Sauti Sol Extravaganza. Kenyan hit-makers, Sauti Sol ushers a brand new single titled Extravaganza which features Bensoul, Nviiri the Storyteller, Crystal Asige and Kaskazini.
International boy-band and Kenya’s major musical export Sauti Sol are here for no games in 2019. They just released a new record that reminds us why they are the greatest group in our times. If you had no idea what Benga is, here is the showcase.
As of 2019, the focus has been on the new record label, Sol Generation which seems to churn out stars and hits. We were introduced to Besoul as the first signee but today we know about Nviiri the Story Teller, Crystal Asige and Kaskazini. [taq_review]
The Boy-Band opens the new jam ‘Extravaganza’ with sweet melodies and harmonies that make the bridge of the jam. Bensoul takes off the story of the trial to triumph story. New signee Nviiri has his spot on the same, handing it to Crystal and lastly Kaslazini.
The jam is a new sound according to Bien. “We are here to show you that Sauti Sol is still the baddest in the game. We wanted to create a timeless jam with an authentic sound. The jam has a message too, so make sure you listen and re-listen”.
Content courtesy of Sol Generation,Kenyan Vibe & Nairobi Fashion Hub Online Digital Team
Afro-pop star Ashleye Scarlette is back with one of her most vulnerable releases to date. Out on Tuesday (May 27), “Nikuamini” is a standalone single from the singer based on her personal experiences.
The new track, her first of 2019, is an impactful dance-tinged ballad that puts the emphasis on Ashleye Scarlett’s expressive vocal tone as she flits between airy breathiness and powerful, sweeping belts.
Lyrically, the song relays the artist’s sense of assurance and focuses on a relationship that might end in sorrow despite her putting her trust in it “Nifanye Nikuamini,” she sings and shares how the singer wanted to hold onto it even though she knows that it was something she needed to turn away from.
A deep Afro-pop track, “Nikuamini” is a tempo-shifting dance song that puts the focus on her synergy as a vocalist. It seamlessly flits between the breezy tones of the vocalist and her gruffer deliveries to create a vibrant soundscape soaring with shimmering synths and groovy beats. [taq_review]
The music video for the song bring even more focus on the theme as portrayed in the lyrics with the director capturing scenes of the singer having a conversation with the said lover then back solely onto the star, doing away with the flash and flare often associated with the world of pop and instead pans over the normal union of a couple in argument.
Audio Produced by Vicky Pon Dis (Simba Sounds) Video Directed by Richie-G(ATL Entertainment) 2019 Administered by Ngomma VAS Limited.
Content courtesy of Ashleye Scarlett & Nairobi Fashion Hub Online Digital Team
Patoranking chats with BlackNBold magazine about his new album named after his daughter ”Wilmer” and his thoughts on fashion and style.
1. How did you come up with your stage name?’ My name is Patrick so Pato was coined from it and Ranking came as the word implies. When you are ranked, it holds relevance. Hence Pato-Ranking.
2. What do you enjoy most about being a musician? and What do you hate most? Definitely love the creation of the music, how i feel, the freedom, that spiritual saturation of sounds that you might call inspiration. Hate is a strong word, i think its more of discomfort. I feel slightly uncomfortable with the lack of privacy but i guess it comes with the job.
3. What has kept you going over the past years? My hunger to learn, my anticipation to win and my drive to impact. I represent a whole race, a whole generation and music has given me a voice, there is a responsibility on my shoulders, it is an honour! Also what has kept me going is the Love for what I do and those I do it for.
4. If you could change anything about the industry, what would it be? The mindset that talent is everything and solely needed to be an artist or musician
5. Tell us about the Wilmer album and why did you choose to name this one after your daughter? Apart from my daughter’s name being Wilmer, Wilmer means “Famous” in German and that is a great follow up to my 1st Album – God over Everything. It summarizes my journey (which isn’t over). I prophesied in Alubarika, put out a body of work by putting God over Everything and now I’m famous (Wilmer).
6. How was it like working with Alexander Julian on the Lenge Lenge photo shoot? It was humbling, as you know he is an amazing creative and i love the outcome of our work together.
7. Which is your most favourite track off the Album and what makes it dear to you? It’s difficult to choose as they are all my faves and they tell different tales that are super dear to me. My inspiration on this album is far fetched…deeply felt.
