Arrow Bwoy’s latest release dubbed ‘Mama’ is totally worth your time (Audio)

Kenyan singer Ali Yusuf, who is popularly known as Arrow Bwoy and known for his Digi Digi mega hit, has released a new joint and we are really feeling it.

Also read: Arrow Bwoy needs to be very careful

The new jam titled Mama is a special dedication all mothers who have nurtured and shown care for their children until they were all grown up.

In the song, Arrow Bwoy promises to buy a house and a car for his mum as a sign of gratitude for all that he has done for him.

Mama, which is off his recently released album titled Hatua, is a fusion of dancehall and Swahili RnB.

Arrow Bwoy
Arrow Bwoy

The result is an amazing club banger that will force you to hit the to replay button a couple of times.

As I listened to the song, I could not help but appreciate Arrow Bwoy’s ingenuity. He is really talented.

Let’s be honest, there are so many songs out there that are dedicated to mothers but very few provoke emotions. As such, we should hail Arrow Bwoy.

I don’t really know how the 26-year-old musician does it but he has a special talent of infusing Ragga with Kenyan Bongo and the outcome is totally dope.

The beat for this jam is also on point. As I was listening to it for the very first time, I could visualize people turning up to it in a club. Props to Ilogos Music.

Listen to Mama below and tell us what you think.

Magix Enga Vs Motif Di Don: Who is the baddest producer?

These days, almost every song begins with the words, “Motif Di Don” or “Magix Enga on the beat”. You would be tempted to think that the two are the only music producers in the country which is not the case.

Also read: Magix Enga has taken Kenyan music to the international stage

While the are are countless music producers in Kenya, the work of Magix Enga and Motif Di Don really stands out. They have a distinct approach and this explains why they are a cut above the rest and the most-sought after beat makers.

Motif Di Don
Motif Di Don

Each of them has worked with the biggest names in the entertainment industry and in a way they have helped propel the new Kenyan sound that made many people realize that they can actually enjoy local music.

Magix Enga has worked with the likes of Otile Brown, Timmy Tdat, Arrow Bwoy, KRG The Don, P-Unit, Zzero Sufuri, Ethic, Alvindo, King Kaka, Kristoff, Khaligraph Jones, Prezzo, Naiboi, Mejja, Rankaddah. The list is endless.

On the other hand, Motif Di Don has produced songs for Masauti, Ethic, Otile Brown, Khaligraph Jones, Masterpiece, Nadia Mukami, Qritical, Pro & Lava Lava and Rayvanny who are both Tanzanian singers.

If you are a fan of Kenyan music, like yours truly, then I’m sure you’ve seen your favourite local musician in the aforementioned names. What’s even more is that most of them are big acts which also means that Magix Enga and Motif Di Don are the baddest producers around.

Magix Enga
Magix Enga

In as much as they are both incredible and doing their very best to grow the local industry, at the end of the day, one of them has to be better than the other and that’s what I want to find out from you. I’d like to know your perspective of them.

So tell me, who do you think is the baddest producers between Magix Enga and Motif Di Don? Leave a comment below.

6 collabos between Kenyan and Tanzanian artists that we’d totally love to see

Kenyan artists have been working with their Tanzanian counterparts a lot more lately so much so that people who don’t like Bongo music, like yours truly, are starting to feel like it’s worth their time.

Also read: 5 impossible music collabos we’d love to see before 2019 ends

We’ve seen some impressive collabos between Tanzanian and Kenyan artists in the recent past. Some of the include; Timmy Tdat & Rosa Ree, Willy Paul and Nandy, Bahati and Rayvanny, Juma Jux and Nyashisnki and so on.

In my opinion, we need to see more of these and that’s why I came up with a list of artists who I think should work together because why not? Also there’s the fact that it well grow East African music.

That being said, here’s our wish list of collabos:

1. Nadia Mukami and Juma Jux – After watching their mash up of African Lover on Coke Studio, I think these two should get into studio like yesterday.

Nadia Mukami and Juma Jux
Nadia Mukami and Juma Jux

2. Rosa Ree and Khaligraph Jones – This collabo should have happened a long time ago. I mean why not? Both artists are bad-ass rappers and they would really kill it on one track.

