Can Kenyan music go beyond our clubs and get international airplay? Can international audiences understand the vibe, if some of us locally also don’t get it?
These are some comments Dj Pinye made to the Standard in an interview last Friday.
The DJ cited gengetone to argue that it doesn’t get international airplay in South Africa or Nigeria.
‘Something serious needs to happen, these young guys do not want to work…it’s shortcuts all the way, someone like a Diamond needs to come locally and then people realize the work ethic…there is no artist in Kenya who has work ethic like Diamond, then why are we complaining? It means you don’t want to work’
‘People do music for Kenya only yet there’s the internet, the world is so small, you can’t play gengetone outside Kenya , I want you to do a song that will play even in South Africa’ added the deejay.
Pinye used Kenyan R&B singer Nikita Kering as an example, saying that if another musician of Nikita’s age and talent emerges, the two will not be able to co-exist or grow in the same industry.
“The problem is that there’s another nineteen-year-old who wants to do what Nikita is doing, so where does Nikita go? There’s nowhere to go, there’s no structure where labels sign you, before we had Ogopa, Calif…when everybody is independent, you’re struggling by yourself…,” said Pinye.
His comments have drawn mixed reaction, with some blasting him for avoiding playing Kenyan music as others supported his stand.
@Zinga59·21h wrote ‘Tell Kenyans musicians to drop genge and learn to create a Kenyans genre. Learn to play musical instruments. Rapping off key is not music. Look at Bongo and Uganda music’
Another @KoechBernard reacted saying ‘How do you expect ghetto artist who are educationally disadvantaged knows audience beyond ghetto? Talented but educated artists do not want to sing. So just like football, Kenya is in a mess musicwise.’
@BrianMalongo
Kama sisi wenyewe hatuelewi chenye tunaimba unataka huko inje waelewe aje sasaFace with tears of joyFace with tears of joy
@andraza_mr
I’m in every genge tone directly or indirectly getting credits or being criticized must be giving them ideas but when this artist are making music they should know who they are targeting as their audience and my advice for them is to have a broader picture internationaly
BY CLASSIC 105