8. In the Lenge Lenge video what inspired the afrobeat theme? Afrobeat is ours and the Late Great Fela inspired it. However with the visuals, it was important to portray that he was (we also are) Afrocentric yet fashionable. Our fabrics and designs are globally embraced and this song and video was a union of both our sound and style which was part of the uniqueness of Ba ami.
9. Mention that one international collaboration you are still looking forward to and why? There’s quite a number of them lol. Play my part with securing the bridge that takes Africa to the world.
10. Any music tour to Europe and North America anytime soon? Definitely! I will be taking the music to the fans across Europe, Canada and the US very soon.
In celebration of the highly anticipated Wilmer album, Nigerian reggae-dancehall singer Patoranking covers the May edition of Uk/Nigerian based black inspired publication, BlackNBold magazine. The edition focuses on his journey, his career and more emphasis on Wilmer, his upcoming album.
Patrick Nnaemeka Okorie better known by his stage name Patoranking started his career doing underground collaborations with artists like Konga, Slam and X project.
In 2010 he signed a record deal with K-Solo’s Igberaga Records, releasing “Up in D Club” under the outfit. Patoranking became a protégé of Dem Mama Records after collaborating with Timaya on his song “Alubarika”.
In February 2014, he signed a record deal with Foston Musik and released “Girlie O”, a single that gave him the spotlight and in February he signed a distribution deal with VP Records. Since then Patoranking has gone on to release multiple singles and Top hits, including his most recent hit song “confirm” with Davido.
Kenyan superstar with a unique style and presence, Kagwe Mungai shares his debut album ‘Spectrum’ featuring hit tracks like Doctor & African Lady
Kagwe Mungai is launching his first album, Spectrum in a colorful concert at the Alchemist! Come and celebrate with us!
After a successful string of singles,Kagwe Mungai now eyes an album. The talented crooner-cum-music producer took to his Instagram to announce that his debut album Spectrum is underway. The deets were albeit sketchy at first,but he promised a follow up post to demystify its predecessor. That he did a few hours later.
A 12-track album,with 3 bonus tracks to boot is slated for the 18th of May 2019. Some already-released tracks like Till The End and Bass will feature on the album. 3 of the tracklist will be collaborations,two of them with fellow local musicians.
[taq_review] Mungai’s multihyphenated career has been on the rise. From collaborations with renowned singers from far-flung places to being a part of local bangers,his has been a winning streak. Having produced songs for reputable music acts hitherto,it’s little wonder that he has writing and production credits on the whole album.
He has also clearly broken the n0-album stereotype by most Kenyan music acts. Will the reception be anything to write home about? That will come to light on 18th May 2019!
Content courtesy of NRG & Nairobi Fashion Hub Online Digital Team
Gabiro Mtu Necessary just dropped a new single off the new world controversial hit ‘Devils Work’ originally done by Joyner Lucas,He takes his fans on a conversation with God on why He (God) allows good people to vanish and allow the bad ones to stay.
This comes after his previous release ‘International Local that saw him champion for more support towards all talented fellows. In the song, recorded at MGF Studio, the self-proclaimed Kisumu President is pouring his heart heavily and he definitely sounds angered with all that goes around him; playing into the theme of being denied a chance together with other pioneers from all walks of life.
“I would not like anybody to misunderstand or misquote the lyrics on this song at any time because it is nothing more serious than an artist expressing themselves artistically in a song. Everyone mentioned in this song has in one way or the other either supported me as a brand and or as a person or they had an impact in whatever I am doing today.”
~ Gabiro Mtu Necessary ~
[taq_review]
He continues, “If at any time any of us will feel so much offended that they can never forgive, I would like to remind them that we are all sinning so may God forgive me coz I am just singing.”
For someone to want a tragedy like death to befall you they really must have had the toughest time of their life keeping up with you but who are we to judge yet we are all sinning.
Content Courtesy Gabiro Mtu Necessary & Nairobi Fashion Hub Online Digital Team
‘Far Away’ King Kaka teams up with The American rapper from Philadelphia, Pennyslvania, Cassidy on this feel good afro rap sound track produced by Musyox. Far Away feeds into your wanderlust which takes you to amazing places with feel good vibes.
King Kaka born as Kennedy Tarriq Ombima in Eastlands Nairobi Kenya, is an Hip Hop Artiste from Kenya. Kaka Sungura was born in a family of 3 boys. He later joined Eastleigh High School where his passion for music grew each year.
