Lil Maina Proves He's Here To Stay With Hard Hitting Debut Album
Jeremy Maina, otherwise known as Lil Maina rose to fame as a comedian and internet sensation bringing joy to the hearts of many Kenyans around the country over the past 5 years. He has shown skill in storytelling through his numerous skits and relatable personality, leading to his eventual transition into music with success equally as large if not more.
On the 13th of December 2023, he released his debut project Maisha Ya Stunna following the success of lead singles ‘Alert’, ‘Ma G Kwenye Klabu’ and ‘ZOZA’. It’s a 10 track body of work that covers a range of topics while still sounding cohesive and true to the artist. If anything, I would describe this album as the Gen Z love child of Kapuka and Genge(tone) with each listen it becomes clearer and clearer where his influences come from. Outside of the hip-hop and drill influences prevalent on this album, two of my favourite elements are the spanish guitar riffs and bits of baile in some of the songs, which we’ll soon get to.
According to Lil Maina, “Stunna is someone who has overcome different obstacles and challenges to achieve spectacular things. Or one who has the utmost will to be a maverick in all that they do, in any field, task or situation”, and the work definitely speaks for itself. Everything about this project sounds and feels intentional. From the bright cover art with grill filled teeth (courtesy of Brian Kinywa and BO Visuals), to the arrangement of the songs and the artists involved. Right from the start with ‘Saa Sita’, we get a feel into a curious journey before the beat catches us by surprise, probably alluding to the exciting life of the young stunna we’re about to meet.
After his hit success ‘Kishash’, Lil Maina has continued to prove that he has a talent for creating hits and club bangers through and through, and Maisha Ya Stunna does not fall short of this. He immediately talks about his love for women in ‘Cocoa Butter’ alongside Danski which is currently taking over TikTok, and that of Nairobi nightlife through some following lead singles, and also ‘Doba Imewai’ alongside Trio Mio that makes for a delicious collaboration. As one of the songs with the Spanish guitar aforementioned, it immediately stood out to me, as well as ‘Sinzia’ which has similar guitar riffs. ‘Sinzia’ is a clear ode to Nameless, just as ‘Alert’ is to Esir and Kapuka as a whole. Here he shows us his more vulnerable side - that Lil Maina loves women, but he also loves love. Not naive to the preconditions of each, he grapples with the battle between money and love, and even as he’s prioritised chasing the bag, he can’t help but fantasise about a life with the girl that seems to have his heart as Caleb Awiti’s vocals perfectly tie in this feeling to conclude the song. Before that, we have ‘Company’, the other love song on the project accompanied by NJERI’s mesmerising Kikuyu and English vocals, where he considers getting closer to a girl he likes and the risks that might entail. A feeling I’m sure many can relate to.
After a brief romantic intermission, we head straight back into the bangers. Heavy hitting drill with bits of baile, ‘ZOZA’ alongside Burukyln Boyz speaks on his come up and how much people doubted his transition into a rapper from an internet celebrity. He further emphasises on how much his life has changed from living in the slums of Mathare and to now living large and proudly calling himself the breadwinner of his family. In ‘Fom After Fom’ he does not forget to count his blessings and makes a point to have fun and celebrate the life he’s made for himself with no regrets.
As a somewhat introspective album, Lil Maina closes off the project with an emotional and raw song ‘Lifeline’ alongside Spinx Mafia where he touches on topics such as mental health and how thankful he is for the pain because through that, he learnt how to turn it into blessings overtime. On social media Lil Maina has never shied away from his battles with anxiety and depression, another thing that makes him relatable to his audience. While he has kept his softer side off the internet, or rather used humour as a coping mechanism, in this project he bares it all out for us and at some point even wishes not to be scrutinised but rather wishing to be understood. Watching his journey from highschool to now, it is beautiful to see the effort he puts into staying authentic to himself, while trying his best to stay level headed with the changes going on in his life as he discovers the kind of artist and entertainer he is and wants to be: “It’s all about showing my growth as an artist. I’ve done some evolving, have worked on this album tirelessly, and want to show my fans that I’m ready to keep offering them quality music. This is also my way of fulfilling a promise I made to my late grandfather.”
Having a lineup of producers and artists like NDOVU KUU, Afamefuna, Scar Mkadinali and Buruklyn Boyz on his debut shows how earnest he is about honing his craft beyond what people expect of him. He might be able to make us all laugh, but he’s proving that we can also always count on him to keep us dancing and maybe sometimes put us all in our feelings. All in all, I think this is a really great debut from one of the country's favourites, and I’m excited to see and hear what’s in store for him in the coming future. If he keeps surrounding himself with winners like he says, then Maisha Ya Stunna will be marked as an incredible premier to a fruitful career.
Stream Maisha Ya Stunna here and follow his social media (Instagram, Youtube, TikTok) to keep up with what mischief he’s up to next.
Photos by Brian Kinywa
