Dear TPF 6 WINNER

Dear TPF 6 Winner,

Saaaaasa!!! Congrats!! Wewe/nyinyi ni noma!! Mambo baaaad !!! :D… I can still see pieces of confetti  on ur kichwa. and your forehead is still shiny from the bright lights at the dome.. I’m jealous kiasi not coz of you winning but coz you can now buy a kashamba with that 5milli.. I have an idea about growing nyanya by the way. You only need 24k but the returns is tidy, over a metre!!.. I hear…….
But ebu listen…it’s about to get crazy… I’m not talking the first few days, weeks & months.. I’m talking about the climb back up… You already at the (mountain top) so where do you go from here? Doooown!!!! Chiiiini! Moino!! Nyaro!!! Lemme explain…

Most  Kenyan acts work dog years to get to the platform that you started on (Did you see the guys that were guesting during the nomination shows? Respect those people!) -the level of visibility you get when in the academy is craaazy yo!!! You get primetime slots every day of the week for however many weeks.. Lawd!! that’s an entertainer’s heaven!!…and that’s why everything will feel hellish going forward.. “but I have a record deal, I’m good!?” NOPE!!! Ask your predecessors….My take? Them record labels either don’t understand the market or they just don’t have the fire to really put you on proper.. see.. you aren’t the only act signed to that stable, there are dozens that came before you and are waiting in line(or have proved to be cash cows za gredi!!) ..which reminds me.. remember the faculty at the academy? thooooose guys are your competition!! teren teren!!!!! (Did u see ur principal’s mbeautiful remake of “Selina” during the final show? showmanship, showmaaanship!!! dude owned that stage, like a pro. na amegonga fote! Jay Z wetu buda, habanduki hata!! :D .. also did you see Miss Myra?Pro!! Review the tapes you’ll see why they have the edge, hopefully.. marubaine soup anti ageing agent notwithstanding)….. they know the system….no…they created the system, they  know the system and are the system.. but most importantly, they are extremely talented, conniving, shrewd, extremely talented, 10 years ahead of the game, schemers, EXTREMELY TALENTED fellows!!! I’m sure you will be in their recording studios not too long from now…Ulishapangiwa kitaaaambo… Panda mbegu kupitia MPESA when this prophecy comes through..0722…..

I could  list the blind spots in the game till the cows come home(who came up with that saying? musta been a shagzmodoz) but I’d rather not dwell on what ails us but maybe allow me to float you a few ideas that may make you thrive rather than just survive…. I want you to feel threatened though, don’t get it twisted.. I am not your friend!!! I work in the industry that you have just made a glorious arrival into btw, fyi.. so sikupendi  bado..maybe later…. :-) … here’s a few tips though…

1. Google is your friend but PRODUCT is your best friend! Yaani don’t be those acts that have been in the game for 10 years and don’t have any product (read album) to their name…some of them might have made it major but that was then.. this is now baby… na bahati ya mwenzio usilalie kama hujafunga mlango or something like that…. You are more likely to have a loyal fan base if your fans get emotionally attached to your what? PRODUCT!… Good student!! But on the contrary, What makes you a big star? A big song , a hit song.. When I say Hit I mean hiiiiiiiit!! “Kuna dawa“, “Kiasi“, “You Guy(that Dendai)”, “Jana Kuliendaje?” “Furi Furi” etc… These are straight up DIFFICULT to come by btw, anywhere in the world (Ask 50 Cent)..The only TPF alumnus who has been on a song that’s almost on that level is Amileena… who wasn’t a winner… I honestly think she has done a lot better than most of other contestants… Remember the song “Hodi Hodi” with Collo?, ”Why?“, the massive “Kamua leo?”. heavy rotation tingz.. plus she’s also heavy on the gig scene…why? Consistency & some form of P.R.O.D…..
2. DO NOT BELIEVE THE HYPE!! Chuck D (Why is he always so mad?) said it and I’m echoing it.. No one is famous for being famous nani, aki.. don’t forget what got you to that fleeting position… Don’t ever refer to yourself as a celeb (that word gives me instant malaria)… ati “so we were jus chilling, me and other macelebs celebs”… *goes to mwaura hapo kwa maua*….
3. So you are talented? haitoshi!! You need a TEAM…"like my label?" NOOOOPE!!! You need people that genuinely care about you and your career path… Only make music with people you can have a drink with.. If you don’t drink (like me )..make music with people that you can comfortably tell that you have 2months of dirty laundry under your bed… Unless I’m proved wrong, what I’m tryna say is go indie after your contract expires (don’t burn bridges though, coz like Sway I don’t have the answers!!-najua hamja nyita kenye nasema nyinyi readers :D )… generally you’ll need a band, a manager, msee wa picha, msee wa video, msee wa sound na producer (these are the fundamendoooz, kuna zingine mob)..I’m assuming you can write your own song..si ulienda shule? na ukagraduate na milioni tano.. taaaaano!?...
4. Please.. pleeaaaase…tafadhali… DO NOT ATTEMPT TO FIT IN….otherwise your relevance will last as long as Mututho’s reign as chairman of NACADA. Only that you won’t be reinstated.. Local radio sounds like one looong song *yaaaaawn*..so again please,yeah? Be different man!No1 can beat u at being you.. now I’m sounding like one of those facebook statuses ama is it stati? sijui.. but u get the point…. Aside: I hope you can pronounce the word GENRE proper( hii word ukimbiza watu..jo!)… Genre is ukoloni mambo leo..real artists don’t see boundaries and such… DON’T …do what thou wilt (Illuminati) BUT DO what ur heart commandeth ( Mtukampuninati) … Your “heart” usually refers to your subconscience…and that's where the magic lies...
5. STRONG!! There’s no biz like showbiz… If you were truly made for this you’ll love the thrill, but it can get pretty ugly sometimes, priddy ugly!!(Hi Xtatic, I used the word priddy :-) ). Kanye said “the prettiest people do the ugliest things, on the road to riches and diamond rings” so beware of wolves, mafisi yani .. truth… remember the nyanya story when I started, I can still share if u wanna know.. Sometimes it gets tricky or even downright haaard finance wise so itabidi you Fred Gumo up and kaa ngumu..