Growing to Hip-Hop as the soundtrack to his life, he later followed the route. And a year after his high school completion he signed a 2year recording contract with Sneed Music “Dj Loop’s at that time”.
[taq_review]
Where he did the much hyped album ,’Tales Of Kaka Sungura’ which had hits such as ‘jam nakam, the much talked about Dodoma ft Harry Kimani, Dreams and Prodigal Son’ and guest appearances such as Abbas, Chiwawa, Zakaa, Anto-neosoul, Oddinary and more .
The album a different sound of Hip Hop fused with deep lyrics, story based and a touch soul. King Kaka is currently running an a number of initiatives & organizations that deals with gender violence, child molestation, empowering the African child and mostly make people realize their dreams thus THE DREAMS CAMPAIGN and the TUBONGE INITIATIVE. He is the C.E.O Kaka Klothing,
Credits.
Written & Performed by Kennedy Tarriq Ombima ‘King Kaka’,Barry Adrian Reese ‘Cassidy’. Chorus Written by & Kennedy Tarriq Ombima, Brian Nadra. Performed By Brian Nadra. Additional Vocals by Kuhani. Produced By Eric Musyox, Decimal Records. Video Directed by Hussein Njoroge. DOP @masartfilms P.A @amJusto
Content courtesy of King Kaka & Nairobi fashion hub Online Digital Team
Vivian, Kenya’s top female artist and songwriter is out with another new sensational love song tagged “ChezaChini“, In which she had features some other Kenyan talented vocalists, Naiboi and Savara of the Sauti Sol music group.
In which he as well dropped and commissions the highly awaited visuals of the hit song.
Vivian is arguably Kenya’s top female artist with a vast catalogue of music in diverse genres. She is known for Hits like Woman in Love, Chingi Changa, Teren, Dream ft Jaguar, Charm ft Jose Chameleone, Attention ft Redsan and many more.
Vivian now teams up with industry top honchos The Naiboi and Savara from the all boy band Sauti Sol.
Naiboi has recently been on the charts especially with his Anthem Song 2 in1. His style and magic touch makes all the songs he features in a hit.
Savara is a multi award winner who is known across the continent and beyond borders. His vast experience as both a musician and producer makes the blend of this Song Cheza Chini worth every minute. #ChezaChini #Naiboi #SautiSol
[taq_review]
Artist Label – Moran House Audio Production: Pacho Studios (Rixx Producer) Video : True d pictures Song Mastered by : Lucas Ogopa Deejays Special thanks to: The Waterfront Karen
Content courtesy of Vivian Kenya & Nairobi fashion hub Online Digital Team
Victoria Kimani is back with a bang, this time with a single dubbed “Swalalala”. The Video was directed by Sweetness and produced by Masterkraft. This is something that no one should miss.
Kimani glides through with the lyrics and the tempo. Damn! This girl is fine. The Kenyan song writer has been in the media with cat fights but this jam still proves she can still do music. This release comes after has latest song Wash It which featured Ghanaian lyricist Sarkodie. This song is simply a dis to her haters.
The song was shot in Kibera kenya, which is amongest the largest slums in Africa. The background is very creative and honestly, who would have that Kimani would shoot a video in such a place? The lyrics and the beats are just in sync with the song.
[taq_review]
The video quality is of international standards. The words and the video too are in sync. The production generally is commendable. Also make up and costume was well thought off. Victoria Kimani had great minds working with her.
Content courtesy of Victoria Kimani & Nairobi fashion hub Digital team
In an effort to break new grounds for Hip-Hop Artists in the Nigerian Music Industry, The PGM Club last Sunday 14th April 2019 held a special show themed THIS IS HIP-HOP – celebrating the art at The Harvest in Lekki.
With a mixed crowd of hip-hop heads and good music lovers in attendance, the show kicked off by 8pm with an amazing performance from a fast rising female rapper called Phlow.
The show continued on a high tempo with different performances from several underground rappers who free-styled to chosen words/phrases from the audience who cheered at their favorites.
As though the freestyles were not enough, popular Hip-hop artists like Barleyanyhook, Kel, Teeto Ceemos, Raeslick, Loose Kaynon, AQ, BigfootinURface, Peter Clarke, Ikon, Teckzilla, SDC, Ycee and Illbliss also took to the stage to perform much to the delight of their fans who rapped along while sipping free cocktails provided by Jameson Whisky as the main sponsors of the event.
