Khaligraph should quit rap and become a singer

If I was Khaligraph Jones, I would be toying with the idea of ditching rap for singing, even if it’s just for a few years. Because, why not?

If you talk about Kenyan rappers, he is definitely one of the people who come to anyone’s mind. Well, this is simply because he one of the finest, if not the finest, rappers in East Africa.

After dominating the local rap scene for the last decade or so, I feel that it’s time for him to take up another challenge and that is venturing into singing on a full time basis. I’ll explain why.

Khaligraph showed us his mellow side in his last two collabos with Masauti and Otile Brown, especially the latter. The songs were different but in a good way. We loved them, at least most of us did. He proved to local music fans that he is much more than a rapper by singing in the two songs.

Both Kiboko (Remix) and Japo Kidogo have been getting good reviews so much so that Khaligraph joked that he had given other rappers Octopizzo time to shine as he does love songs and I feel that he should take up the challenge and do more of such songs for some time, say the rest of the year.

Otile Brown with Khaligraph Jones

You see, we’ve gotten used his abrasive style of music. After all, isn’t he the OG? However, I feel that this should not necessarily be the case. Think of great artists like Donald Glover. He is one of the biggest names in America today because of his sheer versatility.

Khaligraph should follow in Donald’s footsteps or any other versatile artist that he admires. One thing is for sure, if he ventures into singing, his fan base would really grow since ‘soft’ songs have a wider appeal than rap. This is one of the reasons why Nigerian and Tanzanian music is big in Kenya.

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Over to you Khaligraph. The ball is now on your court. What do you think of this, leave a comment below.

Alvindo’s ‘Taka Taka’ is almost hitting a million views but it’s still trash

I was recently astounded when I discovered that Taka Taka, a song by an up and coming musician named Alvin, alias Alvindo, is at 910,000 views on YouTube, just 90,000 views shy of the 1 million mark.

Any Kenyan musician, save for Sauti Sol, Willy Paul, Otile Brown and Nyashinki, will tell you for free that getting a million views on YouTube is such an uphill task. Most of them of dream of getting there organically. Of course, there’s always the easier option of buying views. Hi Octopizzo!

To put this into better perspective, I’ll give you some examples. You know Machozi, one of the songs that made Bahati a household name? It’s still stuck at 945,000 views 5 years after it was released.

Talented singers like Phy, Dela, Wangeci, Fena, P Unit, Masauti have never crossed the one million mark on YouTube despite all the great songs that they’ve composed over the years. I’m sure they dream of that day! It’s coming people!

Phy’s Taboo deserves a million views

As such, you would understand my frustration when I learnt that Taka Taka is almost hitting 1 million views barely two months after it was released. Mark you, the song does not even have a video.

To be honest, this was such an effortless song. Alvindo made a beat on his phone and came up with the lyrics after his girlfriend dumped him. To this extent, you can argue that the song had some inspiration. He included some abusive words and the song was good to go. There was no thought process behind it, none at all.

You see, I’m not in the habit of celebrating sub-standard content. It is for this reason that I feel that it should not have as many views. Kenyans seem to be glorifying trash music at the expense of magnificent content.

In as much as the beat, which was later polished by Magix Enga, is on point I still feel that the song is below average and should not be getting this kind of attention.

And no, I’m not jealous of Alvindo’s success seeing as Taka Taka, which is Swahili for trash, was his first song. There’s a level of mediocrity that I can stand, this song stretches it too far.

But then again, you could argue that the song was so bad that it had to stand out. What do you think? Leave a comment below.

Alvindo with Khaligraph Jones

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.

Kiboko remix featuring Khaligraph Jones is finally out and we are really feeling it (Video)

2019’s most anticipated collabo, Kiboko remix, in which Masauti features rapper Khaligraph Jones, is finally out and we loooooove (sic) it!

Masauti

Masauti, who is also known as Kenyan Boy, has been in the industry for some time now. However, most people first came to know him when he released Kiboko.

In the song, the musician whose real name is Mohammed Ali Said describes a certain lass who is causing him sleepless nights because of her smashing beauty, alluring figure and skin colour. She’s the kind of woman that any man would kill for.

Weeks after the song was released, Khaligraph Jones posted a video of jamming to Kiboko. It didn’t take long before the the duo hit the studio to work on the remix.

In the remix, Masauti’s smooth vocals blends in well with Khaligraph’s rap so much so that you’ll have no choice but to listen to the song at least a couple of times.

The video, which was directed by renowned videographer Enos Olik, didn’t disappoint either. Apart from the smooth transitions between scenes, I couldn’t help but notice the beautiful colour coordination.

Watch Kiboko remix below and tell us what you think.

Sultry singer Masauti back with another single that will make you fall in love with Kenyan music!

Swahili song writer and musician Masauti is not a new name in the Kenyan entertainment industry. He is a soft spoken artist with an amazing talent that has seen him work with renown videographer J Blessing.

Also read: J Blessing opens up about claims Avril is four months pregnant with his baby

After going missing in action for a while, the singer is back with yet another song that will make you abandon bongo music. Unlike artists from our generation, Masauti has mastered the art of doing sensible music that speak massively to people who appreciate good music.

New song

His latest project, Nurulain is a perfect example that Kenyan artist are still capable of coming up with creative material. From the lyrics to the visuals there is no doubt that Masauti took his time before releasing this song.

He is definitely playing in the same league as Otile Brown and soon he might just take the top spot!

Watch his new project below: