musician from Uganda. He started his career around 1997 in Nairobi, Kenya, but a few years later he moved back to his native country...
and Chameleone
Chameleone
Joseph Mayanja known for his stage name Jose Chameleon, Joe Chameleon, Jose Chameleone, or just Chameleone is a ragga musician from Uganda. He mainly sings in Luganda, English and Swahili...
. It went on to dominate East Africa (especially Kenya and Uganda) airwaves, especially after the release of Ogopa DJs
Ogopa DJs
Ogopa Deejays are a Kenyan music production team and record label formed in the late-1990s which gained regional fame and popularity due to standards of their production work.- Background :...
' first album in 2001 which included artists such as the late E-Sir
E-Sir
Born Issah Mmari, on May 20, 1981 in California Estate, and raised in South c estate Nairobi, Kenya, E-Sir was a Kenyan hip hop artist signed to the Ogopa DJs label who was famous for his deft lyrical ability and command of the Swahili language. He is still widely regarded as one the best rappers...
, Nameless
David Mathenge
David Mathenge , better known by his stage name Nameless, is a Kenyan pop artist.- Biography :Mathenge was educated at Strathmore School, He rose to fame in 1999 through a star-search contest on Kenya's urban music station 98.4 Capital FM, which he won with his original song "Megarider." The song...
, Mr. Lenny, Amani
Amani
Amani may refer to:Places*Amani, Greece, a municipality on the island of Chios*Amani Nature Reserve, in Tanzania*Amani High School, in Kabul, AfghanistanPeople*Amani , a singer from Kenya*Amani Toomer, an American football playerOther...
, Mr. Googz
Mr. Googz
- Biography :He grew up in Zimmerman suburb of Nairobi. He attended Ainsworth Primary School in Eastleigh, Nairobi and later Highway Secondary School. He teamed up with Vinnie Bantonn forming a duo. They joined the Ogopa DJ's record label. In 2002 they released the "Wasee " song, which became a...
and Vinnie Banton amongst others.
The over-saturation of this music style caused some to criticise the style including the artists K-South
K-South
K-South is a hip hop production company who are among the pioneers of hip hop in Kenya. The group composed of two members, Bamboo KC and Doobeez , now Abbas. K-South was founded in 1995. Their name is an abbreviation of Kariobangi South, an estate in Nairobi where they were based...
in their hit, "Kapuka This, Kapuka That." This also led to other styles such as Genge
Genge
Genge music, or simply Genge, is a genre of hip hop music that had its beginnings in Nairobi, Kenya. The name was coined by Clemo and popularized by Kenyan rappers Jua Cali and Nonini who started off at Calif Records. It is a style that incorporates hip hop, dancehall and traditional African music...
music being formed by producer Clemo
Clemo
Clement Rapudo, better known as Clemo, is a music producer and co-founder of Calif Records based in California estate in Nairobi, Kenya....
to diversify the market. Despite the critics the music continues to be very popular in Kenya although more so now in Uganda. Of late, "Genge" has also come to refer more generally to Boomba and "Kapuka" music.
Riftsyde Flava
Riftsyde Flava is a genre of hip hop music that originated from the town of NakuruNakuru
Nakuru, the provincial capital of Kenya's Rift Valley province, with roughly 300,000 inhabitants, and currently the fourth largest urban centre in the country, lies about 1850 m above sea level...
or colloquially Naks/Nakx as many youths call it.
The music is a blend of indigenous Kapuka, mixed with a reggae baseline. It is characterised by very flashy rappers who mainly rap about their sexual escapades and the number of women that they keep. It's interesting due to the way they cipher their language to avoid being explicit.
Artists in this genre include O-Life Civilians, GML, F.N.M, I.P, DNK DANIKA, Danika Supreme among other rappers that are affiliated with Double-O Records and Southnakx Music.
Kapuka rap
Kapuka rap is a genre of hip hop musicHip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
that is derived from Boomba music, but incorporates more of trip hop
Trip hop
Trip hop is a music genre consisting of downtempo electronic music which originated in the early 1990s in England, especially Bristol. Deriving from "post"-acid house, the term was first used by the British music media and press as a way to describe the more experimental variant of breakbeat which...
, dance pop, synthpop
Synthpop
Synthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...
and electronic music
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
than reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
and ragga
Ragga
-Origins:Ragga originated in Jamaica during the 1980s, at the same time that electronic dance music's popularity was increasing globally. One of the reasons for ragga's swift propagation is that it is generally easier and less expensive to produce than reggae performed on traditional musical...
but still incorporates some hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
. Artists such as Collo
Collo
Collo is the capital, and one of three municipalities, of Collo district in Skikda Province, Algeria. As of 1998, it had a population of 27,800....
and Camp Mulla
Camp Mulla
Camp Mulla is a Kenyan hip hop group originating from and based in Nairobi, Kenya.The group has grown a big fanbase over a short period of time, already having over 15,000 fans, both on Facebook and ReverbNation, over 18,000 followers on Twitter and over 150 followers on SoundCloud.Camp Mulla is...
incorporate Kapuka rap in some of their songs.
Examples
- "KArE" - P-UnitP-UnitP-Unit is a Kenyan hip hop group consisting of rappers Frasha, Gabu and Bon-Eye.- Biography :The crew has released an album "Wagenge Hao" recorded at Decimal media by "Erik Musyoka" having 17 tracks most notably "Kare" , "Hapa Kule", "Una" with DNA, "Juu Tu Sana, "Kushoto Kulia" and "Si lazima"...
(Incorporates a lot of synthpop and some hip hop) - "Party Don't Stop" - Camp MullaCamp MullaCamp Mulla is a Kenyan hip hop group originating from and based in Nairobi, Kenya.The group has grown a big fanbase over a short period of time, already having over 15,000 fans, both on Facebook and ReverbNation, over 18,000 followers on Twitter and over 150 followers on SoundCloud.Camp Mulla is...
(Incorporates a lot of trip hop) - "Feel No Pain" - Camp Mulla (Incorporates some electronicaElectronicaElectronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...
and a lot of trip hop) - "Chini ya Maji" - ColloKleptomaniaxKleptomaniax is a pop group from Nairobi, Kenya. The group consists of three members: Roba , Collo and Nyashinski ....
(Incorporates some trip hop and some hip hop)