THIS IS HIP-HOPwas organized and executed by the PGM Club in collaboration with DDTM, Boombap Lounge, 100 Crowns, Dark Cypher, A147 Entertainment and Showgear.
Up Next is The PGM Live in Abuja with SDC…Stay Tuned!
About The PGM Club Born out of an inherent love for good music and the need to give unpopular music talents a voice, The PGM Club is a media agency that was established by a group of music enthusiasts to provide a unique platform that unearths, showcases and promotes underground Nigerian Musicians with good contemporary music.
Content courtesy of Novva Media & Nairobi fashion hub
Since its inception in 2015, Nyege Nyege International Music Festival has never diverted from its mission: To shine light on East Africa’s growing pool of artistic talents and to make Uganda the host of the most exciting music festival on the planet. In 2018 it attracted over 3,000 tourists, making Uganda the premier music travel destination on the continent.
Life time experience at Nyege Nyege Village
Featured on every major music publication in the world, including the The Guardian, CNN, BBC, Rolling Stone and The Economist, Nyege Nyege is now a global phenomenon. And to top it off last Friday at the Ekkula Pearl of Africa Tourism Awards it was recognized as the “Best Overall Tourism Event in Uganda 2018”.
Together with the Government of Uganda, it has promised to leverage this prestigious award and grow the festival industry to attract more positive press and visitors to Uganda. Tourism relies on competitive advantages, and while Uganda is on par with other regional players when it comes to Nature and Wildlife, it is the hospitality of its people and the diversity and richness of its culture that will set it apart in the future.
The organizers have dedicated their award to the late Ambassador Julius Onen, who hosted the festival at Nile Discovery Beach since its inception. Ambassador Onen was a very fervent supporter of the festival and of culture in general, and he will be greatly missed. The organizers have promised to continue to fulfil his vision of a prosperous Uganda known for its culture, beauty and hospitality.
Audience enjoying live music performed by local bands
The city of Jinja and the community of Njeru have greatly benefited from the festival. Since it became MTN Nyege Nyege in 2017 the festival has grown to nearly 10,000 attendees and this has brought a tremendous boost in the local economy. From casual workers to hotel owners, from rolex sellers to restaurant owners, artists, crafts sellers, cab drivers and other local entrepreneurs, everyone benefits from MTN Nyege Nyege.
During the festival alone over 250 vendors reported profits from the festival. The festival has made a commitment to contribute to host community of the festival, and year on year people have shared amazing stories of how they were able to buy a plot of land or send their kids to university after the festival, every single hotel is fully booked during the festival and the city of Jinja has witnessed a twenty fold increase in business during the time of the festival.
Interaction at Nyege Nyege festival
A music festival is synonymous with peace, hospitality, culture and fun, and by becoming a globally recognized festival, Uganda is now constantly associated with all those positive elements in the international press, which directly affects the image of Uganda and the amount of visiting tourists. Many festival attendees elect to spend more time in Uganda, visiting national parks, and staying in beautiful lodges.
After receiving the award, Talent Africa’s CEO Aly Allibhai has vowed to continue to use his resources as the premier event management & production company in the country, to support the vision of the Nyege Nyege founders, and continue to strive to make this the best festival in the world.
Talent Africa’s CEO Aly Allibhai at the Middle
The festival has also announced that it would work more closely with the Ugandan Government in order to communicate better on its purpose and avoid any confusion with regards to false statements that have tried to bring the event down last year.
The Festival believes that it needs to work together with the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Internal Affairs to guarantee a quality experience for all foreign visitors as well as Ugandan and East African audiences.
Since its inception the festival has pushed for more regional tourism, and last year alone it attracted over 800 Kenyans and 300 Rwandese, many of whom had never come to Uganda in the past. Regional weekend getaways are becoming a trend in regional tourism, but most people tend to go to the coast of Tanzania or Kenya.
MTN Nyege Nyege wants to reverse this trend and encourage people across the region to visit Uganda more often.
Promoting art and culture
This year MTN Nyege Nyege is partnering with European, American, Asian and African tour operators in order to reach out to new markets. Requests have poured in from artists all over the continent to attend, and by continuing to propose a Pan African line up, the festival directly advertises in new African countries.
