August Rap Jumpstart
Karma - Tanasha Donna featuring Barak Jacuzzi
Tanasha is as beautiful and talented as they come, but not many East Africans think of her as a rapper. The girl boss surprised many of her fans, and hip hop heads as well with her delivery on Karma. Over a medium tempo, hard drill beat produced by So Fresh (mostly an afropop/afrofusion Producer ) ,she delivers a verse that can be appreciated for its punchiness and rawness. She rounds off her performance with a repetitive melodic bridge that ushers her into the chorus. Barak Jacuzzi,a frequent collaborator and friend of the singer, comes in next, bossing the beat with braggadocious claims presented in clever lyrics that leave the listener with a smile. The song talks about letting Karma pay for the general wrongs of an unnamed enemy, utilizing the refrain 'you never saw it coming,leave it to karma ' . Many fans would now agree that Tanasha Donna should rap more often. Perhaps if she was made to snap like this , the aggressor unknowingly unleashed a beast we all want to see in the arena.
Mr Kuweza - Dogo Janja & Kusah
Bongo rapper Dogo Janja sets the energetic tone of this song from the very start with a hard hitting verse. He writes witty punchlines that are braggadocious but inspiring at the same time. Mr Kuweza, is a persona that believes he can do anything that he sets out to do. He sees himself as a go-getter and a fearless superstar. Kusah performs the second verse, seemingly striking the same vein Dogo did. He even mentions Young Dee,another Tanzanian rapper he has been beefing with. He declares he would bury any rapper,like he did to the aforementioned name on any beat. The old skool instrumental is infused with elements of boom-bap that makes it sound and feel more playful, bouncy even. A set of back up vocals performing the hook and bridge add not only to the harmony and melody, but could effectively be seen as an alternative narrative technique, a different account to the story
War (Nini Unataka) - 8thStreet Gang featuring AK45Gunman
8th Street Gang have finally released a full length project, something that their fans have been expecting for some time now. The album is decidedly a drill project and explores dark themes that are common within the genre. This collective stands out from most drill rappers in the way they narrate the dark themes. In a carefree, almost ,nonchalant way , War talks about gang violence. The rappers tell the story as if they are above the happenings, although they are part of them. This translates to the song having a braggadocious tone. This jamis an anthem that gasses up listeners for 'war' ,a tradition that can be traced to precolonial Africa. Various communities had songs and chants they performed before going to war. They acted as a tool to comfort, inspire courage and foster togetherness, and the same feelings can be derived from this song. The group also has a very distinct flow and cadence that's meant to rival ,in their own words, 'Burukanga' a.k.a Buruburu. Buruburu is home to the rap duo Buruklyn Boyz, arguably the face of Nairobi drill scene . This could set a new way of rapping for drillers from Kibera, or those who don't want to associate with the Buruklyn flow.
Shetani 1 - Jodye Faneto
To say that Jodye has a love for rabble rousing is a mild way to describe the public persona he has cultivated over the last two years. In a drill eco system that's saturated with many rappers that have little to differentiate them, Goddy stands out for his trademark hard hitting zingers aimed at the more famous rappers. His writing style is reminiscent of a young 50 Cent who took on big names, punching above his weight with witty lyrics that made you laugh. Shetani 1,is a declaration of war. Jodye calls himself the devil; taking aim at the "rap gods and angels' '. He name drops Khaligraph Jones, Octopizzo, Domani Munga of Wakadinali and Jovie Jovv among others, calling them out for this and that. Some could see the title of the song to be a not so subtle dig at Munga Domani, who's famous for his freestyle series,Mungu (God). The fact that he has dropped Shetani 1,and is talking about following it up,only confirms this theory. He employs this running motif of 'let there be..' a biblical statement by the creator. Throughout the song he says statements like : let there be fight,let there be pension and many others. The switch between claiming deity and the absolute position of villainy is a paradox that the rapper doesn't see, instead quipping on his twitter that the devil is a creation of God. The beat is produced by his long time collaborator,Skinny Gean,who also mixes and masters in an effective way that brings out the punchlines. Fans will be hoping for Shetani 2 , sometime soon, hopefully it'll take down more rappers. I can bet my last coin that hip hop heads would love to see that happen.
