Music of Kenya
Encyclopedia
Out of all the Africa
n countries, Kenya
has perhaps one of the most diverse assortment of popular music forms, in addition to multiple types of folk music
based on the variety over 40 regional languages.
Zanzibar
an taarab
music has also become popular, as has hip hop
, reggae
, soul
, soukous
, zouk
, rock and roll
, funk
and Europop
. There is also a growing western classical music scene and Kenya is home to a number of music colleges and schools.
is the most dominant instrument
in Kenyan popular music. Guitar rhythms are very complex and include both native beats and imported ones, especially the Congolese
cavacha
rhythm; music usually involves the interplay of multiple parts and, more recently, showy guitar solos.
Lyrics are most often in Swahili
or Lingala
, but are also sometimes in one of the indigenous languages, though radio
will generally not play music in one of the "tribal" languages.
Benga music
has been popular since the late 1960s, especially around Lake Victoria
. The word benga is occasionally used to refer to any kind of pop music. bass
, guitar and percussion
are the usual instruments.
Partially from 1994 and wholly from 2003 Kenyan popular music has been recognised through the Kisima Music Awards
. A number of styles predominate in Kenya including Benga and Reggae have separate categories, and a multitude of Kenyan artists are awarded each year.
was the best-known early guitarist, alongside Paul Mwachupa and Lukas Tututu. By the middle of the 1920s, dance clubs had appeared in Mombasa, playing music for Christians to dance in a European style.
During World War II
, Kenyan and Ugandan musicians were drafted as entertainers in the King's African Rifles
and continued after the war as the Rhino Band
, the first extremely popular band across Kenya. In 1948, the group split, with many of the members forming the Kiko Kids or other bands.
By the 1950s, radio
and recording
technology had advanced across Kenya. Fundi Konde, the prominent guitarist, was an early broadcaster and influential in the fledgling recording industry.
The next decade saw new influences from kwela
and rumba become more popular than finger-style. The Equator Sound Band was the most popular band of the period. In Nairobi in the late 1960s, bands like the Hodi Boys and Air Fiesta were popular, primarily playing cover version
s of Congolese
, British
and American
hits. Other musicians were innovating the benga
style, with Shirati Jazz the most popular of the early bands.
Into the 1970s, benga was at its most innovative, producing numerous popular bands like Victoria Jazz and the Victoria Kings, the Continental Luo Sweet Band and Luna Kidi Band.
(rumba) from the Democratic Republic of the Congo
. Swahili music can be distinguished by a much slower rhythm, though the styles have had a tendency to merge in recent decades. The genres are not distinguished by language, though Swahili pop is usually in Swahili
or the related Taiti language. Both are sometimes in Lingala or one of the native languages of Kenya.
Congolese musicians were the most popular performers in Kenya during the 1970s and '80s
, only losing their mainstream acceptance in the early 1990s. Orchestre Virunga was perhaps the most popular and long-running of the Congolese bands. During this period, Swahili musicians (many from Tanzania
) were mostly based around the Wanyika bands bands. This group of often rival bands began in 1971 when a Tanzanian group named Arusha Jazz came to Kenya, eventually becoming the Simba Wanyika Band. The band first split in 1978, when many of the group members formed Les Wanyika
. Other notable Congolese groups in Kenya included Super Mazembe
and Les Mangelepa
.
, who began playing the Nairobi hotel circuit in 1987, are probably the most popular of these bands. Lately, hotel bands like Them Mushrooms and Safari Sound have begun playing reggae
.
, Kalambya Boys & Kalambya Sisters led by Onesmus Musyoki and Joseph Mutaiti and Peter Mwambi & His Kyanganga Boys. Other groups also include Lower Mbooni Boys Band, Muthetheni Boys Band and Ukia Boys Band. Other Akamba Pop Bands were formed in the 1980s and included Kakuku Boys Band vocalled by John Mutua Muteti whose lyrics consisted of religious, domestic, and court humour, Ngoleni Brothers which was formed by Dick Mutuku Mulwa after he left Kalambya Boys & Kalambya Sisters. It can also be noted that Kalambya Boys original members were Onesmus Musyoki (vocals), Joseph Mutaiti (vocals), Dick Mutuku Mulwa (rhythm guitar), James Maisha Muli(Drums) and Peter Kisaa (solo guitar). Kalambya Boys split and Joseph Mutaiti formed Super Kaiti and Onesmus Musyoki went gospel to form Emali Town Choir.
