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  • Hear “Blessed By Design” by Padre Tóxico and Declaime

    I find this song “Blessed By Design” by Polish producer Padre Tóxico and Californian hip hop artist Declaime really beautiful and powerful. Over a lo-fi boom-bap beat crafted by Padre Tóxico, the illustrious emcee lays heartfelt lyrics glorifying God, humbly attributing his inspiration and personal triumphs to divine intervention. “Blessed By Design” features a soulful…

  • EP Review: PR4Y 4 PISCE$ by Parris LaVon

    I stumbled on Parris LaVon's music in 2018. To this day, the song “Better Off” still has an effect on me, thanks mostly to the rapper’s great lyricism. But, in his raps, there’s always something else that draws me in: his embodiment of hip hop’s aspirational nature. It is a consistent theme. Another great illustration…

  • EP Review: Lonely Boy by Joveth

    For a couple of years, a sense of isolation shadowed much of Joveth’s life. Born in the Philippines and raised in Sweden, the singer-songwriter and producer had taken a leap of faith and moved to the US, alone. A 20-year-old in a foreign country during a pandemic, he had all the odds stacked against him. …

  • 10 Interesting Nairobi Bands You Should See Live in 2025

    One thing about the Nairobi live music scene that contributes to its overall appeal is the diversity in the type of music showcased. Different show formats exist for different audiences, from animated club performances to mellow, cabaret-style sets. Although bands do not have a prominent presence in Kenyan mainstream, there’s always a chance to see…

  • Naid presents amazing visuals for “Bwadra”, one of the songs on his new EP

    I’m hoping that it has been a joyful beginning of 2025 for you. Whichever the case, let’s purpose to keep things extra positive this year. I believe that listening to good music is a great place to start, and “Bwadra” by singer Naid has just the right vibe. Naid hails from Mayotte, a French overseas…

  • Album Review: Coster Ojwang – ISNM (Imposter Syndrome No More)

    Coster Ojwang achieves new levels of songcraft on new album Not many artists of today’s generation are able to capture the essence of Luo folk music like Coster Ojwang. Powered by an impressive vocal range, his singing style involves alluring traditional melodies which bring to mind those captivating presentations during secondary school music festivals. But…

  • Can African Musicians Sustain a Career in Today’s Ever-Changing Industry Landscape? 4 Strategies to Explore

    The global music industry receives a bulk of its money from streaming services. At the same time, artists everywhere continue to complain about the little to no payments they receive from streaming platforms. This is not surprising though. On YouTube, musicians do face competition from the new wave of content creators like vloggers and podcasters.…

  • Where DJs can find new music for their mixes & live sets

    The other day I saw this tweet in which someone asked #KOT for advice on where to find a spot in Nairobi playing chill R&B music. Reading through the comments, I got the feeling that a number of people aren’t that happy with the music played in most clubs. This is a sentiment that I…

  • Maya Amolo’s debut EP Leave Me At The Pregame introduces the emerging Kenyan singer [Interview]

    As her first official project, New York-based Kenyan artist Maya Amolo delivered the EP, Leave Me At The Pregame. This is a collection of 7 beautiful songs that are best described as alternative R&B. From the focus single “Lush Green” (whose video is highlighted above) to “Jokes”, each track is elegantly crafted to fit the…

  • Gengetone, the business behind the hype and the question of a Kenyan sound

    The 2010s decade brought with it mixed fortunes for Kenyan music industry. While the increasing access to mobile phones and internet did revolutionize entertainment, the unintended consequence was that of falling revenues. Gradually, the emphasis was shifting from reliance on music sales to a system where musicians have had to garner mass popularity, then attempt…

  • Wasafi.com’s terrible failure and the valuable lessons on local music distribution

    I remember slightly over two years ago when I enthusiastically wrote about Diamond Platnumz starting his own digital music commerce platform: wasafi.com. After achieving sustained success with WCB recording/management label, it was, then, not too surprising that they’d decided to dive into the distribution side of the music business. Behind the zeal, however, I was…

