The evolution of music genres and humanity will forever be parallel. Man is naturally curious and their curiosity essentially brings about the necessity of invention. Fifty years down the line, we are still facing new sub genres of Hip-Hop from Trap to a bubbling clique sub-genre from Nairobi dubbed “Kilimani rap.” The latter is a combination of slang and colloquial words from Kilimani – a fancy suburb within Nairobi. Spearheaded by artists such as Prxnce, Korbs, Kahu$h,Ouma, Sabi Wu and more, the sub-genre has found a solid fanbase within Kenya. “Kiama” by Kahu$h is the latest testament that saw the project sit #1 on Apple Music albums.
After more than three years in the game backed up with four projects to his name and a sling of hits including his breakout single “Mi Siwezi,” and “Mastingo,” Kahu$h took a slight sabbatical before his return with “Kiama.” In 14 songs, he makes a couple of statements including “I can rap on any beat with any format because I am the artist and this is my creation.” Breaking out at a young age, he has faced criticism when it comes to his artistry which actually forced him into a one and a half year hiatus of self reflection and affirmation.
Ironically, this has positioned him as one of the ubiquitous faces in Kenyan rap both locally and internationally, the fact that he is a Brighton University alumni aids this fact. This is by no accident or planning but rather by his distinct rap approach, cadence and self awareness that comes with each line he puts out. You can tell the growth he has experienced with the release of each catalogue and “Kiama” lives up to its name. Translated to English the title means blessings and “Time Traveller” starts off with Kikuyu chants. He tests his creative freedom after he places his dad’s voice recording in “Visions Everyday,” talking about his position as Kahu$h’s father, Kahu$h and finding pride in your background. This came as he constantly faces backlash for being the son of a senior government official. In “Mkokoteni,” he makes it clear that his music is more than just having rhyming words, hardcore lyrics or even melodic delivery, music is therapy and it touches on production quality.
Still enjoying his youthful energy his beats are all upbeat with most songs as seen in “Maheni,”and “KujiKata,” having his signature repetitive bridge “…maheni, maheni,maheni, caught you in a..”. One of the most soothing points with how he raps is the fact he doesn’t try too hard to be something he is not. He steadily delivers in his wonted talk-rap and cheeky lines as he sings in “Put It On.” Unlike most rappers, Kahu$h has grasped and studied his audience. He knows a high number of Gen Z suffer from attention deficit issues thus he has mastered the art of simplicity song writing “..Her crib is just like the Brookhouse castle finest things in the East..you get sexy when you talk and not the topic the way you speak..” as he cunningly sings in “My Biggest Fan.”
Kahu$h does have a more cocky side as seen in the last quarter of the project from “Smoky Robinson,” where he gets self conceited to “The Fuckery,” where he stands with Kenyans and goes ablaze on the current oppressive government and the traitors. “Welcome to the land of whatever whatever,’ Kahu$h starts off with a sliver of remorse that he knows his fans will relate to “nchi where freedom fighters are easy to fight, easy to sway.”
“Kiama” is a testament of Kahu$h growth both as an artist and as human. The implementation of his ethnic background in terms of production as seen in “Time Traveller,” to modern 808s in “Maji Haina Shida.” ‘Kiama,‘ is more than a body of hits its a journey into Kahu$h’s universe and understanding his growth for the past one and a half years.
Stream Kiama
