Top Three Anthems

One, my apologies for the silence. The plan was to have at least two posts every month. My laptop fell face-first so I've been bila screen and net. But half of that has been sorted...or not!

We got robbed and the laptop mentioned above took a trip, hands and feet tied with sisal rope and since the screen was shattered I felt nothing. I did feel something! That was my first baby. Enehu, c'est la vie.

Moving on swiftly...

I'm all for musicians coming together to create music specifically for social awareness. Of course, knowing the whiner me, I have an issue with boring songs forced down the ears of Kenyan listeners in the name of a good course. Poor production/music/video quality funded by NGOs who don't bother on getting something worth their money.

I could cite many bad examples but I'll be positive and say these three videos have stood out in terms of quality and itendidy, as my Lunje friends would have it.

1.SIMAMA

I first saw this video on the Beat way back in 2008 when I had just started campo. The beat caught my attention for two reasons, it fits my afrocentric belief that our influences (hiphop/ragga) should not wipe our own identity. We should not create music that does not have our own 'feel'. This beat does. The video was short live at the performance, which I've just found out was at the godown.

The people nodding look shady but Atemi's voice stands out besides the fact that she is just doing ad libs. Jimw@at was in it. Whatever happened to him.

p.s. some guy in the background is off, but its okay, he can't be heard.

2. BWANA MKUBWA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTD6-IRjH_I

Eric Wainaina and the Lwanda cast crew did great on this one. Listen out for the bridge where Atemi goes 'talk, talk, talkiiiing'. My bro and I wait for that part. I found another favourite recently though. After the bridge listen out for the background vocalists singing 'all we want to say' and Owiyoo's ad lib which doesn't just blend in but carries it to some other place. At least to me.

NB. The tune has been used in Orutu Special (Love and Protest, the album) which I think dwarfs in comparison to this 'activism' anthem.

3. WAKENYA PAMOJA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1y7O857Q1jk

The country was up in smoke. It was January, 2008. I was in the house (Parklands at the time) and I couldn't go to town or anywhere really. I had to wait for months for school to reopen. I felt like I was being held hostage. This feeling was forgotten whenever I heard gunshots being fired  from some slum across the ridge, sides za Huruma I think.

This song would move me and I felt like it carried that season.
Sounds jerky when I listen to it now, but it was worth the effort. Listen out for the chorus where Pete Odera gets to match her vocals with Eunice Njeri who gives it everything as always. The power-duo lead it into the transposition and leave the song to soar.

For recent 'tragedies', we've fallen back on songs that already exist to rally people to unite and act. We Are the World during the Kenyans for Kenya drive and Daima Mkenya too. Much as I love these two songs, they were not created to fit the need at the time and therefore should not, in my humble (hehe) view be included in this list.

The next time you listen to an 'anthem' as I'd like to call them, ask yourself whether it sounds thought out or hurriedly put together. I am kinda disappointed that we don't have a 50-year celebration anthem for this year.

P.S. As I type this, Kaligraph has released a #WeAreOne video. What d'you think? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUAVN40sZx4&sns=fb

P.P.S. I'll try be more consistent in my posts from now on.