BLACK SUPREMACY DJs IN SOUTH AFRICA

Kenyan Reggae DJ Crew Black Supremacy is heading to South Africa next week for two shows in Johannesburg and Capetown. This magnificent DJ crew known for amazing DJs mixed and high energy at their shows. Unlike many local reggae DJ crews, Black Supremacy is one crew that has a major following at home and internationally. They have been performing in USA a lot but this year their African takeover started when they linked up with Spark Africa and Red Fox to perform in Zimbabwe twice and are now about to take it to South Africa.

Supremacy South Africa Tour Facebook Page

On 30th November Supremacy Crew will be at Jobuzz in Newtown, Johannesburg and then head off to Club Purple Turtle along Long and Short Market in Capetown. The tour is supported by Spark Africa and Black Exodus Sound Southern Africa's Dancehall ruler.

Be there with your Lion Palm sky high.  

 Listen To Supremacy Sounds

AKON LIVE IN KENYA

After many years of planning, Akon is finally coming to Kenya. Akon is brought to you by Spartan Group and concert will take place on the evening of Saturday 27th and afternoon of 28th of October, both concerts at Carnivore Grounds. The Saturday night concert will be for grown-ups while the Sunday afternoon the Family concert will be for all ages.

AKON LIVE IN KENYA
Opening acts will be Juliani, Bamboo and Stella Mwangi

The evening of 

SATURDAY 27th October 2012

Carnivore Grounds, Nairobi

Ksh: 2,500/- Main Arena
VIP: 5000/-
Family Concert on 28th: 2,500/- 

ALL ADVANCE TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE AT CARNIVORE & TAMARIND IN TOWN

 AKON PROMO

Akon In Kenya Event Page

WIN! A TICKET

By Simply answering this question.

Before Akon blew up, he first appeared on a song with a famous group.

What was the song, group and album?

RULES: To win this ticket, You must register yourself on this blog and then successfully answer the question.

The winners shall be announced be announced on this blog 12 hours before the concert.

THE KING OF BOLD TOUR

WHEN CORPORATES FINALLY EMBRACE HIP HOP

Images by Visual Edge, story by Buddha Blaze & L'Afrohemien

The King of Bold hip hop tour kicked off on September 20th in Nairobi Kenya at a lavish party that was held at Prestige Plaza on Ngong Road in Kilimani. Scores of hip hop heads and enthusiasts flocked the venue to see their favorite hip hop acts. Special invited guests included hip hop industry playas, movers and shakers of the business world, graffiti writers and even journos. Joining the star-studded lineup was recently returned home MC, Bamboo a former member of the 90s rap group K-South. After making major hits such as ‘Tabia Mbaya’ ‘Compe’, ‘Kabinti’ Bamboo left Kenya to pursue music interests in the US, where he has been able to work with artists such as Akon. This tour is a welcome home gift to him, and is a way for him to reconnect with his fan base. Also on the bill was the ever flamboyant entertainer Prezzo who earlier this year made headlines as a house guest on  Big Brother’s Africa edition. ‘Tokelezea’ hit maker Abbass a.k.a. Doobeez also joined the line up, with yours truly as the host MC. DJ Joe Mfalme was the man on the decks.

 Prezzo doing it for his fans

 Hip Hop Fans Galore

Bamboo and Abbas reconnect after 10 years (KSouth)

Three Kingsafter show

Hip hop Fans in Nairobi

 The new bottle

Bold Boss Playas

 Buddha Blaze the MC photo by Magic Lens

If you have been following me for the last ten years, you know I have been venting about how corporate brands in Kenya have ignored hip hop music. I have seen them come to embrace the other genres of music but never do you see them talk about hip hop.  This tour came at a great time because I was just about to give up on Kenyan corporates ever having a genuine interest in hip hop.  There have been many talks about brands embracing this culture and finally someone is working. In September 2012 the East African Breweries Limited brewed beer Pilsner who’s logo is a proud lion finally reached out to the hip hop community and decided to sponsor a nationwide hip hop tour of artist from the community and those associated with it. Ten years later this is a first and kudos to the people at EABL Pilsner for taking such a bold commendable move. 

