Time and again, we have seen Kenyans make nasty comments about our own Kenyan music.
I usually go through such comments willing my fingers not to type out thoughts running through my mind as I read the opinions of the ‘high and mighty’, who know what ‘good’ music is and believe what’s good to them is good for us all.
One Ian Duncan said something I will remember for a very long time, ‘Our music may be trash, but so is Nigerian and South African music.
Only difference is:
Instead of bashing their own, they support them. I mean, what is ‘Skelewu’? What is ‘Ychukucha’. What is ‘Khona’? Get over it and start supporting your own.’
Amen Ian! Amen.
We buy, subscribe to, and listen to a lot of trash music from other countries, music that we feel is superior to our own because their primary fans in their countries support them!
They push for their own, sell their own, market it to one and all. Nigerians, South Africans, Ugandans work so hard to ensure the rest of Africa move to their beats!
How many Nigerian songs do you listen to and love but have no idea what the artist is saying? How many from South Africa? How many beats from Uganda do you listen to that have no real content?
I am not saying that we should excuse the small number of Kenyan artists who might not be doing justice to the potential they hold, but again we should not be our own enemy!
We cannot be constantly communicating negativity to our Kenyan artists and expect them to grow! We cannot make them feel we hate them and hate their music and don’t care for the hard work they put in and expect them to blossom!
We do not bring people up by pinning them down!
What saddens me even more is many of the people who harshly criticize Kenyan music are tu-small musicians whose music has never seen the light of day.
A few videos on a YouTube channel with two subscribers and you want to tell us how much you know of good music. Get some fans first! If we don’t listen to you, we don’t care what you have to say about Nameless, Collo, Nyash, Femi One, Octopizzo, Sauti Sol, etc.
You may argue that fame and popularity are not the defining factors of success in music, but I ask, what is the end goal? Who are you making your music for? What do you intend to achieve?
If your targeted audience does not feel your vibe, why are you having problems with people who are satisfying the needs of their targeted audiences?
Go make music and listen to it with your homeboyz, mjichoche vile mta make it, but know until you get our attention, you don’t matter in the music industry.
My playlist is 80 percent Kenyan music and will continue to be so. Salute to all those who work hard at their hustles, without trying to look better by bringing another down