Rosa Ree and Khaligraph Jones
Rosa Ree and Khaligraph Jones

3. Otile Brown & Vanessa Mdee – I’m not quite sure about this but something tells me that a collabo between them would be totally fire. I’m looking forward to the day they will give us a treat.

Otile Brown and Vanessa Mdee
Otile Brown and Vanessa Mdee

4. Arrow Bwoy and Rayvanny –  I live for the day these two musicians will release a song together. Thinking about it just gives me goosebumps. If a collabo between them comes to pass, it will be the biggest song of the year.

Arrow Bwoy and Rayvanny
Arrow Bwoy and Rayvanny

5. Nyashisnki and Nandy – I feel like a collabo between these two would be pure bliss. Nandy’s smooth vocals would really blend in well Nyashisnki’s rap. Get into studio guys!

Nyashisnki and Nandy
Nyashisnki and Nandy

6. Vivian and Darassa – This is another one that I’m not quite sure about. However, I feel like a rap-infused song with Vivian’s vocals would be totally fire.

Vivian and Darassa
Vivian and Darassa

Which collabo are you looking forward to? Tell us below.

 I praise women and sing about love because that is what I wish to spread – Singer Arrow Bwoy denies always same things 

Singer Arrow Bwoy has come out to deny that all his music are the same.

According to the singer, he grew up in a violent home that’s why his songs are mainly about love.

“The reason why I talk about love is because there was a lot of domestic violence in my family; my dad beating up my mum… so I grew up seeing that, that’s why I praise women and sing about love because that is what I wish to spread,” he stated.

Slum

Arrow Bwoy Ngeta
Arrow Bwoy

This address comes after the singer released a new song dubbed ‘Ngeta’ that still speaks about love but with a mix of violence since he was brought up in a slum.

“I’ve been brought up in the ghetto, so getting mugged is a habit we are used to. I wanted that kind of love, a lady to mug me and not let go…I want a lady who won’t get tired holding me,” he stated.

 

Arrow Bwoy needs to be very careful

To date, I’m yet to come across a song by Arrow Bwoy that I didn’t think was a hit or that I didn’t vibe to at all. It almost as if everything he touches turns into gold. I’m sure you agree, don’t you?

The singer whose real name is Ali Yusuf this rare gift of infusing English, Swahili and Luganda lyrics and ends up with a very unique and beautiful sound. The beat justs complements his style.

Arrow Bwoy
Arrow Bwoy

Unlike what most people think, Arrow Bwoy is not a newbie. He has been in the game since 2012 when he was part of a group called QBIC. He ventured out on his on in 2015 and got his first hit Digi Digi in 2017.

Since then, his star has continued to shine so much so that he even landed collabos with Jamaican heavyweights Demarco and Cecile. This is not a small feat but I’m sure you already knew that.

Locally, he has worked with the likes of Gabu, Masauti, Otile Brown, Timmy Tdat, Nadia Mukami, Sudi Boy, King Kaka, Krg The Don, Voltage Music, Jovial just to name a few.

As you listen to all his songs, you can’t fail to appreciate his ingenuity. However, you’ll also notice that he sounds pretty much the same in all of them which to be honest, I feel like it’s something that might curtail his success.

Arrow Bwoy
Arrow Bwoy

You see, in as much as all songs are done by the same person, hence they will have the same voice, music fans expect you to vary your songs so that you don’t bore them the way Jaguar did. It’s just what it is.

In my opinion, Arrow Bwoy needs to be careful or he will lose relevance in no time. He should look for ways of varying his sound so that his fans don’t feel like they are listening to the same song over and over

Listen to his latest release dubbed Ngeta below.

Arrow Bwoy didn’t come to play! Check out his new club banger dubbed ‘Ngeta’ (Video)

Kenyan singer Ali Yusuf, popularly known as Arrow Bwoy, has dropped a new single ahead of the release of his much-anticipated album in August.