The Kikuyu, one of the biggest ethnic groups in Kenya, have their own form of pop music. Kikuyu pop can be distinguished by female back-up singers, who are rare in the rest of Kenya. The biggest Kikuyu pop star is Joseph Kamaru
, whose 1967 hit "Celina" launched the field. He remained popular, inviting controversy with topical lyrics that criticized the Kenyan government, until becoming a born again Christian in 1993 and switching to gospel music
. Kikuyu pop played a major role in the development of benga, largely due to the activity of Daniel Kamau
.
Leading Luhya musicians include Sukuma Bin Ongaro, and Shem Tube with his group Abana Ba Nasery
.
. The country also boast a large following of hardcore rap which is characterized by swift freestyle battlers and lyricists like Bamboo
,Doobiez and Chiwawa. These are rappers in the local Sheng and slang English. Bongo flava is very popular in Tanzania. Anything that has Swahili audio, and had a hip hop kind of style, or even a R&B sort of style would be considered bongo flava. Bongo flava is a certain style of music which has a hip hop content to it. See main article on Kenyan hip hop
.
Reggae
music is highly popular in Kenya. Reggae elements are often mixed with local hip hop and pop music. Yet there has not been many big-name reggae musicians in Kenya. One of the best known local reggae musician is the late Mighty King Kong
. Others include Jahkey Malle and Prince Otach.
, Casting Crowns
, Parachute Band
, 38th Parallel
, Zebra & Giraffe
) have also graced the local scene which reflects on the growing influence and acceptance of this genre.
Organized member bodies such as Wiyathi (now defunct) and Roffeke (Rock 'n' Roll Film Festival Kenya) were fundamental in initially marketing local rock bands in the country by hosting regular shows and helped to establish a vibrant rock community. Recently, the bands also aided in the founding of a governing body, the Rock Society of Kenya, which serves to promote the interests of member bands. The society spearheads numerous rock related events like the Battle of the Bands and live rock club shows that has spurred constructive level of activity for bands. Over the past few years many entertainment spots have also independently incorporated rock music onto their programs further indicating a genuine interests from the public.In addittion there are radio stations that play rock music most commonly known are Capital fm 98.4 and X fm 105.5 the latter being an all rock station 24 Hours a day.Some Teevision stations also play rock music.
and drum and bass
. Acts like Just A Band
have also dabbled in numerous alternative genres.
s each have their own folk music
traditions, though most have declined in popularity in recent years as gospel music became more popular. The Turkana people
of the north, the Bajuni
, Akamba, Borana, Chuka, Gusii
, Kikuyu, Luhya and Luo, the Maasai and the related Samburu and the Mijikenda
("nine tribes") of the eastern coast are all found within the borders of Kenya.
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
n countries, Kenya
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...
has perhaps one of the most diverse assortment of popular music forms, in addition to multiple types of folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
based on the variety over 40 regional languages.
Zanzibar
Zanzibar
Zanzibar ,Persian: زنگبار, from suffix bār: "coast" and Zangi: "bruin" ; is a semi-autonomous part of Tanzania, in East Africa. It comprises the Zanzibar Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of the mainland, and consists of numerous small islands and two large ones: Unguja , and Pemba...
an taarab
Taarab
Taarab is a music genre popular in Tanzania and Kenya. It is influenced by music from the cultures with a historical presence in East Africa, including music from East Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa, the Middle East and Europe...
music has also become popular, as has hip hop
Hip 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...
, 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...
, soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
, soukous
Soukous
Soukous is a dance music genre that originated in the two neighbouring countries of Belgian Congo and French Congo during the 1930s and early 1940s, and which has gained popularity throughout Africa...
, zouk
Zouk
Zouk is a style of rhythmic music originating from the Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe & Martinique. Zouk means "party" or "festival" in the local Antillean Creole of French, although the word originally referred to, and is still used to refer to, a popular dance, based on the Polish dance, the...
, rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
, funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
and Europop
Europop
Europop refers to a style of pop music that first developed in today's form in Europe, throughout the late 1970s. Europop topped the charts throughout the 1980s and ’90s...
. There is also a growing western classical music scene and Kenya is home to a number of music colleges and schools.
