Trio Mio: Reflecting Society
It was only during the Calif Records and Ogopa Dj reigning years that we heard young vibrant voices ruling airwaves, so when I first heard “Cheza Kama Wewe” I needed to know who the genius behind this piece was. Trio Mio is a Kenyan rapper who has managed to grasp the attention of veterans in the industry among them being Khaligraph Jones who went on to host him for the Lwanda Magere Challenge. Receiving recognition for his hit single and recording a remix featuring household names such as Mejja, and has garnered over 3 million plays on YouTube, Trio Mio is set to disrupt the music industry. Being 16 years old, the young artist has a surmountable blueprint to take over.
Dropping his debut EP “Son Of The City” in November 2020, acts such as Nyashinski and Sauti Sol were amazed by his eloquence. Numerous music fans have compared him to E-Sir and Nasty C suggesting he might be a reincarnation of the great legend who rested too early while a part of the same crowd are judging the young artist. According to them it does not sit right that a 16 year old would rap about abusing marijuana and going out instead of reading.
While it might be true the artist is young, it is undeniable that he is not blind to what is going on in society. The late Nina Simone was once asked in an interview on the role of an artist to society and her answer was to reflect the times. There has been a generational gap between the Old School Artists and the New School artists and to make it worse, there has been an entire disconnection between the fans and artists.
I recently came across a tweet imagining how school is for Trio Mio since he is a star. The replies and quoted tweets were humorous and some were heavily criticizing this young adolescent who is describing this daily context - the gatekeepers and audience forget that they have no right to grade art. As there is constant discussion of a lack of mentorship in the scene, I often wonder are artists really obliged to pay back to the industry by mentoring up-and-coming artists in one way or another? This has been a regular thought in my head as I think of great artists who have left us and mentored artists to carry on.
As fans, we often feel entitled to the artist that we conceive some type of belief that Artist A is better than Artist B. Just because Dandora Hip Hop City are rapping as victims of injustice while Natty is rapping as the doer of the crime does not mean one will make a positive change while the other will inflict negativity. They are both delivering their art from different perspectives.
Trio Mio is an excellent case study of what creative freedom can bring to the industry. More young names who are risk takers willing to shake the game and experiment on various sounds are highly needed. Trio Mio is currently working on a song with Fena Gitu as tweeted by Boombuzz.
Listen to ‘Son Of The City” here