Arrow Bwoy
Arrow Bwoy

Dubbed Ngeta, the new jam is a fusion of dancehall and Swahili RnB. The result is a blazing club banger that will make you hit the replay button at least a couple of times.

To be honest, I didn’t really feel the song when I first heard it but after listening to it a couple of times, I realized that it was a masterpiece and probably Arrow Bwoy’s best work yet.

Also read: Otile Brown’s collabo with Arrow Bwoy and Masauti dubbed ‘Lucy’ is totally fire (Video)

Ngeta is a Sheng word that means ‘to be mugged’. In the song, the Digi Digi hit maker says you should press it (you know what) as if you are mugging him. Does it sound ridiculous? I thought so too.

As is the norm, Arrow Bwoy threw in some Luganda words and they really spiced up the song. You’ll also hear the word chinkororo, which means Kisii warriors, a lot so much so that you’ll be tempted to think it’s the title of the song.

Arrow Bwoy
Arrow Bwoy

Ngeta was produced by Victor Muisyo Mutungi, or Vicky Pon Dis if you like and he really came through on this track. The beat is very decent and it will get you in a good mood from the moment you hit the play button.

Apart from the beautiful video vixens, another thing that caught my attention was the use of colour and how it was well co-ordinated i.e. through their outfits and the umbrellas that were used as props.

But this doesn’t really come as a surprise since the video was directed by the one and only Deska Torres of Platnumz Pictures. Put simply, he did an incredible job.

Watch Ngeta below and tell us what you think.

 

Otile Brown’s collabo with Arrow Bwoy and Masauti dubbed ‘Lucy’ is totally fire (Video)

Kenyan singer Jacob Otieno Obunga, alias Otile Brown, has really been on a roll this year. He has released 7 songs since 2019 begun which translates to a new song every month.

Otile Brown

While all the songs are receiving massive airplay on local radio and TV stations, in my opinion none of them comes close to his latest collabo with Otile Brown and Arrow Bwoy dubbed Lucy.

The song was released about 4 days ago and it has already clocked 140,000 views on YouTube never mind the fact that it doesn’t even have a video. I don’t want to imagine what would happen if they decided to shoot a video for it.

Masauti
Masauti

Honestly, I never thought Otile and Masauti would ever do a song together. Most people think that they are sworn enemies but as it turns out, nothing could be further from the truth. They even did us one better by featuring Arrow Bwoy.

Lucy is such a beautiful composition. It is the kind of songs that you want to listen to over and over. Put simply it’s really infectious. Where is the lie?

All the three artists really come through on this song with soulful lyrics that speak directly to the heart. And no, I’m not about to start a debate about who outshone the others. Listen to the song and decide for yourself.

Arrow Bwoy
Arrow Bwoy

Interestingly, Lucy was conceptualised and released in two days. Although it was hurried, the end result was still awesome.

The song was produced by the one and only Motif Di Don and as expected, he didn’t disappoint. The beat is perfect, it has this vibe of a party anthem and a feel good song at the same time.

Listen to Lucy below and tell us what you think.

Arrow Bwoy: In a family of 12 siblings, my polygamous father would beat my mother in front of us

Dancehall artist, Arrow Bwoy makes shocking revelation of his parents´ polygamous marriage that saw his mum receive whippings from his dad.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bww97fxAQjL/

Exclusively with radio Jambo´s Massawe Jappani the upcoming artist shares:

Being the last born in a family of 12 siblings and a polygamous family, my father at one time would beat my mother in front of us.

And the cause of all these:

My father was frustrated with life because he did not have enough money to feed us.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BwkHWVPgOHH/

Unfortunately, the children were left to the cruel hands of their father´s temper:

Being a Ugandan nationality, she [his mother] spent part of her life there.

However, the now successful artist recalls his mother´s love that has made him who he is today:

And later came for me, and that is how I was able to go back to school.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bxedrq0An3d/

However, all love was not lost as her additionally expresses:

I already forgave my father.

We are now good and sometimes we talk, and I still respect him as my dad.

