Why Nonini Is The GOAT

For those who might not understand, GOAT is an abbreviation use to mean ‘Greatest Of All Time’, not an actual goat. As Kenyans, we don’t celebrate our artistes enough. Look closely and you will realize we have had a couple of geniuses along the way but we never really took them seriously. If I was asked ten years ago, who the greatest mainstream artist of all time was, I probably would have paused for a moment, thought up a few names, gave my answer, and then wondered if that was who I meant to say.

But with everything that has happened since the beginning of his career to where he is at today and what his future holds, I can easily, emphatically an proudly hold he uncontroversial opinion that Nonini is the greatest to ever do it. No one ever pushed boundaries and challenged social norms like he did.

Of course, many fans and critics will dispute the statement—some yapping about artistes with higher social media and numerous awards; others complaining of slept-on underground artists possessing more skill and style; and then the biased haters who will simply disagree and rant ‘‘Etemesi you are drunk’’ without much explanation.Let’s face it, the majority of today’s music fans have very little respect or care for the pioneers who paved the way. By that’s totally wrong. So if you started listening to music not more than five years ago, sit down and take history lessons.

No one had balls like Nonini. He said bold, shocking and funny things in his songs, at a time when it was taboo to even mention the word ‘sex’ in public.

Take the intro lyrics from the track ‘Hunipati’ for example:

Manze sija pata manzi miaka ka tano,
Nikona manzi tu hivi naona sura yako,
Yule nilipata alikua ananuka jasho mbaya,
Ikabidi nime muhepa,tu lakini sikwa ubaya,
Nikangukia Fulani hapo, alikua bonge la pua,
Vile ameumbwa  maze huyo manzi anashutua,
Nika kaa chini, na sa jo ile kitu niliamua,
Nitakwama na we jo mpaka ile siku nita kufa,
Na round hii sikupeleki, ma viosk ati kula, ati sijui ati manduma na ma mutura,
Grand regency ndio si tutakua tunakula, na kando tumeshikilia ma glass za Amarula,

Or his second verse as he tries to explain to girl why he slept with her friend:

Mi hiyo siku nilingia tu hivi kwa nyumba,
nika enda strait kwa kitchen, jo nikaanza kula,
baada ya kula, kwa bed mi huyo nika ruka,
chafua bed sheets, tuna zirusha rusha,
Chafua nah ii pande ingine ana niuma uma,
Sa mi ningejua aje, beshte yako ndiye alikua ndani ya bed, na we ulikua ume enda kukatika Carni,
Si we unajua tu vile naku like tu Daniella, na nikiona huyo beshte yako mi nitamwambia kwenda,
Kwasababu dunia nzima hakuna manzi mi napenda,
Isipokua mtoto wangu tu Daniella!

It was in the mid 2000s that ‘local music’ was at its peak. It was the best time for anyone to be a musician due to its popularity and the explosion of fans that turned to the music. It was also a time in which the most prolific artists were making a name for themselves.

You can make a case at how successful someone like E-Sir would have been if he had the chance to produce more albums and music. On paper, E-Sir surprised me with his wit and skill. He excelled in narrating his words carefully. As simple as the rhymes may read in most of his songs, the South – C native had a knack for filling in sentences with the right words to keep the story flowing. He was the voice of mainstream music and on his way to be the undisputed greatest lyricist ever before his unexpected death in 2003.

Despite his rise to stardom, the limited number of songs E-Sir released is both a positive and a negative in his standing as the greatest. E-Sir left us at the apex of his brief career and the thought of how much better he could have been will always leave fans and critics wondering, unfortunately however, not knowing to what heights.

His music is timeless, but can we solidify him as ‘The Greatest’ 20 to 30 years from now? Did he leave us with enough material to gauge how great his music was as time goes on? How far can ‘The Greatest’ discussion progress when other lyricists today are reaching or may have surpassed his accomplishments? To label him the best ever falls short. With all due respect

E-Sir lived his life as a modern day Shakespeare. His words were never forced; every word written in his songs defined his message. He wrote rhymes that were reminiscent of the old school format but the content was never simplistic. This particular writing style made it easy for him to be versatile in the kind of songs he wanted to do. With high energy and melancholy songs in his collection, E-Sir reached people in a personal way. He was a party lighter but also compassionate and prophetic.

No other artist moved fans more than E-Sir. This is the one aspect that made him the people’s rapper. It is because of this that so many consider him the greatest of all time. But does his post-death fame still hold firm against others who have one much better in the game?

What about someone like Jua Cali? His success stems from his great ability in storytelling, narrating, and creating imagery with high-level wordplay. His aggressive flows and word-blending delivery is like a verbal machine gun, words shooting alphabet bullets in slow motion. With this in his repertoire, he is very much the complete lyricist. But does he measure up?

And Nameless? While I think the emotional factor is lacking in his rhymes compared to the other artists, he builds strength and character with his self-portrayal. It isn’t the aggressive nature that we tend to notice from other mainstream artistes but the confident nature that we see oozing from him. If there is one lyricist who masters the narcissistic persona to perfection, it is definitely Nameless. He can also boast of longevity since he is still producing hits today while others have gone clueless

But does this altogether secure him as the greatest ever? NO. Nonini Is The Greatest

His sudden impact came when he released a song titled “Manzi Wa Nairobi” . The buzz over his controversial lyrics rhyming was widespread. Critics and listeners were raving over the music.

.I remember how people ha crammed Nonini’s lyrics in primary school. Those were the days when we use to cut out lyrics and pictures of artistes from newspapers and sick them in books. Despite his explicit nature, Nonini still got plenty of airplay and became a mega-celebrity both to the young and old.

This is a guy who manage to write whole songs about sex but still made them beautiful bangers. Tracks like ‘Kuta Vitu’ and ‘Mtoto Mzuri (the original)’ a something else. He is also responsible for ushering in one of the hottest Kenyan groups of all time – P-Unit.

Like E-Sir, Nonini was a poet, but of a different kind. The kind your mama woul hate

E-Sir was straight to the point with his messages —natural and direct. Nonini utilized storytelling with wordplay, controversy and emotion. Both artists exhibited a personal element in writing through their music and it reached people.

Nonini touched base on things that can be related to in our own lives and experiences like getting drunk in “Keroro” and asking a chick to come over to your keja in “We Kamu”. What about our Friday behaviors in “Furahiday”? Nonini says things that make him relatable, and as we listen, we see parallels in our own lives. These intangibles are part of his artistry.

Longevity is one reason for Nonini’s greatness. He still releases good music though not as often. He is also one of the few artistes to embrace charitable ventures. His ‘Color Kwa Face’ campaign for albinos says it all. . Many artistes that were relevant back in the day have either stopped or lost the appeal of the fans for staying relevant. Especially as the years go on and the sound of Kenyan music continues to evolve and change. Nonini has managed to carry his music during the times and likely has gained new fans from a younger audience.

Nameless and Jua Cali have also crossed generations and modernized their music to be heard and appreciated. Both artists are also legitimately ‘Ironmen’ defined by their own accomplishments and accolades. I would agree that these three are among the top of the mainstream music mountain today..

Oh hail the godfather…

.