Popular music
The guitarGuitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
is the most dominant instrument
Musical instrument
A musical instrument is a device created or adapted for the purpose of making musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can serve as a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. The history of musical instruments dates back to the...
in Kenyan popular music. Guitar rhythms are very complex and include both native beats and imported ones, especially the Congolese
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...
cavacha
Cavacha
Cavacha is a type of rhythm found in the popular music of Zaire and Kenya. It is a fast-paced rhythm typically played on a drum kit, often with the snare drum or hi hat. Zairean bands such as Zaiko Langa Langa and Orchestra Shama Shama popularized this form of rhythm in the 1960s and 1970s....
rhythm; music usually involves the interplay of multiple parts and, more recently, showy guitar solos.
Lyrics are most often 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...
or Lingala
Lingala language
Lingala, or Ngala, is a Bantu language spoken throughout the northwestern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and a large part of the Republic of the Congo , as well as to some degree in Angola and the Central African Republic. It has over 10 million speakers...
, but are also sometimes in one of the indigenous languages, though radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
will generally not play music in one of the "tribal" languages.
Benga music
Benga music
Benga is a genre of Kenyan popular music. It evolved between the late 1940s and late 1960s, in Kenya's capital city of Nairobi. In the 1940s, the African Broadcasting Service in Nairobi aired a steady stream of soukous, South African kwela, Zairean finger-style guitar and various kinds of Cuban...
has been popular since the late 1960s, especially around Lake Victoria
Lake Victoria
Lake Victoria is one of the African Great Lakes. The lake was named for Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, by John Hanning Speke, the first European to discover this lake....
. The word benga is occasionally used to refer to any kind of pop music. bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, guitar and percussion
Percussion instrument
A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
are the usual instruments.
Partially from 1994 and wholly from 2003 Kenyan popular music has been recognised through the Kisima Music Awards
Kisima Music Awards
The Kisima Music Awards is an annual awards program that recognises musical talent in East Africa. Despite being Kenyan-based the scheme awards artists from a variety of countries, predominately Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, and incorporates a range of music genres.-History:Named after the Swahili...
. A number of styles predominate in Kenya including Benga and Reggae have separate categories, and a multitude of Kenyan artists are awarded each year.
Early 20th century
The guitar was popular in Kenya even before the 20th century, well before it penetrated other African countries. Fundi KondeFundi Konde
Fundi Konde was a Kenyan musician. He was one of the first popular performers from that country, and was said to be the first electric guitarist from East Africa. His music utilized Swahili lyrics accompanied by a mixture of regional rhythms and imported rumba...
was the best-known early guitarist, alongside Paul Mwachupa and Lukas Tututu. By the middle of the 1920s, dance clubs had appeared in Mombasa, playing music for Christians to dance in a European style.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Kenyan and Ugandan musicians were drafted as entertainers in the King's African Rifles
King's African Rifles
The King's African Rifles was a multi-battalion British colonial regiment raised from the various British possessions in East Africa from 1902 until independence in the 1960s. It performed both military and internal security functions within the East African colonies as well as external service as...
and continued after the war as the Rhino Band
Rhino Band
The Rhino Band was a popular band in Kenya. It was in formed in 1946 from the Entertainment Unit of the King's African Rifles. Members included George Senoga-Zake, joint composer of the Kenyan National Anthem.- External links :...
, the first extremely popular band across Kenya. In 1948, the group split, with many of the members forming the Kiko Kids or other bands.
By the 1950s, radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
and recording
Recording
Recording is the process of capturing data or translating information to a recording format stored on some storage medium, which is often referred to as a record or, if an auditory medium, a recording....
technology had advanced across Kenya. Fundi Konde, the prominent guitarist, was an early broadcaster and influential in the fledgling recording industry.
Congolese finger-style and the development of benga
Beginning in about 1952, recordings from legendary Congolese guitarists like Edouard Massengo and Jean-Bosco Mwenda were available in Kenya. Bosco's technique of picking with the thumb and forefinger (finger-style) became popular. Finger-style music is swift and usually based around small groups, in which the second guitar follows the first with syncopated bass rhythms. This style of music became extremely popular later in the decade.The next decade saw new influences from kwela
Kwela
Kwela is a happy, often pennywhistle-based, street music from southern Africa with jazzy underpinnings and a distinctive, skiffle-like beat. It evolved from the marabi sound and brought South African music to international prominence in the 1950s....
and rumba become more popular than finger-style. The Equator Sound Band was the most popular band of the period. In Nairobi in the late 1960s, bands like the Hodi Boys and Air Fiesta were popular, primarily playing cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
s of Congolese
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...
, British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
hits. Other musicians were innovating the benga
Benga music
Benga is a genre of Kenyan popular music. It evolved between the late 1940s and late 1960s, in Kenya's capital city of Nairobi. In the 1940s, the African Broadcasting Service in Nairobi aired a steady stream of soukous, South African kwela, Zairean finger-style guitar and various kinds of Cuban...
style, with Shirati Jazz the most popular of the early bands.
Into the 1970s, benga was at its most innovative, producing numerous popular bands like Victoria Jazz and the Victoria Kings, the Continental Luo Sweet Band and Luna Kidi Band.
Swahili and Congolese pop
The two biggest genres of pop music played by Kenyan bands are called the Swahili sound or the Congolese sound. Both are based on soukousSoukous
Soukous is a dance music genre that originated in the two neighbouring countries of Belgian Congo and French Congo during the 1930s and early 1940s, and which has gained popularity throughout Africa...
(rumba) from the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...
. Swahili music can be distinguished by a much slower rhythm, though the styles have had a tendency to merge in recent decades. The genres are not distinguished by language, though Swahili pop is usually 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...
or the related Taiti language. Both are sometimes in Lingala or one of the native languages of Kenya.
Congolese musicians were the most popular performers in Kenya during the 1970s and '80s
1980s
File:1980s decade montage.png|thumb|400px|From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, Columbia, lifted off in 1981; American President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev eased tensions between the two superpowers, leading to the end of the Cold War; The Fall of the Berlin Wall in...
, only losing their mainstream acceptance in the early 1990s. Orchestre Virunga was perhaps the most popular and long-running of the Congolese bands. During this period, Swahili musicians (many from Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
) were mostly based around the Wanyika bands bands. This group of often rival bands began in 1971 when a Tanzanian group named Arusha Jazz came to Kenya, eventually becoming the Simba Wanyika Band. The band first split in 1978, when many of the group members formed Les Wanyika
Les Wanyika
Les Wanyika was a prominent band with Kenyan and Tanzanian members and was based in Kenya. It was formed in 1978 when guitarist Omar Shabani, bassist Tom Malanga and two other members left Simba Wanyika. They were joined by John Ngereza and Issa Juma. Les Wanyika made many popular recordings, but...
. Other notable Congolese groups in Kenya included Super Mazembe
Super Mazembe
Orchestra Super Mazembe was a popular band based in Kenya playing Lingala music. The band had roots in Super Vox, a band formed in 1967 in Zaire and led by Mutonkole Longwa Didos. The band moved to Nairobi in 1974 and changed its name to Orchestra Super Mazembe.Their biggest hit was "Shauri...
and Les Mangelepa
Les Mangelepa
Les Mangelepa is a musical group from Kenya. It is considered as one of the golden era of Kenyan Lingala music acts alongside Super Mazembe, Baba Gaston and Samba Mapangala....
.
Hotel pop
Tourist-oriented pop covers are popular, and employ more live bands than more authentic Kenyan folk and pop genres. Them MushroomsThem Mushrooms
Them Mushrooms is a musical band from Kenya, playing mostly Chakacha, some Benga and also some reggae. They are most famous for the Swahili song Jambo Bwana. The band is composed of Teddy Kalanda, Henry Ndenge Saha and Ben Mutwiwa. They mainly do covers of previously written hit songs.The group was...
, who began playing the Nairobi hotel circuit in 1987, are probably the most popular of these bands. Lately, hotel bands like Them Mushrooms and Safari Sound have begun playing 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...
.
Regional pop
The Kamba people live to the south and east of Nairobi. Their pop music is closely related to benga, but includes a second guitar that plays a melodious counterpoint to the primary guitar. The most popular Kamba pop bands arose in the middle of the 1970s and include Les Kilimambogo Brothers Band led by Kakai KilonzoKakai Kilonzo
Kakai Kilonzo was a musician from Kenya. He led the band Kilimambogo Brothers.Kilonzo released his first recording with Kilimambogo Brothers in 1975. The group split in 1978 when Joseph Mwania and Joseph Sila left to form another group, Original Kilimambogo Stars...