Vuuza 333 - Ngaara
The Rwandese dialect has a way of sounding hype on hip hop beats. A new crop of rappers out of Kigali like Ngaara, are building a culture that is fiercely Afrocentric, and it's beautiful to see. Or hear in the music. Vuuza , is a trap number whose instrumental employs many accompanying sounds such as flowing water, breaking glass and revving engines to influence moods. The funky rock guitar firmly places this song in the psychedelic trap category. Ngaara's flow and cadence is mainly melodic. The high tempo and energetic performance evokes the same feelings, and the braggadocious lyrics only confirm the biased direction the creative wanted to take.
VENDREDI - Colossal Music featuring Meryl Paige & Boutross
Colossal Music is a music studio that has been making waves, and doing music equivalent of letting customers taste samples before they buy the product. This is a brilliant strategy that's time tested. The added advantage, that we're more interested in ,is the creation of art- music that'll be shared and danced to. The instrumental is a reconstructed latin type trap beat. The modifications mimic the drill sub-genre, and heavy bass is used. This set up surprisingly accommodates the rapper Boutross who performs, with swagger and coolness as well as singer Meryl Paige,who flexes her vocal range,and knowledge of french. The feel good song is a party jam,and a TGIF soundtrack. It'll be interesting to see how many more rappers Colossal Music work with in the near future.
Threesome - Rosa Ree featuring Chemical & Frida Amani
Rosa Ree is back. The femcee promised an EP not so long ago but hasn't given any further details. However fans are happy to receive this new single that celebrates girl power. She starts off the song perfuming her verse with her signature gusto. She drops hard hitting bars in Swahili for the first part of the verse before switching to English. Chemical and Frida Amani match the energy , dropping bars of their own,on an instrumental heavily inspired by dancehall.The title , Threesome refers to the fact that three femcees are on the song. It is also a direct attempt to reclaim by the word,that is mostly associated with non- monogamous partnering during sex.in a cheeky way,the rappers reference the concept, but are really talking about women taking over the Tanzanian rap scene. They claim feeling the same power and fulfillment from running the game and achieving milestones as a person in a threesome.
Nairobi Pengz - Wangechi & Scar Mkadinali
Chonjo, one of the most anticipated albums by Kenyan hip hop heads, dropped early last month. However, due to publishing (legal) challenges, the album was taken off streaming sites for sometime, before making its way back some weeks later. The joint project , puts together renowned lyricists Wangechi and Scar Mkadinali on more than ten songs. Over the project, it's interesting to hear the male and female accounts of the same stories- almost like a social experiment,any social scientists? Nairobi Pengz is an ode to urban femme culture. Scar starts off the song mentioning various types of girls he has interacted with: the Instagram girls, the twitter girls, the groupies,the heavy drinkers, the plugs,the divas, you name it. He flexes his lyricism, writing a clever, coherent verse despite repeating the 'Peng' (slang for cute girl) more than countable times. Wangechi paints herself as the it girl, defining what attributes the adulting woman finds impressionable. She talks about showing up for fellow women, following up on plans, concentrating on careers and dressing up nicely,among other things. This song, like the rest of the album, captures the zeitgeist, something that Scar and Wangechi have done over the years.
Kimo - Iduzeer featuring Buruklyn Boyz
East African rappers continue to redefine drill, localizing it to their own unique cultural experiences. Sudanese-Kenyan rapper Iduzeer does just that over a four track EP, Zeer Mentality, that he dropped in late July. Kimo tells the story of a fictional character by the same name,who gets murdered in gory fashion (beheading). The hook is performed in part Arabic and part Swahili.Each rapper then talks about Kimo giving their observations,all while narrating as third parties to be indifferent to the violence being described. Iduzeer gives an account of a gang member who snitches, He also comments on the finality and loneliness of being in a cofin,while Mr. Right laments the brutal nature of the murder, reminding listeners of the shortness of human life. He finds it sad that Kimo went out without pursuing all his dreams. Ajay, offers pity in the last verse, maintaining that everyone is a sinner, and that everyone has to face judgment/ death alone, even if they do it to others.
