How Wyre has maintained relevance to this day

Kenyan dancehall artist Kevin Waire, alias Wyre, is still a big deal in the country today, more than two decades after he wrote and recorded his first song but have you ever wondered how he has managed to stay relevant up to this very day?

Well, it’s pretty simple. First, he has always stayed true to himself. He has never bowed to pressure to venture into a genre that he’s not really feeling just to stay afloat. He has been churning out dancehall jams from the first day and that won’t change anytime soon.

He also doesn’t hurry to release new songs so as to remain relevant. The Nakupenda Pia hitmaker has a very long catalogue of hits that have kept him on people’s lips. Therefore, he takes all the time he needs with his projects on while performing his old jams.

Wyre
Wyre

Secondly, Wyre has been consistent since he made his debut in the music industry in the late 90s. In as much as he does not  release a new song after a month or two – like most local artists – he also does not go for so long without releasing new music.

He has also constantly expanded his fanbase by working with a number of local and international acts. Some of them are; Nazizi, Kidis, Prezzo, Khaligraph, JB Maina, Benjamin Kabaseke, Nonini, Vigeti, Alaine, Cecile and Morgan Heritage.

Lastly, Wyre has always been disciplined. To date, we’ve never heard a scandal about him neither does he engage in cheap publicity stunts, as is the case with most local artists, to market his music. He relies on the chema chajiuza philosophy and it always works for him.

Kenyan artists should learn a thing or two from him if they want to have careers spanning many years.

Watch his latest collabo with Young Courageous and Janvier dubbed Ruka below.

Prezzo doesn’t get enough credit

Rapper Jackson Makini, alias Prezzo, made Kenyans, especially artists, realize what showbiz is all about but he never gets enough credit.

Also read: Maybe Prezzo should quit music now that he’s turning 40

In the early 2000s very few people understood what being a celebrity was all about or how they should carry themselves, except one person and that is Prezzo.

He would be the talk of the town for months whenever he pulled up for gigs or award ceremonies.

The rapper often showed up in a swanky limousine with a bevy of beauties in tow. He also had large bundles of money at any given time.

Prezzo
Prezzo

But that is just the tip of the iceberg, in 2004, Prezzo caused jitters hiring a helicopter from Wilson Airport to Carnivore to attend the 2004 Chaguo La Teeniez Awards.

At the time, most celebrities rode in matatus and walked the rest of the distance, that was before the My City, My Town hitmaker changed the game.

The self-proclaimed King of Bling was also a style icon. While his fellow artists did not give a hoot about their dressing, he went out his way to look fashionable.

Many local artists wanted to be like Prezzo. He led an enviable lifestyle. He was more known for his expensive stunts rather than his music.

If Instagram existed then some of these would be well-documented because if you look at Prezzo now someone might think that you are lying.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bW2BrAT4GgI

Don’t be too quick to dismiss Akothee

If you asked different people what comes to their minds when they think of Akothee, I can bet that most of them would say she’s not talented and downright crazy.

This is laughable because most people who see her in this light don’t realize what she’s actually doing or how much she has achieved over the years.

For starters, there is a common perception that her voice and/or her songs are horrible. I agree that she doesn’t really sound like Whitney Houston but boy she has it in her, she really does.

When Akothee made her debut in the local music industry, she made sure that everybody took notice of her by dropping collabos with continental acts such as Flavour and Diamond.

Although people dismissed her claiming that she sounded like a frog, she kept releasing music because she just doesn’t care. Today, she is the biggest female singer in Kenya, her voice notwithstanding.

Akothee
Akothee

I can also attest that she is such a great stage performer. If you have never seen her in action then make sure it’s on your bucket list. You will definitely get value for your money.

The second thing is some people think she is an attention-seeker because of her stunts and whatnot. The way I see it, it comes with the territory.

Not that I know but sometimes as a celebrity, sometimes you have to go to the extreme to make people to talk about you or have you at the top of their minds.

Remember when CMB Prezzo hired a chopper from Wilson Airport to Carnivore to attend the Chaguo La Teeniez Awards? What Akothee is doing is pretty much the same.

To add to that, it also has more to do with her personality. Having come from grass to grace, the mother  of 5 can’t really be blamed for her ostentatious display of wealth.

We need to cut Akothee some slack because either way, she is living her best life.

Listen to her latest single titled Muje below.

Prezzo mourns dad who succumbed to cancer

Rapper Prezzo was recently on social media to mourn his dad who died 26 years after succumbing to cancer.

The rapper took to social media to share that his father died from the disease in 1993 a reason why he has devoted himself to fight cancer.

‘I lost my Father Dr Morris Makini to cancer in 1993 & thats when i realised how deadly a disease cancer is,” he said. 

Event

He went to add that he’s devoted to fighting the killer disease and will be in Lodwar on September 28 to show support.

“Cancer is not one disease. It is a group of more than 100 different and distinctive diseases. That said, on the 28th September i will be joining Moses Loogos Cancer Foundation on their annual Lodwar cancer awareness race 2019,” he said. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/B2zQSWmlBqc/

Prezzo’s new collabo with Kenyan EC dubbed ‘Nitakupata’ is a big tune (Video)

Rapper Jackson Ngechu Makini, alias Prezzo has teamed up with upcoming singer Kenyan EC on his latest release dubbed Nitakupata and we are really feeling it.

Nitakupata is a Swahili word that means I’ll get you and as the title suggests, this song is about a guy who wants to convince a certain lass that he is really interested in her. As such, he assures her that he will win eventually.

Prezzo proves that he’s still got in this jam with his witty rhymes. There’s a part where he says, “Nitakushika, nitaku pakasa, ntakupeleka cloud tisa utupe rada na kisha utanchorea saba.” You guy.

Prezzo
Prezzo

Kenyan EC did not disappoint either. In my opinion, he did well for an upcoming singer. Maybe, just maybe we will hear more greatness from him soon.

The beat for this jam is simple. However, that does not mean that you can not bump to it. As I was listening to it, I could visualize people dancing to it in a club.

The video for this jam is an animation. However, it was terribly executed. There’s nothing to write home about it.

Listen to Nitakupata below and tell us what you think. You better get some good earphones.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cM8I7FUOJ24

Watermelon! Wiper denies then re-announces Prezzo has their 2022 Kibra candidate

There was confusion on Tuesday after rapper Prezzo was unveiled as Wiper Party Kibra by-election candidate only for him to be rejected by the party then reannounced a fresh.

The party released a series of confused announcements but later clarified Prezzo will be their 2022 candidate and not November this year when the byelections are taking place.

2022

Wiper leader Kalonzo Mustapha and rapper Prezzo at press Conference

“He (Prezzo) wanted to vie but we had decided not to field a candidate because NASA supported us in the Embakasi South parliamentary seat therefore we will not field a candidate to spoil for our sister parties, he is our candidate (for Kibra) but in 2022 elections,” said the party’s spokesman. 

Wiper party leader Kalonzo Musyoka made the announcement later on Twitter saying Prezzo will only run for 2022. Another source also claimed that the party’s social media accounts had been hacked.

 

Nameless Vs Jua Cali: Who made our childhood memorable?

If you are in your 20s or older then I’m sure you have nostalgia when you remember the kind of songs that rules the airwaves in the early 2000s.

Longombas
Longombas

Genge music had just emerged and almost every artist was releasing a song that was inclined towards the genre.

However, others decided to steer their own paths and their songs were received well by fans nevertheless.

Put simply, it was a beautiful time for Kenyan music. It’s almost similar to the music revolution that is being witnessed in the country at the moment.

Among the male artists that were such a big deal at the time were; Pilipili, Flexx, E-Sir, Jimwat, Nonini, Klepto, Czars, Longombas, Redsan, Deux Vultures, Historians, Prezzo, Wyre, Mr. Lenny, Jua Cali and Nameless.

Prezzo
Prezzo

Today, we will focus on the last two names i.e Nameless and Jua Cali simply because they are big deal up to this very day, aren’t they though?

We want to find out who between the two made your childhood memorable and the song that brings back the good old memories.

Admittedly, both artists are talented. They’ve both played a crucial role in shaping the Kenyan sound.

Jua Cali
Jua Cali

However, if you had to choose one of them, who would you settle on and why? Tell us below.

Maybe Prezzo should quit music now that he’s turning 40

Kenyan rapper Jackson Makini Ngechu, popularly known as Prezzo, has lost the flare we all came to know him for in the early 2000s.

In those days, the self-proclaimed King of Bling was not only Kenya’s most sought-after musician but also a fashion role model to many.

Prezzo churned out hit after hit and won prestigious accolades. He soon became the envy of his peers and earned a legion of loyal fans across the continent.

He grabbed headlines with the slightest effort. However, he would go all out sometimes to live up to his status as a King.

Like that time in 2004 when he hired a helicopter from Wilson Airport to Carnivore to attend the Chaguo La Teeniez (CHAT) awards.

Or in 2015 when he pulled up at the same awards ceremony in a full stretch limousine and a presidential escort to boot.

Those are the days when Prezzo was really Él Presidenté. When he was known for making good music and pulling publicity stunts that we didn’t mind.

Somewhere along the way, the rain started beating him and as the popular saying goes, “When it rains, it pours.”

A messy divorce, firing in the air at a parking lot, drug abuse allegations, driving under the influence of alcohol, heavy debt, love triangles, links to Kamlesh Pattni of the Goldenberg scandal, you name it.

Soon enough, Prezzo was no longer the cool rapper we had come to respect and envy in equal measure. He was just the next door neighbour.

He landed an opportunity to represent Kenya at 7th edition of Big Brother Africa (BBA) and many of us thought that this opportunity would give him a boost to relaunch his career as a rapper.

When he came back, he released My City, My Town with Cannibal and we thought he had gotten his big break. However, his love for controversy got the best of him so much so that he joined a sub-standard reality TV show.

Prezzo released other songs during this period but they barely got airplay since his private life took center stage.

In 2016, he was invited to talk about his music in one of the local TV stations but instead, he went on to brag about his family’s wealth. To make matters worse, Prezzo, who was visibly drunk, made a pass at Betty Kyallo on live TV!

About a fortnight ago, a friend asked me whether I had listened to Prezzo’s latest single dubbed King and I thought to myself, “What King? Maybe he should just quit music now that he’s turning 40.”

Convinced that I will not die, I finally decided to watch the video on YouTube. I’m sorry if wasted your time reading this article, Prezzo is still the King. He is at the peak of his rap career believe you me.

Here’s the video of his latest single King: