When it comes to Kenyan music, it is safe to say that it has evolved tremendously and so has the musicians. We all remember the old days of Zilizopendwa way back in the early sixties the era of the phonograph/ vinyl records where we all enjoyed the music, young to old.
In those days, our fathers and father’s father were all about listening to musicians the likes of Les Wanyika, Fadhili Williams, Daudi Kabaka and Habel Kifoto and Maroon Commandos.
These entire musicians produced real music that can even make sense to today’s generation but what most of us don’t know and would love to know is how they made ends meet through music and if Kenyan music really pays like the way it does in countries like Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa and United States of America (USA).
It’s somewhat hard to know these facts because as you well know, those weren’t the days of internet, heck! They even didn’t have a Google equivalent back then so we can never know for sure how much they were worth but we can sure know how the music is paying in our current generation thanks to internet, mobile and of course Google with a little bit of connections(reliable sources) here and there to corroborate most of the findings.
These are the top twenty current Kenyan artistes that started all the way from the bottom and now they are here without money or anything else working on their favor in the music industry without anything but talent, determination, sweat, tears and hard work and have finally made it in the Kenyan music industry and they are finally reaping the fruits of their labor.
- Size 8
Size 8, real name Linet Munyali has really came from far. She is a true definition of true determination and her mantra of never giving up has enabled her to be where she is today, one of the few Kenyan female gospel musicians.
Her success didn’t come easy though, she was raised in a humble background and this made her to learn to fend for herself from a very tender age.
It is through drama in school that she found the talent of singing which was secretly embedded within her.
Many might not know this but Size 8 auditioned for the famous ‘Tusker Project Fame’ long after the completion of her high school, though she didn’t made a cut in the auditions.
She was scouted and discovered by Calif record’s record producer, Clemo who under his wings, helped her release her first single ‘Size 8’ and from that track, the sky has always been the limit for Size 8.
After a series of releasing hits after hits and eventually an album under the same record label, Size 8 saw the light in April 2013 where she made the personal decision to switch from secular to gospel music.
It is safe to say that God removed Size 8 from grass to grace and blessed her with abundant favor as now she is happily married to fellow gospel entertainer, Dj Mo and together they are expecting a child together. She has been able to achieve a lot through music, so I guess Kenyan music pays after all.
- Willy Paul
He never seize to amaze how he does everything unorthodox and still do it without any flaw whatsoever, he might be all smiles and jovial whenever you see him but what most of you might already know by now because he has always talked about it numerous times in numerous occasions that he is from one of the ghettos in Nairobi, Mathare, Mathare North to be specific (since Mathare North slum is very large).
His love for music saw him audition for ‘Tusker Project Fame’ as well just like Size 8 but he didn’t make it through the auditions but that didn’t deter him to be what he destined to be in the music scene and so he pushed on further and further.
The mere fact that he was from a ghetto didn’t turn off his fire to succeed in what he wanted to achieve through music, it only catapulted his desires to succeed even more than ever.
He got major recognition through a collaboration that he did with fellow gospel musician Gloria Muliro dubbed ‘Sitolia’ which got massive airplay not only in Kenya but across the region and since then Willy Paul has been able to release hits after hits and always sell out his shows and just recently he bought a Toyota Mark X which has his name as a number plate.
Gospel music has been able to elevate Willy Paul to the current stature that he is currently enjoying in the society and its always noble and humbling thing to give God the praise and glory for his success, not everybody are willing to say that.
Willy Paul started from the bottom with nothing at all but a dream to make it but he is now here.
- Bahati
Bahati a.k.a Mtoto Wa Mama is a gospel singer whose story has really touched millions of hearts across the country and beyond. Being raised in an orphanage, he didn’t get to enjoy and experience the love of parents as his mother died while he was just seven years and abandoned by his father who later passed on while he was in class eight.
Being raised in a Nairobi slum, Kariobangi in an orphanage called ABC Children’s Home inspired him to work even harder so that he can lead a better life in the future and through music he has been able to achieve that since he is currently the most promising gospel artiste in Kenya right now, the Facebook ambassador for Safaricom and all he wants to achieve is to be the voice of an African child.
With the way he has been going, he really is bound to achieve his goal of being the voice for the African child as he has already achieved one of his dreams which was to be a musician.
- Mejja
Okwonkwo himself proof that music is and can pay in the Kenyan music industry as he has come a long way from Majengo in Nyeri and thankfully he landed on the safe hands of Calif records producer Clemo who took him in and helped him learn the ropes on what one needs to know and grasp in order to be successful in the Kenyan music market.
Fast forward to today, Mejja is a household name and a part of a Genge rap crew consisting of Kid Kora, Madtraxx and himself called The Kansoul and he is enjoying the fruits of his labor as he is even driving his own car through the money in music.