I wrote this blog on the assumption that you wanna do this full time and that you are a Kenyan winner (coz huko kwingine I don’t know how they do it…)* but now I know otherwise.. *I now know a Burundi chap ran away with the mkwanja*If that dude moves to Kenya sisi kwisha!! Kidum wawili!! Havoc!! .. I guess this still applies to most of you coz to some degree Y’all are winners…
The best quote I heard this year is simple..”Keep it moving”…. No matter what… Cream MUST rise to the top(of the mountain)…. 

Karibu, now to plan how to make you look like a complete armature when meet at the gigs… Merry Christmas.... :-)

  

Wapi shujaa?

Wapi Shujaa is a quest.. a musical quest for a hero. I totally believe that everyone has the responsibility to affect their environment positively. I have two mums(yeah that’s possible)…One of them taught me(and my 32 brothers) about something called INITIATIVE-this word!!It simply means this: If you see a problem(however small) somewhere it’s up to you as an individual to do everything within your power to fix it.. Don’t wait and hope for some1 else to do it..
So the quest here isn’t for a national hero per se but for anyone that’s willing to bring about change by doing what’s right and what’s good in their locale and eventually(cumulatively) we should have a nation of heroes as opposed to THE HERO that we are still waiting for… Is it ME or is it YOU?
“Wapi Shujaa” was written and produced by Mtukampuni at Zed Studios.It is performed by the amazing Kora award winning Neema Ntalel and the lead singer for the Kisima award winning Voices United Choir,Lily Wamzi…

Instalment 5 of 5…

Play it here 

WHAT THEY SAY

Somebody say revolution!!No,not that kind… Put your protest paraphernalia away young soldier!!But we stillwanna start something. We really need to say NO to bad leadership as a people..My thinking is… the key to all change is civic education.. We need to get to a place where THE MASSES know that the voting process should be a selfish act.. If your so called leader has been at the helm for a period of 5 years(way too looong!) and your life hasn’t changed for the better, it’s only right for you to refuse to be swayed no matter what smooth story and new promises they come up with during the campaigns..No matter WHAT THEY SAY… 

The song was written by Mtukampuni, produced by super producer Chris ‘Phatstix’ Adwar and Performed by Allan ‘Sucre’ Wanjohi.

Instalment 4 Of 5.

Never Again

The beginning of 2008 was obviously a very dark period in the lives of most Kenyans.We witnessed an unprecedented level of violence and we all were affected in one way or another..The 2013 elections are now here with us and none of us wishes to see a repeat of the post-poll events that shook us to the core as a people..Before that Kenya was always fondly referred to as 'an island of peace' mostly because of its geographical positioning-it  being surrounded by warring countries ...we had our issues of course but electoral violence of that magnitude was unimaginable....about what caused the unrest is a story for another day...

This song is a reminder,a warning,a challenge & a declaration of confidence in the peace loving (yes!) people of Kenya that this time we shall not slide into anarchy...no,NEVER AGAIN..

This is another easy listening track with the amazing Dela on vocals..She's also a co-writer of the song. :)

Dela is a Kisima award nominated artiste and her debut album 'Paukwa' can be found on Itunes ,Amazon,Play.com, and in leading Nakumatt, Uchumi and Text Book Centre outlets...

This is installment 3 of 5....

Play 'Never again' here

Change is Coming

Sam Cooke sang "it's been a long time coming but I know.....a change is gonna come". Written over five years back,this song is simply about my favorite topic-hope.Nothing beats hope,ever!... At  a time when it looks like the status quo will always remain,it is also true that things don't always remain the same-so a change MUST come..The Change being alluded to here is in the political arena(particularly in the Kenyan context). Unless you have been in a cave the past few years you must have noticed that the conversation is beginning to shift and even though we might not see a total turn around tomorrow,I'm confident that it won't be business as usual the day after tomorrow......

'Change is Coming' is an easy listening track with a mellow vocal performance by Mueni who is a 2004 Kisima award winner in the Contemporary Gospel Artist/Group of the year category..

This is installment 2 of 5 so again,stay tuned....

Listen here:

UPSTREAM

  

Upstream is a socially conscious reggae/rap song that talks about the frustrations of the person on the street with the leaders that they chose..It mirrors the cry of the general population concerning the callous attitude of those they gave authority to take care of their business through the power of the vote..It also amplifies the unfortunate notion that its us against them...their "sins" seem to pit the  "shepherds turned wolves" against their "sheep"... when all's said and done it is a call for all who stand for what's right to come together  and "kemea shetani" in one strong voice...
The song was written by Mtukampuni and it features the beautiful vocals of Aliquim.It was produced by Gideon Kimanzi at Red Mercury.

It is installment 1 of  5 so stay tuned....

Play Upstream:
http://goo.gl/nvDO9