, Kalambya Boys & Kalambya Sisters led by Onesmus Musyoki and Joseph Mutaiti and Peter Mwambi & His Kyanganga Boys. Other groups also include Lower Mbooni Boys Band, Muthetheni Boys Band and Ukia Boys Band. Other Akamba Pop Bands were formed in the 1980s and included Kakuku Boys Band vocalled by John Mutua Muteti whose lyrics consisted of religious, domestic, and court humour, Ngoleni Brothers which was formed by Dick Mutuku Mulwa after he left Kalambya Boys & Kalambya Sisters. It can also be noted that Kalambya Boys original members were Onesmus Musyoki (vocals), Joseph Mutaiti (vocals), Dick Mutuku Mulwa (rhythm guitar), James Maisha Muli(Drums) and Peter Kisaa (solo guitar). Kalambya Boys split and Joseph Mutaiti formed Super Kaiti and Onesmus Musyoki went gospel to form Emali Town Choir.
The Kikuyu, one of the biggest ethnic groups in Kenya, have their own form of pop music. Kikuyu pop can be distinguished by female back-up singers, who are rare in the rest of Kenya. The biggest Kikuyu pop star is Joseph Kamaru
Joseph Kamaru
Joseph Kamaru is a benga musician from central Kenya. He is a leading Kikuyu musician, who has sold about half million records.Kamaru is from Kangema, Muranga District. In 1957 he went to Nairobi where he got a househelp job...
, whose 1967 hit "Celina" launched the field. He remained popular, inviting controversy with topical lyrics that criticized the Kenyan government, until becoming a born again Christian in 1993 and switching to gospel music
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
. Kikuyu pop played a major role in the development of benga, largely due to the activity of Daniel Kamau
Daniel Kamau
Daniel Kamau is from a Kenyan family of five. He attended Kenyatta University and graduated with a BA. He is the author of "Gambling with Destiny." which was inspired by attacks on tourists in northern Uganda in March 1999. He has also written a play book DayDreamer and is the founder of Jamhuri...
.
Leading Luhya musicians include Sukuma Bin Ongaro, and Shem Tube with his group Abana Ba Nasery
Abana Ba Nasery
Abana Ba Nasery was a musical group from Kenya. The group was led by Shem Tube , backed by Justo Osala and Enos Okola . The group came from Bunyore, Western Province....
.
Hip hop and reggae
Hip hop is nowadays a prominent style of music. Kenya has several HipHop Diaspora one of the many being Genge flavor with famous artists like Jua Cali (Bidii Yangu), Nonini and Jimwat. There is also the "Kapuka" style with artists like the late E-sir and NamelessDavid 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...
. The country also boast a large following of hardcore rap which is characterized by swift freestyle battlers and lyricists like Bamboo
Bamboo (lyricist)
Simon Kimani, more popularly known as Bamboo, is an emcee who represents Kenya and currently lives in New York City. He was raised in Inglewood, California by parents of East African descent, and at the age of 17, his parents sent him to Nairobi, Kenya to eschew the potentially dangerous life they...
,Doobiez and Chiwawa. These are rappers in the local Sheng and slang English. Bongo flava is very popular in Tanzania. Anything that has Swahili audio, and had a hip hop kind of style, or even a R&B sort of style would be considered bongo flava. Bongo flava is a certain style of music which has a hip hop content to it. See main article on Kenyan hip hop
Kenyan hip hop
Kenyan hip hop is a subgenre of hip hop music that has become very popular among local youth. Some artists generally classified as Kenyan hip hop may not have much to do with hip hop in its strict sense. Mixing of Swahili, English and tribal languages is common...
.
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...
music is highly popular in Kenya. Reggae elements are often mixed with local hip hop and pop music. Yet there has not been many big-name reggae musicians in Kenya. One of the best known local reggae musician is the late Mighty King Kong
Mighty King Kong
Paul Otieno Imbaya , better known for his stage name Mighty King Kong was a reggae musician from Kenya. He was born in Ugenya, Siaya District....
. Others include Jahkey Malle and Prince Otach.