 

Kenyan musicians have done so many collabos this year and we’re really impressed

Maybe you’ve noticed, maybe you haven’t but Kenyan musicians have dropped so many collabos since the year began. If you are a huge fan of local music, like yours truly, I’m you are also impressed.

For the first time in a long while, there’s something good to say about the local entertainment industry. We’re barely five months into the year and we’ve seen the most unexpected collabos. It’s such an exciting time to be alive.

Artist have not only realized the importance of doing collabos, they have also decided to step out of the comfort zones. On a light note, I’m pretty sure Kenyan musicians agreed that 2019 is the year of working together.

What I love most about this is that our artists are not only working with their fellow Kenyan musicians, they are also crossing borders and working with acts from Tanzania, Nigeria, Ghana and Jamaica.

The likes of rapper Khaligraph Jones have featured on four great collabos since we crossed over into 2019. The songs are; Japo Kidogo, Kiboko (Remix), Megarider (Remix), and Chukua Selfie which was a campaign but still counts.

Papa Jones aslo featured Nigerian rapper Ycee on Gwala which was released in January this year.

If you’ve noticed, Naiboi is also doing a lot of collabos this year. He has two songs with Kristoff, a song with Brown Mauzo. He was featured on Chukua Selfie. His new song with Vivian and Savara dubbed came out a few hours ago.

Arrow Bwoy has also been breaking his back when it comes to music collabos. He has a song with Demarco, another one with Cecile. He has also worked with Gabu and Jovial

Other artists who’ve dropped good collabos this year are; Willy Paul, Timmy Tdat, Nyashinki, Jua Cali, Avril, King Kaka, Mr Seed, The Kansoul, Rankaddah, Rankaddah, Mayonde, Ochunglo Family, just to name a few.

To say the least, I am impressed. I can’t help but imagine how many more great collabos we’ll see before the year ends. I hope this also serves as a wake up call to artists who have been shying away from collabos.

What are some of your favourite local collabos this year? Leave a comment below.

Gabu teams up with Arrow Bwoy and Daddy Andre for a new club banger

After successfully taking over the Kenyan music Gabu the award winning artist from Kompakt Records and co-founder with Steve Ogechi of Kompakt Records have teamed up with Ugandan singer, song writer and producer, Daddy Andre  and arrow Bwoy to release a studding banger dubbed “KOROGA” for lovers of great music and good vibes. 

Gabu

The new hit song to be released Koroga is a blend of three nationals including; the director Kenny, originally wasafi records producer.

Speaking about his new collaboration, Gabu opened up saying;

“Arrow Bwoy is a great artist  in east Africa and Daddy Andre has a different  kind of style and sound. And therefore the blend among  the three acts would take the market by force.” 

Daddy Andre who is also part of the project went on to add; 

“It’s an African sure hit song from east Africa of course, big up to Gabu and Arrow Bwoy for inviting me on board to get this track, it is a blessing to me.”

Arrow Bwoy

Koroga

The trio layered arrangement expresses ambitious orchestrations, more of a concert band with distorted electronic synthesizer that act as the melodic instrument; the lyrical inspiration is a club song and a different kind of style by all the artists in it. 

Therefore this attracts a more concert setting with African dances Koroga is a brooding number, containing a blend of melancholic yet entertaining lines that discuss finding ones comfort, the three acts alongside Churchill are the lyrical geniuses behind the hit. 

Video concept

The video shot in Tanzania features beautiful models and flexy guys in an outside performance; while Gabu focuses on an indoor performance.

So far the hot sizzling hot banger is definitely about to give most artists a run for their money. 

Kenyan musicians whose songs all sound the same and what they need to do

There are some Kenyan musicians who sound the same on almost every song they release. Sometimes it’s so hard to tell whether you’ve listened to the song before or if it’s new.

In most cases, this affects artists who sing. Other music genres, for instance Hip Hop, is all about the flow, rhymes and the beat. As such, it’s hard to find two songs that sound the same unless all the aforementioned things are the same.

Several local musicians have been on the spot before for sounding the same on almost all their songs. I’m sure some of them are not even aware of this because let’s be honest, an artist is not the best judge of their own music.