 Pilsner hotties

Pilsner has recently changed its beer bottle to one with a thinner neck, new bold look but same international taste, and winning attitude.  Pilsner is the beer of the sharp, bold street guy who loves hip hop and is too cool. He knows his style and does it without flair. Pilsner beer endears to the hip hop street king. Pilsner embarked on an action packed King of Bold Tour to connect with “Kings of Bold” around the country. The first stop was the green town of Meru in Eastern Province on the 29th of August. This is the food basket of Kenya and while most people are farmers, they love their hip hop! It was great to see the joy on the faces of Meru people just happy to finally see their beloved hip hop stars live in their town. For the Meru leg of the tour Bamboo and Abbas were joined by Wyre and Juacali who held their own. Prezzo had just left to New York to meet with Jay Z. The next weekend the King of Bold Tour joined by Juliani and Madtraxx proceeded to Nakuru town in the Great Rift Valley where the fans came out in numbers in this industrial town and fastest rising town in Kenya. Nakuru loves to party and its residents definitely know their hip hop. It has been the best party thus far.

Bamboo Afrikan Bantu in Meru

Juacali Babayao in Meru

Abbass 'Murume' in Meru

Wyre in Meru

 Meru loves hip hop

 DJ Joe Mflame rocks Meru

Fans in Meru

Abbass in Nakuru

 Madtraxx gets down in Nakuru

Juliani Rocks Nakuru

Nakuru loves hip hop

This King of Bold Tour is a great demonstration that artists need to be professionally consistent with their craft in order to be noticed by big brands. They need to build a major fan bases that corporate companies can attach their brand qualities to. Brands identify artists who have built careers that resemble their brands. The Kings of Bold; Abbas, Bamboo and Prezzo have all built strong careers confidently; they haven’t wavered even when times were rough. What they get in return is a tour across the country to their fans and media exposure that boosts their careers. It’s a win – win situation that shows hard work pays. The King of Bold Tour continues to other parts of the country; Kisumu, Mombasa and so forth, pending security concerns in those places. Keep it here for more information.

L NESS - GAL POWER

Here is the L Ness Gal Power album review I did for Nairobi Up

Hip Hop is a male dominated genre and it is very hard to find female MCs who can stand firm and own their space—especially in the underground circles. Female MCs the world over often feel lured to undress and do sappy songs, all in a bid to sell more records. L Ness is one of those tough Hip- Hop ladies in Nairobi who has stayed true to her roots.

She is very well known in the underground scene, and, unlike her female counterparts who have ventured into different genres, she has never been the one to move from her position. L Ness has been openly associated with underground Hip- Hop groups, such as Ukoo Flani Mau Mau, Judge and Mandugu Digital. This laidback, soft-spoken and shy MC is a fierce rhyme-spitter. On her debut album, “Gal Power”, L Ness makes sure she lets you know she can never be rated below her male counterparts. She teams up with female counterparts Nazizi and Xtatic on “Champion” to open way for a celebration of female MCs.

Her aspi- ration is to have the world listen to the women’s perspective about the Hip-Hop revolution. The production of the album is done by some of the best in the game— Mandugu Digital—so most of the jams have a hard “boom bap” sound with a major focus on lyrical context and depth. On the radio friendly “Imani Yako”, L Ness encourages young people to have faith in their work and to see them- selves rise up to unimaginable heights. And you will hear the signature Mandungu Digital “bounce” beat on “Mezesha” as she teams up with Abbas Kubaff. Get your copy of Gal Power at Nakumatt Lifestyle on Monrovia/ Moktar Daddah Street in Nairobi City.

CRAZY MASTERS: REWARDING AFRICANS DOING GREAT THINGS

Is there anyone in your community doing great stuff for no reward?

We want to find out who they are so we reward them.