Rock
Rock music has found a home to a growing fan base and with a number of locally established as well as emerging rock bands (there are over twelve active local rock bands in Nairobi alone) further cementing this genre by engaging in different as well as mutually organized rock themed events. Foreign international rock bands (Jars of ClayJars of Clay
Jars of Clay is a Christian rock band from Nashville, Tennessee. They met at Greenville College in Greenville, Illinois.Jars of Clay consists of Dan Haseltine on vocals, Charlie Lowell on piano and keyboards, Stephen Mason on lead guitars and Matthew Odmark on rhythm guitars...
, Casting Crowns
Casting Crowns
Casting Crowns is a Grammy Award and Dove Award winning Contemporary Christian/Christian Rock band. Casting Crowns was started in 1999 by youth pastor Mark Hall at First Baptist Church in Downtown Daytona Beach, Florida as part of a youth group. He now serves as a lead vocalist...
, Parachute Band
Parachute Band
Parachute Band is a worship band from Auckland, New Zealand, formed out of the New Zealand-based Christian organisation Parachute MusicThe band makes pop/rock music and is currently in its second generation, with the current line-up regularly topping the mainstream MySpace NZ Music Charts for acts...
, 38th Parallel
38th Parallel (band)
38th Parallel was a Christian rock/rapcore band formed in Ames, Iowa. Before being signed they received extensive airplay in Iowa markets alongside other CCM Artists. Unknown to them, they were entered into a talent search contest for Christian music giant Word Records...
, Zebra & Giraffe
Zebra & Giraffe
Zebra & Giraffe is an alternative rock band from South Africa. The band's debut album, Collected Memories, was released on 5 May 2008.-Greg Carlin:...
) have also graced the local scene which reflects on the growing influence and acceptance of this genre.
Organized member bodies such as Wiyathi (now defunct) and Roffeke (Rock 'n' Roll Film Festival Kenya) were fundamental in initially marketing local rock bands in the country by hosting regular shows and helped to establish a vibrant rock community. Recently, the bands also aided in the founding of a governing body, the Rock Society of Kenya, which serves to promote the interests of member bands. The society spearheads numerous rock related events like the Battle of the Bands and live rock club shows that has spurred constructive level of activity for bands. Over the past few years many entertainment spots have also independently incorporated rock music onto their programs further indicating a genuine interests from the public.In addittion there are radio stations that play rock music most commonly known are Capital fm 98.4 and X fm 105.5 the latter being an all rock station 24 Hours a day.Some Teevision stations also play rock music.
Other genres
There is a growing interest in other genres of music such as houseHouse music
House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...
and drum and bass
Drum and bass
Drum and bass is a type of electronic music which emerged in the late 1980s. The genre is characterized by fast breakbeats , with heavy bass and sub-bass lines...
. Acts like Just A Band
Just A Band
Just a Band is a Kenyan house/funk/disco band whose career was launched with their debut album, Scratch To Reveal, in 2008. Their music has explored various musical directions such as, but not limited to jazz, hip-hop, disco and electronica....
have also dabbled in numerous alternative genres.
Traditional music
Kenya's diverse ethnic groupEthnic group
An ethnic group is a group of people whose members identify with each other, through a common heritage, often consisting of a common language, a common culture and/or an ideology that stresses common ancestry or endogamy...
s each have their own folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
traditions, though most have declined in popularity in recent years as gospel music became more popular. The Turkana people
Turkana people
The Turkana are a Nilotic people native to the Turkana District in northwest Kenya, a dry and hot region bordering Lake Turkana in the east, Pokot, Rendille and Samburuto the south, Uganda to the west, and Sudan and Ethiopia to the north...
of the north, the Bajuni
Bajuni people
The Bajuni people are a minority ethnic group that live in East Africa.-Overview:The Bajuni principally inhabit the tiny Bajuni Islands in the Indian Ocean. Many also traditionally reside in Kenya, mainly in Mombasa and other towns in that country's Coast Province...
, Akamba, Borana, Chuka, Gusii
Kisii people
The Kisii is a community of Bantu speakers who inhabit the two counties in Nyanza Province, Western Kenya...
, Kikuyu, Luhya and Luo, the Maasai and the related Samburu and the Mijikenda
Mijikenda
The Mijikenda are the nine ethnic groups along the coast of Kenya, from the border of Somalia in the north to the border of Tanzania in the south...
("nine tribes") of the eastern coast are all found within the borders of Kenya.