June Rap Jumpstart
The month of June has come with a lot music. We compiled a list that features some of the most outstanding records from this month. There are lo-fi songs, drill songs that talk about love and some bops from beloved femcees. Press play and enjoy!
2yheart- Lagum the Rapper featuring Agasha
Lagum the Rapper is by now a household name for lovers of alternative East African music. He is part of a new school crop of artistes who are willing to not box themselves in the sounds of the region. They are re-defining self expression, expanding our Ideas about genres and what it means to be a multi-disciplinary artist. It is absolutely exciting, refreshing even but not entirely surprising to hear Lagum rap over an afro swing beat. The Ugandan owns the beat completely, rapping with confidence and a cocky bravado that is felt in his delivery. He uses short punchy lines ending them with simple rhymes. He presents a persona that is intent on expressing his love in the simplest language possible.
Agasha performs the chorus of the song as well as its bridge, displaying her vocal abilities with poise and grace.The song has a feel good effect, and it's the kind that you'd want on your morning playlist.
Got Your Number - The Maghreban featuring Nah Eeto
The Maghreban is a North African DJ that has been making alternative and deconstructed hip hop since the early 2000's. He has lately developed a taste for incorporating electro style symphonies into his beats. Using light drums and an electric bass guitar, he creates a funky lo-fi beat. He also adds North African flutes and a keyboard is played in taraab fashion, paying homage to the East African artiste he has worked with on the track. Nah Eeto is the artist using her vocals. She performs the song in Swahili, giving a catchy trance-inducing hook that makes you want to get on the dance floor. The verses are performed at a slow pace, naturally, but do not in any way jeopardize the energy of the song. It's amazing to see these two minds come together to make a beautiful song which showcases a deep understanding and interaction with traditional cultural music.
WABA - LB (EL PRESIDENTE) featuring Mervyn Obiero
LB is one of the most hardworking and consistent rappers out of Nairobi currently. This year, he has steadily been dropping singles with accompanying visuals in a strategy that is aggressively strong and aims to get his music to as many fans as possible. And it's seemingly working, because he was able to get himself a performance slot during the Boileroom concert held in Nairobi two months ago. WABA is performed over an Atlanta style trap beat with a moderate pace, a persistent flute and heavy drums . The rappers invite the listeners to a colorful house party where revelers enjoy themselves and girls get freaky for a night of wildness.The duo deliver some nice bars with a cockiness that their fans are already used to.
Vitu Vingi -Young Lunya
Bongorapper Young Lunya is a favorite on this list,a bias that only exists because of his hard work and consistency. This month he tried his hand at drill but with a twist. The face of hard -hitting street rap in Tanzania, pursues the delicate subject of Love in his latest, swerving out of his lane a little. He addresses a lover, who feels neglected and abandoned. The rapper weaves a story about a man working hard for his wife and his family. The persona hasn't neglected the family at all,he is just busy with work and it doesn't mean he loves his partner any less. Within the song, though, the rapper manages to take a dig at the modern consumer culture,driven by clever sellers and marketers,who package brands as posh and sophisticated. While he realizes the problem, he isn't willing to do anything, instead promising his partner that he will do all in his power to get money to provide the luxury items. The visuals aid in the telling of the story, showing the fancy parts of town, where the performer works and lives. The fashion choices are bespoke, showing well tailored suits and designer dresses, expensive jewelry and accessories and expensive bottles in expensive clubs. The director uses lighting creatively in combination with unconventional angling to create a riveting film shot in not more than three locations. It's exciting to see Young Lunya deliver as energetically and passionately on a love song as he does in street songs.
Hold You Up - KayCyy featuring Annahstasia & Steven Bamidele
KayCyy finally dropped a long awaited project and fans are all too happy to consume.The Kenyan-American rapper and producer has risen to prominence in the last few months after working with the likes of Kanye West, Fivio Foreign and Gessaffelstein. Other stars like Nicki Minaj have publicly declared admiration for the grammy nominee, and it's understandable why this project was anticipated. Fans also expected that the project would have a big name featured, but that did not happen. KayCyy, an alternative artist himself, decided to work with his kind on the project. Hold You Up deconstructs a hype pop beat slowing it down and remaking it to an African dance beat. The genre commonly known as Amapiano. The idea to incorporate the sound may have come from Steven Bamidele,a UK based musician with South African roots,featured in this track along side American neo-soul artist Annahstasia. She opens the song with sultry vocals and harmonizes when KayCyy starts singing the hook. Using his signature voice, he delivers a chill melodic verse. This delivery style perfectly aligns with the message of the song- a solemn promise to stick with a lover (possibly friend). The timing of the drums is clever enabling the instrumental to work for the artistes vocalizing. It's quite, beautiful listening a genre bending song like this one.
Ka Unaweza - Maandy feat. Mejja
Maandy is a preacher, and quite an excellent one. And if you're wondering what she preaches,it is the powerful gospel of women's sexuality. She encourages women,young and old,to take charge and be proud of their bodies and to embrace their sexual desires, living life to the fullest. Just a little over two months ago , she dropped the song BTW, an anthem that resonated quite well with East African women. She has now followed it up with Ka Unaweza, a raunchy gengetone number performed on a minimalistic beat.The song challanges a male lover to deliver on the sexual fantasies of the female persona. She expects to be treated right and sexually satisfied and wants her requests acted upon. Rico Beats, who the femcee turned to for beat making, produces a slow-paced but moving instrumental that gets the listener into a sensual mood as intended by the writers of the song.