Mejja is bound to go places and moving from Majengo in Nyeri to Nairobi was the first bold move he ever did and the correct one as well because in a few years, Mejja will be untouchable musically.
- Khaligraph Jones
Born in the 1-9-6-0 or Kayole as many people very much know, Khaligraph Jones grew up wanting to do music and being raised in one of the few toughest slums in Kenya played a major role.
Way back when he was in primary school, he teamed up with his friends to form a gospel group but his heart was always in the rap music and that’s where he is comfortable with.
He started taking music really serious in the year 2007 and since then, he has and is gradually climbing the ladders of being recognized as one of the upper echelons in the music industry in the whole of Africa.
Khaligraph Jones can now give thanks to music for the wealth that he currently have and continuing to amass. “I cannot see myself doing anything else other than music” he was once quoted in one of the few numerous interviews he has done in the past years.
- Octopizzo
Octopizzo has come a long way from performing for free as a curtain raiser for well established musicians and sometimes being paid by just mere soda and/or t-shirts and from being a mechanic who used to make a dollar a week to being an established artiste who sells out shows whenever and wherever he goes out for a show and even has a Caucasian wife (even though they love each other to death) just to flaunt to y’all haters who doubted him that he made it.
See, it doesn’t matter where you have come from, all that matters is the force that is behind your will and determination to succeed in your endeavors.
Though he was raised in the largest slum in the world, Kibera, that didn’t deter Octopizzo to achieve his dreams of making it big in the music industry and now he has gone global that even his songs are appreciated overseas as he is currently on his LDPC European tour which he just kick start it a few hours ago.
See, music really pays.
- King Kaka
In case you didn’t know, Rabbit since changed his name to King Kaka so it’s safe to call him King Kaka but of course he can be called Rabbit and he will still be cool with it just like American Cash Money’s C.E.O Brian Williams who changed his name from Baby to Birdman but he can still be referred to as Baby.
We are not talking about pseudo names though but how folks have come from nothing and made it big in the music industry and King Kaka has a fair share of that hustle story before he made it big in the music business.
It has been arguably said that he used to sell mitumba (second hand clothes) to women before he finally got his big break in the music game through his single ‘Niko Kwa Jam Nakam’ which went viral on the internet, got massive air plays and got majority of Kenyans talking about it and as they say, the rest is history.
He came a long way from acting like a drug addict in Chiwawa’s song ‘Life Teachings’ to featuring Chiwawa on his smash hit ‘Ligi Soo’ Remix features various artistes.
Now his hustling days are finally behind him as he now owns his own artiste management company called Kaka Empire which manages talented artistes in the music game right now.
- Calvo Mistari
Calvo Mistari has been doing music for a longest time I remember but back then he used to do that while he was in a rap group hailing from Madaraka West in Nairobi called Lyrical Assassins which comprised of Nick Dogg, Joker and Calvo Mistari and together with yet another music group called Private Wing which comprised of his twin brother, Opips with mellow voiced Jadel they dominated the industry back in the heydays and for that their names are forever cemented in the Kenyan Music hall of fame.
Ever since the group disbanded, everybody went their separate ways to do different stuff that isn’t music but Calvo is the only one who stayed true and loyal to the music.
He went on to work for major TV stations in Kenya before he decided to open up his own company that manages artistes and shoots music videos called Team Mistari which has numerous artistes under its wing.
Calvo Mistari whose real name is Calvin Kirimba has come a long way and he stayed loyal to the music industry and so far the music has been loyal to him because right now he is reaping the fruits of his labor and hard work through the same music that his fellow rap buddies forsook and he even has a beautiful, talented musician for a girlfriend called Amileena.
Now how good can the music really pay? You better ask Calvo Mistari because apparently he wasn’t paid in the money currency alone but also in the currency of love.
- Sauti Sol
The way Sauti Sol started out a few years back, we honestly didn’t know that they would break out to be A-listers and gain recognition not only in Kenya, across the region and Africa but globally. Their debut single ‘Lazizi’ got to introduce them to us with a big Bang! And most of the perpetuation of the songs came from our wives and girlfriends and women as a whole because they loved it instantly and they couldn’t get enough of this track and they made sure we knew the song, most of us tried to even master a few lines to impress our women that even us we can take them to ‘Java’.
A quick one for aspiring artistes out there: if you want to make it big in the Kenyan music industry, just make sure our Kenyan women loves and appreciate your music.
Since those days, Sauti Sol kept on releasing hits after hits and in every song they release, almost always tend to be good than the last one and that’s how they have remained consistent that they even got to dance with the most powerful man on earth, the POTUS (President of The United States), Barack Obama and made him dance the ‘Lipala Dance’.
Right now if you get to name the biggest names in African music I know for sure Sauti Sol will be a part of that list and in the top 5 matter of fact. Sauti Sol sells out shows not only in Africa but even in the US of A and top RnB stars the likes of Trey Songz sings casually to their Swahili songs.
Sauti Sol has made the world look like their own back yard as they are always on tour performing and gaining fans wherever they go and their recent single ‘Isabella ‘ was shot in Las Vegas, now tell me if that’s not the highest price music can pay you.
- Juliani
You ought to see some few TBT pictures of the ever energetic performer Juliani just to know how far Juliani has come from. Juliani came from one of the dominating rap group in Kenya from Dandora, Ukoo Fulani but since he saw the light and got saved, he went solo and he has been a force to reckon with ever since he made that decision for rapping for God.
Right now, while he jumps on a beat, it’s an absolute hit without a shadow of a doubt.
He had and maybe still has numerous endorsements from major telecommunication companies in the country and he is also on a first name basis with Safaricom’s C.E.O Bob Collymore, see how the power of music can unite two different people from different diverse background and still make them feel and look the same.
Whenever people hear that Juliani is performing, everybody usually fights for the tickets because they know they will get the value for their money as Juliani always performs with a live band, never ever will you find him performing with a compact disk where he has to lip-sync.
The power of music can make a change and transform someone’s life abruptly just like that, somebody better ask Juliani about that.
- Sanaipei Tande
No teenager and a young lad can deny that Sanaipei’s Voice makes them feel some type of way; I know it does to me.
Sanaipei Tande who is known by most of her fans as simply Sana has been in the music industry since the year 2004 after she auditioned for the East Africa Coca Cola popstars Talent Search which eventually led to be her being a member of a music group called SEMA which comprised of herself, Pam Waithaka and Kevin Waweru and together the trio released hits after hits and even released an album.
Fast forward, Sana has had a successful solo music career that saw her work with the powerful music figures in the music industry right now but most of her time, she usually enjoy working as a radio host to popular radio station in the country but through music, she has been able to achieve the unthinkable and now she is practically a living legend.
- Amani
There is no Kenyan right now that doesn’t know who Amani is, okay maybe toddlers can be an exception. What she has done for the music industry is unthinkable and what she has achieved through music is unbelievable, she has been able to work with American RnB superstar, R. Kelly in an Airtel Sponsored music which helped many people know that there is actually good talent in Kenya.
Amani has many accolades under her belt but what is important is that she has been able to survive through music after all those years and still remain relevant and still looks flamboyant while doing that, what she does best.
Amani can get everyone, both young and old dance to her music easily and most of her achievements and accolades have been able to be achieved through music, so on her behalf Imma go ahead and thank music for her.
- KenRazy
Though he came up with his own genre of music called Ghipuka, he is really good in rapping and he is not afraid to speak out his mind through his music and when he does it, he does it with such flair that nobody can easily fathom while making it look so easy.
Since his debut in 2007 with his first single ‘Tichi’ he has been on a highway of releasing smash hits after smash hits that almost every young man in Kenya can relate and dance to.
He has his own way of connecting with his fans.
Now that he is signed to Grand Pa’s records he has been able to release one hit after another because the record label understands him and knows him so well and from that he has his fair share of accolades under his belt and just like Jay Z with Beyonce, he has his own wife inside the music industry called Sossun who as his hubby, does Ghipuka music which apparently she is the queen of.
Everything Razy has achieved right now is exclusively through music, so I bet he has a big pound of gratitude to give music and I can say for a fact that if only music was a female, KenRazy would have wifed her a long time ago, He! He! He!
- Jaguar
Many might not know this by now because of his fronting and flaunting his sleek cars and air trips with private jets but Jaguar has really been through a lot when he was younger and music has really made him who he is today and today he is arguably the richest musician in the country right now, he has been patient for years for him to reach to his level of stature right now and everything he has right now, he truly deserves it because he got it through his blood, tears and sweat.
Just the other day, Jaguar real name Charles Njagua Kanyi was appointed as a board member at the National Authority for Campaign against alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA) by the president of the republic of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta and through it he has been able to make some changes in the society that he got the attention of fellow musician and rapper Khaligraph Jones considers him as his role model alongside Nairobi Senator Mike Sonko.
Every artiste in the country should try and emulate or at least try to use whatever tactics Jaguar did for him to be on top of the food chain in the music industry and if you see the comfortable lifestyle he is leading, you will really agree with me that music really pays.
- Colonel Mustafa
Now this is one guy that doesn’t give two fῦcks about what other people thinks about him, he is going to do him no matter what people say about him. He attracts attention like no other person in the business and honestly he looks fly while doing it because he knows how to channel the attention to work on his favor.
Colonel has come a long way, he has been in the music scene for more than a decade now, he started out his music career as a duo group with his then partner Nasty Thomas and together they made history through music but the duo has since disbanded and now he has been on a successful solo career that has seen him get massive recognition in the country and the whole of east Africa and through his music he has been able to achieve so much and get huge fan base.
Music has always come through for Colonel Mustafa and it always will.
- Wyre
Wyre has come a long way before he came to be known as a household name in the Kenyan music industry artiste.
All he had was talent, will and ambition to make it in the music business, that’s all and because of his talent, his first demo that he ever did got him to work with one of the really serious producers at that time and through that we came to know Wyre through his music bit back when he was starting out, we didn’t get to hear him through our radio alone, he was in a music group called Necessary Noize which by then comprised of The African Superman Bamzigi, Nazizi and Wyre and together they made hits that up to date makes folks dance to it.
Wyre can almost thanks everything that he has now all to music because with music, he has been able to meet with people he never would have imagined that once day he we would have brushed elbows with and work with them, actually he is the African artiste who holds a record for recording songs with different Jamaican reggae and dancehall artistes, he has worked with Cecile, Morgan Heritage and Alaine all from Jamaica and owns his own record label called ‘LoveChild Records’ and he is the official brand ambassador to the biggest online bet company in Kenya, SportPesa.
Music has really blessed Wyre the LoveChild.
- Nazizi
As much as her debut track ‘Mama’ broke her out to be a serious emcee to reckon with while she was still a teenage on those days of ‘Mizizi’ , we realized her true talent while she was a part of a music group Necessary Noize where she was the only female.
Through the group, she has managed to stand out since she was the only female on the group, most attention was always on her and that made her shine even brighter.
Just like her music partner Wyre she has crossed borders to work with yet another Jamaican artiste called Ginjah and music has really made her to be a superstar that she is today as she has had the opportunity to be a judge in numerous rap battles where her opinion really mattered.
Nazizi’s love for music is unquenchable and probably it will never be quenched because up to date she really release hits whenever she enter the booth to record a jam.
- Jua Cali
Jua Cali has a way of capturing his audience through his music and that’s a talent that not many artistes have. His new style of rapping caught us of guard as we were used with the nominal western way of spitting on the mic but when Genge was introduced to us through his music, many of us just fell in love with his music straight away even though it was unorthodox.
There was a time when Jua Cali was the prince in the Kenyan music industry and when he was on that throne, he landed numerous deals and endorsements with co-operates companies which made him makes millions of shillings to be the face for their brands, he has worked with Phone company Motorola, Telecommunication company, Orange just to name a few in the past.
He is one of few artistes who are well established as he has his own home and drives an American car Chrysler.
- Daddy Owen
Daddy Owen and his big brother Rufftone are key figures for helping shape Kenyan gospel music industry as they are one of the few artistes who started doing gospel music while others were opting to do secular and when you look now, you can see that the Kenyan gospel music industry has really take form and arguably is more rewarding than secular.
Music has done more than just reward Daddy Owen as it also salvaged him from bad vices he was involved with. Allegedly he survived a mob justice that made him turn his way and seek the Lord and praise him through his music with every single breathe he has.
Now, we can say that Daddy Owen has really come from far and we don’t need statistics or Google to know that but only our naked eyes to see and corroborate what he has accomplished through the years, he is a true testimony that God change you from nothing to something and put you in a right path if you only let Him.
Music has made him be a respected and rich person in the whole country.
- Nonini
Many refers to him as the father of ratchet as he is the first person to ever write and perform a song that is subliminally explicit content that somehow managed to get massive airplay on national radio and TV stations especially his controversial 2002 single ‘Manzi Wa Nairobi’ translated to ‘Girl From Nairobi’ which was produced by producer Clemo of Calif records.
Those days are long gone though, now as the Godfather of Genge, Nonini is now grown, mature and wiser and his music sound mature as well.
Nonini, Jua Cali and Clemo introduced Genge to the world and now many various artistes has made fortune because of this genre that got massive reception, the three gentlemen found an opening in the music industry and they capitalized on it big time.
Over the years he has been involving himself with a campaign dubbed ‘Color Kwa Face’ which fights and champions for albinos in the society and helps the society to learn how to accept them like they are and as part of us.
Nonini has been able to achieve a lot through music and it’s not only monetary wise, he has more accolades than anyone can counts and him being a veteran in the music realm only proves that for Kenyan music to pay, one needs to be patience as nowadays we have regulatory bodies which makes sure that the artistes gets their fair share in terms of compensation and/or royalties for their music.
