Music makes the world go round and it is an integral part of our everyday lives. When it comes to the most popular musicians we all Micheal Jackson, Aretha Franklin, Elvis Presley, Beyonce etcetera. Although we all have an idea of who is the best in our book, based on preference, there are a few artists that we can all agree, rock our socks.
In the recent past, the rise of African music and musicians has grown at an accelerated pace. One can even go as far as saying that the African rhythm and sound is slowly but surely taking over the world - something that we are totally here for.
However, when determining who is currently number one, we will also consider who is constantly making the headlines, who is constantly releasing the most chart-topping hits and who has the best image amongst fans.
This article focuses and celebrates some of our East African greats, join us as we take a look at some of Kenya’s finest when it comes to music. The list is no particular order because all these guys are superstars in our books.
Sauti Sol
It is almost impossible to talk about East African music without mentioning our fav international boy band Sauti Sol. For as long as we can remember these guys have dominated the music scene, not only in Kenya but in Africa as a whole. The boy band have collaborated with industry heavyweights such as Yemi Alade, Fally Ipupa, Mi Casa, and more, performed on international stages, have won numerous awards and have been nominated for the coveted Grammy Award.
They are a household name that never disappoints when it comes to serenading an audience with their voices. Although the boy band decided to focus on creating solo projects, they often grace our stages performing their previous albums.
Khaligraph Jones
Kenyan rapper Brian Ouko Robert is more commonly known by his stage names Khaligraph Jones or, our personal favourite, Papa Jones. The lyricist is often referred to as the godfather of Kenyan hip hop and has been on the scene for over 10 years following the release of his debut full-length studio album Testimony in June 1990. Like common practice among rappers, Papa Jones has also been involved in several industry beefs. This has however never distracted the rapper and entrepreneur from delivering bangers.
Nyashinski
The next superstar on our list is Nyamari Ongegu better known as Nyashinski. The singer songwriter began his music career in 1999 when he was still in high school by joining a group called Kleptomaniax. The group later disbanded in 2007 and the artist went on to study a degree in Environmental planning management. He came back to his first love, music, ten years later and took over the music industry. Nyashinki is a crowd puller and often has sold out shows in Kenya and abroad.
Fena
Last but definitely not least, is Fena Gitu. Fena rose to fame is 2008 after winning the “Fete de la Musique” competition and has been on an upward trajectory ever since. In such a short time, the artist has a full resume under her belt and has even shared stages with industry bigshots such as Davido, HHP (MHSRIP) and Ice Prince.
These are just a few of the names topping charts and dominating airwaves in East Africa, we highly recommend checking them out.