  • The different roles of Music bloggers, publicists & marketers that each artist should understand

    Not to sound patronising but… do artists — and musicians in general —really understand the difference between music blogging (and curation), publicity and marketing? Simple answer, most don’t. This state of affairs is quite saddening, considering that content distribution is fast surpassing content quality as the most important driver of success in this fast-changing industry.…

  • How musicians can build and use their own email lists

    I recently lost my Twitter account with over 40,000 followers due to what the social site terms as ‘permanent suspension’. Sad, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be. With an email list, I can easily email those on it and inform them of my new Twitter handle. Imagine what that tool can do for a…

  • Is Pacho Entertainment now Naiboi Worldwide?

    The above question sounds weird, right. Still, considering the realignments in the Kenyan music industry, rebranding is a tool a record company can’t keep too far away. The concern, however, is why the label that dominated the last three years would shake off their hard-earned success. To understand that, we would have to consider their…

  • I wish I’d met the old Mejja ‘Okonkwo’ and shook his hand

    Lyrical, relatable, comical and witty, Mejja’s lyrics as a solo act were well crafted and got you to listen, absorb then repeat the song. Well, that was then. Now, it’s only nostalgia that sets in whenever I hear such great pieces of art. The new, ‘bablas’ Mejja is not awe-inspiring. Though he stands out in…

  • Willy Paul, the “gospel tag” and why he just can’t cross borders

    I still cheekily ask whether or not Willy Paul is a gospel singer but does it even matter anymore? At a time when, to be considered a gospel artist, you only need to paste any ‘Godly’ reference in the lyric sheet and be attending one of those posh churches, we have come to accept anything…

  • Grandpa Records dies quietly but that is not even the breaking news

    Grandpa Records is dead, and it happened silently. Shocking, right? The stable that once represented the Kenyan industry’s prevailing sound is no more. There have, of course, been issues surrounding the exit of top artists but we thought, considering its muscles, it would manage to reinvent. No, it didn’t. Actually, the breaking news is that…

  • Kaka Empire; a good booking agency but a poor talent manager

    Kaka Empire, yes, that’s one of the names that most aspiring musicians easily utter when they’re wishfully talking about their future in showbiz. They want to work under –read signed to— the brand. There’s plenty of proof to this demand in this 2015 Aipate article that has received wide readership due to the label’s lack…

  • Jonilar on the Role of a Music Publicist, and why an Artist needs one

    A music publicist is a press agent representing a musician or band. Armed with a specific set of skills, including communication and marketing, he or she is able to craft and elevate a musician’s brand. Music publicists’ training often involves a degree or diploma in a communications-based field. However, in many cases, they are self-trained. Whatever…

  • 5 Top Kenyan Gospel Musicians Who Should Go Secular

    Kenyan gospel music became lucrative in the beginning of the 2010’s decade. The advent of those churches that ‘are in it for the money’ helped propel this revolution. Some musicians realized that there was tonnes of money to be made in this industry. There was, thus, a symbiotic relationship between these churches and the musicians.…

  • A Copyrights Approach to Solving Kenyan Music Industry Problems

    Spending some time analysing Kenyan music industry, you would find out that it’s one that has great potential for revenue while, spending even more time reading in-depth insights from likes of Aipate could leave you depressed, considering the slow pace and consistent unprofessionalism that is characteristic of this creative industry. There are two common phrases in the music…

  • Presented to you by Cartels: How Radio and Tv Music program Djs are controlling the industry

    Even with a decent internet penetration, the bundle rates are still well above the reach of majority of Kenyans, thus, making online content streaming a very expensive-and rarely explored- mode of entertainment (It may take Netflix like forever to capture even 60% of the film-consuming market). Save for those who can afford some free downloads…

  • Music Streaming is almost fully here. Is the Kenyan Music industry ready?