Before he ventured into politics and took a backseat in making music, Jaguar, was often accused of copy pasting his songs. There was a common joke in the entertainment circles that he kept releasing the same song with different titles.

In his defense, Jaguar explained that his songs sound the same because they were done by the same person. He missed the point but that’s a story for another day.

Other local musicians who sound the same in every subsequent release are Nadia Mukami, Arrow Bwoy, DNA, Dufla, just to name a few.

The only Kenyan musician who has managed to get away with sounding the same is Jua Cali. He has been sounding the same way since he debuted in the local entertainment industry but most music fans don’t seem to mind.

Jua Cali

There’s no denying that all these musicians are talented. However, I’m sure most music fans would appreciate if they can tell their songs apart.

And no, I didn’t say they should swap their voices with other artists. Far from it. Instead, they should look for ways of adding flavour to their songs so that there is a clear distinction with every subsequent release.

So the question is, what should these musicians do? In my opinion one of the solutions to this is working with different music producers. Every producer has a unique style. As such, if the artists will be able to incorporate different elements into their music with every subsequent release.

The other solution is doing more collabos. This often works. Working with another artist will definitely vary thier songs. For instance, the could do a collabo with a rapper which will help break the monotony.

Lastly, they could explore other music genres. I’m sure many music fans appreciate versatile artists. By trying out other genres, they will be proving that they can think outside the box.

What are your thoughts on this? Leave a comment below.

 

We can’t get enough of Arrow Bwoy’s new collabo with Jovial (Video)

When you talk about Kenyan female singers with beautiful vocals, Juliet Ayub Miriam, alias Jovial, can’t fail to feature in the list. She has a soothing voice that I wouldn’t mind listening to all day, even if it’s just a casual conversation.

Jovial

Maybe you’ve not heard of this talented songstress who hails from Mombasa yet, maybe you’ve never listened to any of her songs but it’s about time you knew of her. Drumrolls, please.

Jovial is an Afro-fusion singer whose songs have a twist of zouk. She has several songs to her name and has worked with leading artists including Jua Cali, Ben Pol. Some of her hits include Mimi Ni Wako, Kila La Heri, Unakosa Raha, just to name a few.

A few days ago, she released a collabo dubbed Dekeza alongside Mr Digi Digi, Arrow Bwoy and it has been getting fair airplay on local radio stations.

Dekeza is a Swahili word that means ‘to persuade’. As you can already tell, maybe you can’t, this is a feel good song in which Jovial narrates how she loves to be cajoled, spoilt with good things and what not. Her delivery was top-notch and she has her smooth vocals to thank for that.

As expected, Arrow Bwoy did not disappoint either. He used Swahili, Sheng, English and a bit of Patios to drive the love song home. You know what to expect when you hear that Arrow Boy has a new song, in this case expect much more.

Arrow Bwoy

The song’s bridge is such a no brainer and it is easy to master, it goes like “Kwako sitoki nimezama sijiwezi *2“. That’s it.

The video was directed by Johnson Kyallo and produced by Ihaji. Watch Dekeza below and tell us what you think.

5 impossible music collabos we’d love to see before 2019 ends

A few days ago, Octopizzo revealed that he was willing to work with nemesis Khaligraph Jones if the song would line his pockets. Although the chances of this happening are close to zero, it got me thinking about other impossible collabos that we’d love to see.

You see, the essence of doing in a collabo is to grow an artist’s fanbase. For instance, Khaligraph’s fans would get to know about Octopizzo or appreciate his music and vice versa if the two artists ever do a collabo.

There’s also the obvious fact that two or more music greats are bound to create something magical if they ever work on a song together.

That being said, here’s our wish list of collabos:

1. Nyashinki and Otile Brown – After listening to Nyashinki and Juma Jux on Incase You Don’t Know, I couldn’t help but imagine what a Nyashinki and Otile Brown collabo would sound like. We are really looking forward to the day when they’ll give us a treat.

Nyashinki and Otile Brown

2. Arrow Bwoy and Vivian – This collabo should have happened a long time ago. I mean why not? Vivian’s smooth vocals would really blend well with Arrow Bwoy’s seductive dancehall sound. Get into studio guys!

