HIP HOP CULTURE II

“Hapaa, tunacheza na manenoooo….Ngeli ni ya Genge!”~Jua Kali (self proclaimed GODFATHER OF GENGE). Genge is where it all started! Welcome to the Hip Hop Culture II!


So late last year, after a somewhat die-down of Genge, a new wave hit! Ethic Entertainment, a boy band from Umo, moved the masses with “Lamba lolo” getting over 4 million views and its lyrics on the tongue tip of every youth. Be it campus, highschool, primary….you mention it. Gengetone! That’s what the resurfaced and newly born Genge was labeled – it being a fusion of hip hop and dancehall. Unlike original Genge though, its fusion lies more on dancehall, hip hop taking a share or two.
With KFSB banning some of the songs and Ezekiel Mutua describing it as total pornography, Gengetone is becoming a hot controversial topic of discussion for many in Kenya.


There’s a thick line between the haters, and the loyal supporters and promoters of this vibe but no publicity is bad publicity. So sometimes, the more the haters the more the views. Fortunately or unfortunately, I don’t think we’ll stop singing along to this tune any time soon.


Of concern though is how toxic the lyrics are getting by the day. Nowadays kids as early as 9 are dating and if their hangout playlists sing in the lines of “Kaa ni vajo nyandua”, I’m afraid to conclude that the looming nightmares of rape and early/teenage pregnancies are here to stay!
In an age where ‘the future is female’ and feminists are everywhere preaching women empowerment, Gengetone is proving a barrier to beat and making it all a hustle with the objectification of the she. And the fact that the ‘leaders of tomorrow'(youth) are in unison with the ” Wamlambez, Wamnyonyez” vibe, makes the voice of Chimamandu, for a moment, seem to be on mute.


Music is therapeutic. But listening to these defaming lyrics, I’m just disgusted! Maybe they have come from far and maybe they have a story behind their rotten-to-the-core lyrics. All I know is that the 4 million views may have started as booming business, but the fact of the matter is that the message is reaching the young blood, corrupting the innocent and rotting those already compromised.


With this, I give you the go ahead to call me a hater, but sadly this hater will never add a shilling to the pile (at least not directly). It is my sincere hope that my concern reaches the masses though. And if there’s a way we could eradicate this vulgar message and disconnect it from the potentious….I’m all ears.

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