    Music Streaming has already overtaken downloads and physical sales in Europe and the Americas. In Kenya, downloading music is the dominant mode of accessing music files though CDs still bring in more but ….streaming will definitely go huge in 2018 and ’19. See, thanks to digital disruption, modes of accessing music media will continue to…

  • How Mavin Records Became one of the best Record Labels in Africa

    Mavin Records celebrated their 4th year anniversary this May. The Nigerian record label founded and owned by Don Jazzy is now one of the best in Nigeria and hosts musicians D’Prince, Tiwa Savage, Korede Bello, Dr Sid, Reekado Banks and Di’ja. All in just four years… but how did they get here? It has been…

  • 7 Poor Habits By Kenyan Musicians That Continue To Doom Industry’s Future

    I have been in music business for 2 years now. I majorly promote, manage and blog about music industry. It therefore means am in contact with a number of musicians, mostly through social media. Its been a rough time withstanding some habits by up and coming musicians that, if not well shunned, will continue to…

  • What You Need To Understand About Mdundo As You Receive Your Royalties

    For many an artist the mention of Mdundo might lead to a frowned face, for the music fans, its an avenue to get to download free music. However, according to the company, “Mdundo is an online music distribution platform aiming at making music distribution easy, transparent and beneficial for both musicians and fans“. They go…

  • The Disheartening Case Of Xtatic

    When I wrote on how to solve music distribution problem in Kenya, what I had in mind was a situation where we have home-grown system to distribute the artistic projects of our musical creatives. A proper distribution system has remained a hard target, that is why our artists see value in signing “lucrative deals” with…

  • Typical Album Project: How Labels Would Invest and Get Returns

    We all know that the album culture is on its death bed in Kenya, largely due to the large investments required and which the labels/artists can’t find and also, there is the piracy issue. You will notice I have intentionally left out fans not buying the music as a problem because I feel this can…

  • Before You Invest Big into that Music Video, Think it through first

    The value of music videos to a musician can never be overemphasized, and that is why close to all the artists today want to put out the best music videos. In fact, most makeshift labels are dabbling in video production so as to cash in on this. Could it be because most club DJs have…

  • Whichever way the music industry goes, Licensing and Copyright Ownership will always remain

    Music industry, being one of those that have embraced technology, remains to change in many ways. Be it production, marketing & promotion, sales & distribution or even rights management, technology has remained one of the drivers of this creative industry. The industry will continue to change and this trend is worrying to many stakeholders who…

  • 2016 may be Khaligraph Jone’s year

    Last year Aipate‘s top 10 Kenyan Hip Hop Artists list was met with mixed reactions, with a good number criticizing us for not ranking their favourite musician as the best. Most critics, however, don’s understand dynamics that come with compiling such a list. Khaligraph Jones appeared third on the list, and some of his fans…

  • Emma Jalamo and John Junior both taking Luo music higher

    Emma Jalamo, even before he dropped his much acclaimed Sherry album, was already a darling of many, considering his new unique style. That style is a fusion of Luo rhumba and ohangla and brings a feel that resonates with urban youth and the village fork alike. “Simba JaUriri” was the one that earned him attention…

  • Solving The Music Distribution Problem in Kenya

    Kenyan music industry is touted to be growing but there are certain aspects that have not been worked on and so the industry continues to hurt. There needs to be investments made so that the production houses are not burdened, a situation that is leading to poor content creation. Most of what we have in…

  • Khaligraph Jones Versus Octopizzo: This Kenyan Hip Hop Battle Has Gone Athletics (and philosophical!)

    After Khaligraph Jones released “Julius Yego” tribute song, and considering that there is no love lost between him and Octopizzo, its now evident that the battle has gone philosophical. The Namba Nane star, who released quite a successful album recently, is officially Team Tergat. Why Tergat and why Yego? Apart from the obvious reason that…

  • PAYOLA in Kenya: Is it entirely Wrong to Pay Djs and Media Stations for Promotion and Airplay?

    There has been a recent advocacy for promotion of local content being played on our Radios and TVs and this is amid controvercies involving Djs who allegedly solicit payments from artists to have their music played on local radio playlists or internet mixxes