Vivian and Arrow Bwoy

3. Sauti Sol and King Kaka – They may not see eye to eye but I’m sure you also get the feeling that a song by these great musicians would be nothing but pure bliss. You remember Sauti Sol’s collabo with Khaligraph dubbed Rewind? Think along those lines and then add King Kaka’s storytelling skills.

Sauti Sol and King Kaka

4. Nadia Mukami and Naiboi – I live for the day these two musicians will release a song together. Thinking about it just gives me goosebumps. If a collabo between Naiboi and Nadia comes to pass, it will be the biggest song in 2019. You want to bet?

Nadia Mukami & Naiboi

5. Masauti and Steph Kapela – Nothing beats a bongo-infused rap song. Absolutely nothing. It’s for this reason that I feel Masauti should do his next collabo with one of Kenya’s best emcees – Steph Kapela. What I love about Steph Kapela is that he is versatile, he could end up singing if they ever do a collabo.

Masauti and Steph Kapela

Which are some of the collabos that you’d like to see before the year ends? Leave a comment below.

Nadia Mukami, a Kenyan songstress who is destined for greatness

I grew up listening to some of Kenya’s most talented female musicians. My playlist featured songstresses like; Wahu, Nazizi, Lady S, Amani, Meg C, Rat-a-tat and Sanaipei Tande. This is many years back when mp3 players were still cool.

Somewhere along the way, Avril and Marya appeared on the music scene and ‘disturbed’ us for a while. I still listen to Chokoza up to this very day. When it’s good, you don’t have a choice but to give in.

In the last decade, many female musicians have become household names including; Sage Chemutai, Femi One, Mayonde, Trina Mungai, Wangeci, Fena Gitu, Phy, Dela Maranga, Petra, Vivianne and Cashy.

These sassy ladies have been ruling the airwaves until another femme fatale, who is known as Nadia Mukami, made her debut four years ago with the hit singles Barua Ya Siri and Narudi.

She went quiet for a while, presumably because of school and re-emerged with another song dubbed Kesi which received good airplay.

Nadia garnered a legion of fans in a very short span of time and you would be tempted to think that she has been in the music industry for a long time. Although she has been singing since she was 17 years old, she started taking music seriously in 2017 when she was signed up by a talent management agency and record label know as Hailemind Entertainment.

This decision paid off when her first first song under the stable did exceptionally well. Actually, most Kenyans only came to know her when she released Si Rahisi in March 2018.

Nadia proved she was here to stay when she released two other songs in a span of six months. The songs titled African Lover and Yule Yule also did well on the charts.

Just recently, the 23-year-old singer released another song titled Radio Love with Arrow Bwoy – another musician that I’m a huge fan of.

This new collaboration has re-affirmed what I have always thought that “Nadia Mukami is destined for greatness”

Listen to it below:

Timmy Tdat should pull up his socks before it’s too late

Don’t get me wrong, I am a huge Timmy Tdat fan. I, however, feel that his last two releases dubbed Pogna Matin and Atekwe weren’t all that. Well, I could also be wrong.

The rapper, whose real name is Timothy Owuor, has been churning out club bangers since he debuted on the local entertainment scene more than 5 years ago.

The song that made Timmy Tdat a household name was Welle Welle. However, what is not known to many of his fans is that he had been in the industry for 6 solid years before he got his big break.

He remixed the song with an all-star line up and released other chart- topping hits such as Dus Nyau, Inaweza, Haitosi, Trickydeh, Nje, Wembe and earned a spot as one of Kenya’s most bankable artists.

However, it seems Timmy has decided to change tack somewhere along the way. Maybe he has been rebranding. His punchlines in his recent songs are weak and not as witty as the case in his older songs.

I doubt any of his recent releases, save for his collaboration with Arrow Bwoy dubbed Mary Jane, are getting airplay on local radio stations.

Maybe he should rethink his strategy and pull up his socks because Kenyans will forget him faster than he appeared on the music scene.

What do you think of Timmy Tdat’s most recent songs? Leave a comment below.