They came, saw and when almost conquering the entertainment industry, they vanished into thin air.
In what may seem like eons later, Kenyans can’t help but wonder where these musicians are after they made hits that became anthems.
Here are three musicians and a band who exited the music scene without bidding us goodbye.
C’zars
He is famous for the track Amka Ukatike which was a favorite song among Kenyan music lovers.
His real name is Abdulkarim Mohammed and he was a two-time Chaguo la Teeniez winner as well as the Fanta Pure Fresh Oxygen Talent Search winner.
2000s Kenyan musician C’zars
2000s Kenyan musician C’zars
C’zars was declared missing in 2006, when he was 17 and just before taking the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) national exam.
His disappearance at the height of fame has become one of Nairobi’s longest-standing urban legends.
There are those who claim he had feared sitting for the national exams and rumors about him having fled with an Italian woman. In 2019, a Twitter thread revealed that he might have relocated to Australia.
Singer Phy
Singer Phy is arguably one of the best vocalists in Kenya. Her real name is Phyllis Mwihaki Ng’etich.
She came blazing into the limelight when she was second runner-up in the inaugural season of Airtel TRACE Music Star search in 2015 and went on to win Maisha Superstar.
Her cover for Nameless’ Nasinzia cemented her musical journey and in she stormed the airwaves with her breakout song Taboo (Taabu) which was a massive song. She has also been featured by rappers Khaligraph Jones and King Kaka.
I found out I was pregnant one week to my final exams – Singer Phy
I found out I was pregnant one week to my final exams – Singer Phy
She would then bow out of the music industry and as she revealed in the past, her life took a turn when she got pregnant. The public eye has being raising its eyebrows as her songs were such a force to reckon with.
After the Jenga Jirani festival In 2020, Phy took to Instagram to reveal that she has been working behind the scenes.
”This is where I’ve disappeared to folks… I promised to explain. I’m on the path to creative entrepreneurship, to be an influence in the creative space in effecting systems and structures alongside doing my music,” Phy explained in part.
Rapper Wangeci Waweru
Wangeci is a rapper who rose to fame in 2013 after she aced it in the Ligi Soo (Remix).
Her song Consume Chakula ya Soul released in July 2013 aligned her stars in musical industry. In the same year, she was hailed as a rising star in CNN’s African Voices segment.
Kenyan rapper Wangeci Waweru
Kenyan rapper Wangeci Waweru
Coke Studio Season 3 in 2015 featured her and she would go on to collaborate with Ice Prince, Alikiba, Dama do Bling, Maurice Kirya and American singer Ne-yo.
In the same year, she got into a nasty road accident along James Gichuru Road in the Lavington area of Nairobi.
The rapper would slip into a deafening silence until 2018 when she was featured in Suka by Fena Gitu and Raj Okemwa.
According to a recent post on Instagram, Wangeci is pondering a return to music.
“Finally made it to the ‘I’ve seen my face on a matatu’ artist group. Small sign from God that I’m meant to occupy that space again. #newmusicontheway,” she posted on March 21, 2022.
Elani
This is a musical trio made up of Brian Chweya, Maureen Kunga, and Wambui Ngugi.
The Kenyan group is 2014 winner of AFRIMA’s Best African Pop award and was in the same year nominated in the Channel O Music Video awards..
Kenyan music group Elani
Kenyan music group Elani
The group was formed in 2008. Their song Kookoo, released in 2014, was a record hit that had almost every radio station giving it unlimited airtime.
Albeit being a top band, they have been silent for a long time, making their fans lose hope of ever hearing from them again.
They released their last collaboration in 2020 with the song Nimejaribu before each of them went on their individual pathways.
Elani is now together but apart with each of the members working on solo projects. All their greatest hits are contained in the only album they released as a group, Barua ya Dunia.
Amos and Josh
The duo aced it during the music reality show Tusker Project Fame which catapulted them to instant fame.
Their hit song Baadaye featuring King Kaka has been timeless. They also did collaborations notably with boy band Sauti Sol producing their 2015 anti-abortion hit Nerea.
Tusker Project Fame celebrity duo Josh and Amos
Tusker Project Fame celebrity duo Josh and Amos
The last project they did together was a single Heri Tuachane released in 2017.
The talented duo then broke up and for three years worked separately. Josh was doing music alone and Amos went into the gospel industry.
They however reunited in 2020 and said how they’ve been at loss and in darkness following the death of their mentor and producer Bruce Odhiambo.
Ousmane
Ousmane whose real name is Wanjohi Maregwa was a dominant voice back in 2003. He released his first hit song that year known as Dunda which scooped the Chaguo la Teeniez (CHAT) award after contending with established artists like Prezzo and Tatu and Wakimbizi.
Ousmane Maregwa
Ousmane Maregwa
He would on to win the Best Reggae Act in 2005 at the Kisima Awards and in 2013 his song VIP Love was named as the Most Downloaded Safaricom Skiza tune.
The musician had gained a reputation and respect in the music industry as a reggae-dancehall artiste despite a lot of ridicule at the start of his career. In an interview held in 2015, he promised a comeback but alas!
Camp Mulla
It was a crème de la crème music group and are famous for their Kenyan hip hop anthem Party Don’t Stop debut single released in 2010.
The group was made up of Mykie, Shappaman, Taio, Kus Ma and Lady Karun.
They bagged a number of awards like the Chaguo La Teeniez, Teeniez Group of the Year in 2012, and countless nominations at the BET and Channel O Awards.
Camp Mulla (Instagram)
Camp Mulla (Instagram)
The group unfortunately after having a cult-like following from the fans, largely today’s Kenyan Gen Zers, the group would break up in 2013. This followed Karun and Taio quitting to explore their individual talents.
In 2017, the group reunited to give fans an electrifying performance during the Tekno concert. Since then, they have never been heard of.
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