We call them the Crazy Masters. These are people who are going out of their way to just do great things for their community. The act has to be for free and has to be insane in the membrane.

CAMP MULLA WELCOMES YOU TO FUNKY TOWN

Here's the Review I did for Nairobi's Top Cultural Magazine Nairobi Up

Camp Mulla could well be the group that single handedly lifts the face of urban Kenyan music. Made up of versatile rappers Taio Tripper and Shappaman, the amazing songstress Karungari “Miss Karun”, and the multi- talented producer, Marcus “K’Cous” Kibukosya, Camp Mulla is one to watch.

“Funky Town” is a highly anticipated piece of art with a clear objective—to make you dance and have a great time. The title track, “Funky Town”, is a preparation for celebration. Camp Mulla doesn’t deviate from the carnival mood, even when giving a positive message on their rendition of Kenyan 90s group, Zanaziki’s “Papeyo”. A gem, it encourages peers to work hard in life, not to expect handouts, and never to abandon their dreams.

The laid back jam “Feel No Pain” will put you in the mood for a great house party. And you have to bring lots of swagger if you want to keep it “Fresh All Day”, as Miss Karun croons. She solidifies the track iwith “all I know is swagger, put your hands up if you’ve have some.” Camp Mullah’s smash hit, “Party Don’t Stop” (featuring Collo), earned them lots of accolades, including becoming the first East-African artists nominated for the prestigious 2012 American BET.

“Sunday Swagg” is the type of song to play on the drive home after a long day at work. You won’t believe how fast the traffic moves. They team up with Just A Band on the grown-up and jazzy “Where Do You Come From?” Watch out now, you will get addicted to jams such as “End of the Night”, “Addicted” and “Take It to the Floor”. This is followed by the smooth J. Smiles, who teams up with the group for some deep R&B on “Low” and “We Can Go”. And for the big finale, Camp Mullah ends the album with the insightful “Move On”, featuring Bamboo. After listening to this album, I sincerely recommend a trip down to “Funky Town”.

“Funky Town” is available at all Nakumatt and Uchumi stores.

Read More About Nairobi - The Cultural Mecca of Central & Eastern Africa. Read More about this beautiful city. Nairobi Up

CAMP MULLA

NGWATILO AT ARTS ALIVE FESTIVAL - JOHANNESBURG

Kenyan poet Ngwatilo Mawiyoo will be the second Kenyan poet to perform at the internationally known Arts Alive Festival in Johannesburg in September 2012. Last year Kenyan poet Wanjiku Mwaurah was the first poet to perform at this prestigious festival which is attended by thousands of music, film, dance, puppetry, theatre, poetry and art lovers from all over the word. Arts Alive is a 10 day annual festival that showcases the best performances from all over the world. The festival is supported by the City of Johannesburg, South Africa Broadcasting Corporation and other companies that believe in supporting the arts. This festival is about lending African artists exposure to the international stage while offering the stage of international acts to local audiences.  This year’s festival will be showcasing Thandiswa Mazwai, Ms Cosmos and Kaboma just to name a few. 

Ngwatilo who is known for her gracious poetry in 2010 she published her first poetry book called Blue Mother Tongue. In 2011 she launched the well-received Peusic Project which was a showcase of her music and poetry. In 2012 she has embarked on a Kenya wide tour called This Kenyan Life where she visits families in remotes parts of Kenya and hangs out with them for days, sharing, eating with them and just talking about life. She has performed bot at home and many other countries and this will not be her first performance in South Africa she was on the Poetry Africa Tour with Mutabaruka.

Booked by Spark Africa; Ngwatilo will be performing on the Speak The Mind Sessions stage together with acts such as Napo, Shanelle, Synik, Nancy G from New York, Capetown, Zimbabwe, and Johannesburg.   She will be on stage at 7pm on 7th of September 20012 at Arts on Main, Johannesburg.   

Follow the event on @ngwatilo, @Arts_Alive, @MindSpeech