Last year, under the MTN Pulse program, MTN invited 20 Ghanian taste makers to Uganda to experience the festival, as a result the festival expects an influx of Ghanian visitors.
By promoting traditional music and other cultural practices from the four corners of Uganda, the festival is able to highlight the cultural diversity of Uganda, something unique to the Pearl of Africa.
It creates pride amongst Uganda that cuts across tribal differences and promotes unity through diversity.
African Music
MTN Nyege Nyege is also at the forefront of national tourism, by introducing camping culture to Ugandan audiences (1500 Ugandans camped at the last edition) it opens up a whole new market to budget travellers, and encourages Ugandans to visit Uganda!
According to recent studies, Music Festival tourism is the fastest growing segment of the global tourism industry, doubling over the last 3 years to a 4 billion dollar industry. Facts show that more people travel further to gain new experiences and attend music festivals, Nyege Nyege intends to bring a bigger chunk of that market to Uganda.
The dates for the 2019 edition of MTN Nyege Nyege will be confirmed in the coming weeks. Tickets are expected to go on sale from the beginning of May.
Live performance
To celebrate the Ekkula Tourism Award, MTN Nyege Nyege Festival will throw a celebratory party on April 19ththemed with a Full Moon party experience at the View Kampala located above Hotel Diplomat in Tank Hill, Muyenga.
About Nyege Nyege Music Festival
MTN Nyege Nyege International Music Festival was started in 2015 by the Boutiq Electroniq collective, namely Kampire Bahana, Arlen Dilsizian, Derrick Debru and Darlyne Komukama.
In 2016 it joined forces with Talent Africa and its state of the art event management & production expertise lead by event guru Aly Allibhai, creating a festival production dream team.
On the back of the reputation of Talent Africa, Nyege Nyege was able to attract initial sponsorship from Brussels Airlines and Bell lager, and in 2018 MTN signed a 3 year title sponsorship agreement to give the festival an additional opportunity to grow.
The festival is part of a larger talent incubation project that includes community studios in Bunga open to young talents, access to production infrastructure, training in production and music software as well as DJing and recording of traditional troupes to encourage cultural preservation. The music produced is made available on two internationally acclaimed labels, namely Nyege Nyege tapes and Hakuna Kulala.
Finally, Nyege Nyege represents 20+ Ugandan and East African artists around the world, creating substantial income through their performances.
DJ Kampire will make her US debut as the closing act of the New York Red Bull Music Festival on May 16th.
Content courtesy of Talent Africa Group & Nairobi fashion hub
Sheebah Karungi aka Queen Sheebah born November 11, 1989 in Ugandan she is a recording artist, dancer and actress debuting her acting career in Queen of Katwe as Shakira. After quitting Obsessions, a dance group she joined in 2006, she rose to recognition upon the release of her hit single titled “Ice Cream”.
In 2014, she released her debut project Ice Cream, a five-track EP which did well commercially and further led her to win back-to-back HiPipo Music Awards Best Female Artist in 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018. She also won the Artist of the Year award twice, in 2017 and 2018, at the HiPipo Music Awards. Sheebah has also represented uganda at coke studios africa twice.
Life and career
Sheebah Karungi was born and raised by a single mother in Kawempe, a division of Kampala, the capital city of Uganda. After completing her basic education at Kawempe Muslim Primary School, she dropped out of school in senior two when she was a student of Midland High School, Kawempe.
At the age of 15, she started dancing for money after she joined a dance group called Stingers before she left the group for Obsessions Music Group in 2006. At Obsessions she developed an interest in music, recording two songs before she left the group for a solo career in music.
In 2010, she released “Kunyenyenza”, her first official single, produced by Washington with writing credit from Cindy. She went on to release another song titled “Bulikyekola”, featuring vocals from KS Alpha and then “Baliwa” featuring Coco Finger.
It was until she released “Automatic”, a song written by Sizzaman, that her solo career experienced a major turnaround. Upon the success of “Automatic”, she teamed up again with Sizzaman to release “Ice Cream” to massive airplay and positive reviews before she went on to release another hit single, “Twesana”.
In 2014, she released her first musical project, Ice Cream, a five-track EP which contained hit singles including “Ice Cream” and “Jordan”. The EP was well received and helped win her Best Female Artist at the 2014 and 2015 HiPipo Music Awards.
Content courtesy of Sheebah Karungi & Nairobi fashion hub
