12 Kenyan rappers who left their groups to start their own solo careers

7 mins read

It has been somewhat a trend of a cliché nowadays that certain individuals from music groups tend to find their own wings and leave their respective groups to seek their own success at an individual level.

Sometimes, it doesn’t work but today we are looking for those who made it on their own after leaving their group right here in Kenya.

Wyre: Necessary Noize

Kevin-Wyre-1

 

Well,  he doesn’t need any introduction  whatsoever I mean he is the man when it comes to Reggae and dancehall in the Kenya and yes he can rap too!

Calvo Mistari: Lyrical Assasins

Calvo Mistari
Kenya Deputy President(Left), Calvo Mistari(Center) and Kenya President Uhuru Kenyatta(Right)

Lyrical Assassins was a Kenyan Hip Hop group hailing from Madaraka Estate, Nairobi West which comprised of Joker, Calvo Mistari and Nick Dogg.

They released dope songs together but Calvo Mistari is the only one who broke out and got recognition. Right now everybody knows Calvo Mistari.

 

Collo (King wa Rap): Kleptomaniacs

Collo
Collo

Who could ever forget Kleptomaniacs a.k.a Klepto??? Well, the group comprised of Nyashinski (who by the way had an awesome solo career before he relocated to the USA), Roba(Who got married and settled down) and Collo who till to this date keeps on releasing hits after hits. Collo broke out

 

Kayvo: K-Force

Kayvoh K-Force
Kayvoh K-Force

Well, like Octopizzo, he’s from “namba nane baiby” and yeah, he broke out from the group “K-Force” and started his solo career and he has been killing it ever since.

He is really good at his rapping skills, that he can do it fluently in both Swahili, Sheng, and English and still you will be hooked on his verses like a fat kid to his cake.

 

Cannibal: Cannibal and Sharama

Cannibal
Cannibal

The duo: Cannibal and Sharama broke out way back in 2005 with their track “Street Hustler”.

Since those days, they have been releasing hits after hits after hits but they decided to part ways and pursue their respective solo careers individually.

 

 

Sharama: Cannibal and Sharama

Sharama
Sharama

Just like his partner in Hip Hop; Cannibal, he pursued his solo career after a mutual agreement with him and has been doing great, earlier this year he released a song with the new hip hop’s female sensation Sugar “Tuko Fresh which is doing good in the entertainment realm.

Colonel Moustapha: Deus Vultures

Colonel Mustapha
Colonel Mustapha

“Cheki Monalisa anavyo tingisha” back in the day used to be my jam and I’m sure it wasn’t just me, this was a track released by Deus Vultures comprising of Nasty Thomas and Colonel Moustapha.

These two made club bangers that every single club in Nairobi played and the Djs used to love their songs because they made everyone party like there’s no tomorrow.

Nasty Thomas married and settled down with his beautiful wife while Colonel Moustapha is still going strong in the industry, his latest controversial song; ‘Dodoma Singida’ is doing well in the entertainment industry now.

You should check it out.

 

Bamboo: K-South

Bamboo
Bamboo

Do Bamboo really need introduction really?? Nop he doesn’t.

The African Bantu even has a collabo with the very own America’s Akon.

If you are saying that you don’t know who Bamboo is, then you are a flat a** liar or just too young to know what’s what.

He used to be one half of Kenya’s dopiest Hip Hop group, K-South with the one and only Abbas Kubaff. And yup, they might be getting back together if they haven’t already.

 

Abbas Kubaff: K-South

Abbas Kubaff
Abbas Kubaff

He is one half of the Hip Hop group K-South with Bamboo and together they made smash hits after smash hits.

They have two studio albums which are Nairobbery and Nairobizm.

The group was founded in 1995 and disbanded in 2005. Click the link below to know more about their reunion:

Nazizi: Necessary Noize

Nazizi
Nazizi

She is one half of Necessary Noize which has/had Wyre as her partner. We can’t put the group in a box and say that the group’s main genre is Hip Hop because they can easily blend in Reggae and Dancehall music as well.

Nazizi and Wyre are currently successful in their solo careers.

 

Zakah Mspiritual: Wenyeji

Zakah Mspiritual
Zakah Mspiritual

Formerly of Dandora’s rap group; Wenyeji which comprised of Roba and Zakah.

Together they released a Nairobi anthem for a song; “Mezani” which up to now still serves its purpose of relevance in the Kenyan music entertainment.

Fast forward to today, Zakah got born again and shaved his dreads and now he now goes by the name of Zakah Mspiritual. His partner, Roba relocated to France.

 

 Johnny Vigeti: Kalamashaka

Johnny Vigeti
Johnny Vigeti

Dandora’s group Kalamashaka that comprised of Oteraw, Kama and Johnny Vigeti helped put Kenya in the map in regard to urban music that they even got featured in a onetime number 1 hip Hop magazine in the world, The Source.

After a long time outside of the entertainment industry, Johnny Vigeti is back and he wants to sit to that throne that he used to sit on.

I love everybody who loves everybody, somebody got to love somebody at some point.
Music is something that comes natural to everybody and it's a language that everybody can understand, I understand it and that's why I speak it
fluently, do you.