The visuals feature captivating choreography, done tastefully to evoke eroticism. Maandy showcases her seductive dancing skills, throughout the length of the video. The style used to shoot for this song is the one loop, something that has become trendy, with stars Matata ,King Kaka and Nyashinski employing it in some of their recent videos.
Album Mode Freestyle- HR The Messenger
HR the Messenger, hails from the bustling town of Rongai that has given rise to new skool Kenyan hip hop stars like Boutross, Breeder LW,Tunji ,Steph Kapela and many more. Rongai hiphop doesn't have one sound; instead,many of the rappers coming from the area have distinct sounds. HR sets himself apart from the rest by his unique vocals and impeccable production style. He is also a renowned lyricist, having won Album of the Year at the 2020 UnKut Hennessy Hiphop Awards. That project washis first studio album,but it got amazing reception from fans and recognition from hip hop critics. This new song is meant to curtain raise for an upcoming sophomore album. Album Mode Freestyle lets fans peek into the state of mind that the rapper is in as he works to complete the project. On a slowed down beat, with chopped samples, the rapper talks about himself and his place in the Kenyan industry. His cadence matches the speed of the beat, his deep signature voice, delivering bars and clever zingers.
RONALDO - Weusi
Weusi is a Tanzanian hip hop collective that boasts of some of the biggest names in East Africa like G-NAKO, Lord Eyes and Joh Makini. The group was formed more than five years ago. It is respected and revered almost as an institution within Bongo hip hop. The collective is not a full time group but a consensus of MCees who hit the studio from time to time to give music that is inspired, poetry that speaks to the society. Indeed lyricism and deep reflected thematic concerns are very on brand for the collective. RONALDO, the song talks about the desire to achieve milestones in a career and about leaving a legacy. By alluding to the Portuguese Manchester United forward, Christiano Ronaldo, the rappers on the record, each address these themes on their verses. Using events from the footballer's life, the rappers draw parallels to their own, finding meaning in habits like training hard,challenging one self, and striving for success. I've always made a joke that most of Tanzanian hip hop feels like listening to a motivational speaker! This song proves me right, does it not? The S2kizzy beat borrows heavily from old skool techniques , using a DJ style scratching to create breaks. The use of trumpets creates a jazzy feeling and the heavy drums adds an invigorating energy.
Nakujali- King Kerby & MR. LU*
King Kerby and MR.LU* collaborate on this beautiful song It is interesting how the subject matter of the song would sound cheesy under any other circumstance, but works for this number. Nakujali is Swahili for 'I care about you' a message that this song delivers over a lo-fi instrumental.
It is a message to a lover, from a persona that truly cares, and wants to know if his partner is doing well. King Kerby delivers a punchy verses, with simple but powerful lyrics.The bridge promises a good time - a holiday in Kilifi, on the Kenyan coast.
Both King Kerby and MR.LU* are artistes that use lo-fi rap instrumentals to express themselves. This collaboration is an obvious win,as the two rappers in all likelihood share a fan base, and if not - have the affinity to do so. The main rhythm in the instrumental is made by a complex arrangement of drums, both light and heavy. A staggered electronic keyboardis then used to harmonize the beat and give it a melody. This duo has great chemistry,as witnessed from the two songs they have done together.
Feelin' It- Groovy Jo
Groovy Jo's naibop sound is catchy and energetic- it really is a bop. Feelin' It, has an instrumental that employs a bouncy guitar at the end of every cycle creating a feel good mood. The rapper capitulates the club-friendly beat with memorable bars and braggadocious lines. She sends shots at un-named rappers and admirers, asking that they do better because she's not feeling it. She also calls out a society made up with greedy, self-serving individuals who behave sub-optimally, doing more harm than good to the people who think of them as friends. She makes a few pop culture references, mentioning martial arts performer and actor Bruce Lee and Chowder- a Cartoon Network show. This song comes from an artist that has been quiet for some months, and fans are all too happy to get the new new.
Bold- Asum Garvey featuring Boutross & Groovy Jo
Asum Garvey has the work rate and hunger of a rapper trying to prove himself, when he really doesn't have to. He is consistent with releasing music, putting out at least two mixtapes a year. The 'fanya vi-boldly,fanya na chest' opening line sums up his attitude. He goes at it with his chest: encapsulating strength, determination and hard work. The song however has a hint of darkness, mentioning death to bring out its message. Asum goes first, giving a short but punchy verse to accommodate Boutross and Groovy Jo. The guests do not disappoint, managing to add a bright feel to the song with their signature flows.The artist dropped The Asum Cut mixtape this month. Bold made the tracklist in a project with surprisingly few features, three to be precise. This could be signaling a new approach to the way the rapper makes music.
KATA- WarChild Bezzy featuring Khaligraph Jones
South Sudanese musician WarChild Bezzy embodies the tragic situation in which his native country finds itself in. His stage name is a brazen reminder about the situation the country experienced to gain its secession from Sudan and its current on and off civil war. Growing up a refugee, the artist has made the semblance of a home in the Kampala and Nairobi music scenes. His sound belongs to both cities and his versatility in afro-dancehall music captures the essence of East Africa. His use of Swahili is even more endearing to the fans, and his story is relatable to East Africans in his native South Sudan as well Uganda, Congo, Rwanda and Burundi.Kata is a club oriented dance song celebrating love. Bezzy uses a versatile melodic cadence to deliver his verse. The beat done by Kenyan producer Motif Di Don, is fluid enough to accommodate Khaligraph Jones' flow. The guest puts together some pick up lines that are clever and delightful to hear.
