The music of Kenya is very diverse, with multiple types of folk music based on the variety over 50 regional languages.
"Wishing on a Star" is a ballad first recorded by American soul and R&B group Rose Royce. It was written by former Undisputed Truth member Billie Rae Calvin, and produced by Norman Whitfield. The song was originally offered to Barbra Streisand for an album project but she declined. It was first released as a single by Rose Royce in 1977 and has since been recorded by numerous acts including the Cover Girls in 1992, Jay-Z in 1998, Beyonce in 2005, and Seal in 2011. 21 Savage used a sample of the original 1977 version for his hit All of Me, which was released on his 2024 album American Dream, and used earlier in the trailer for his debut film, American Dream: The 21 Savage Story
Hubert Mbuku Nakitare, commonly known by his stage name Nonini, is a Kenyan rapper and former radio presenter. He is often referred to as the Godfather because he is very well known.
"Beautiful Liar" is a song by American singer Beyoncé and Colombian singer Shakira. It was written by Beyoncé, Amanda Ghost, Ian Dench, and Stargate members Mikkel S. Eriksen and Tor Erik Hermansen, and produced by Stargate and Beyoncé for the deluxe edition of Beyoncé's second solo studio album, B'Day (2006). The mixing of the song was done by Gustavo Celis. "Beautiful Liar" was released on February 12, 2007, through Columbia Records and Music World Entertainment as the only single from the deluxe edition of the album. A Spanglish mixed version of the song was produced and titled "Bello Embustero".
P-Unit is a Kenyan hip hop group consisting of Kenyan hip hop artists Frasha, Gabu, and Bon-eye.
Boomba music, also referred to as kapuka, is a form of hip pop music popular in Kenya. It incorporates hip hop, reggae and African traditional musical styles. The lyrics are in Swahili, Sheng or local dialects. It is associated with the Ogopa Deejays and is believed to have originated in the late 1990s with artists such as Redsan, Bebe Cool and Chameleone. It went on to dominate East African airwaves after the release of the Ogopa Deejays' first album in 2001, which included artists such as the late E-Sir, Nameless, Mr. Lenny, Amani, Mr. Googz and Vinnie Banton amongst others.
"Apologize" is a song written by Ryan Tedder, which first appeared on Timbaland's second studio album Shock Value (2007). It was then released as the third single from that album, along with the original recording by OneRepublic. It accordingly also served as the debut single for OneRepublic's debut album Dreaming Out Loud (2007), produced by Greg Wells. Timbaland's version omits the guitar solo after the second verse in the original, and includes an extra line of percussion, new backing vocals, and added sound samples, in addition to sound mixing and a few other minor changes. The song was the biggest radio airplay hit in the history of the Mainstream Top 40 chart in the United States, with 10,394 plays in one week, until its record was broken by Leona Lewis's "Bleeding Love", which was also co-written by Tedder. The song was a major hit internationally, reaching number one in 16 countries, including Australia, Austria, Canada, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, Sweden, Turkey, and the Netherlands, as well as staying at number one for eight consecutive weeks on the Billboard Pop 100 chart. The song peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100, staying in the top-10 for 25 weeks, and spent 13 weeks at number one in Canada.
Paul Julius Nunda, better known by his stage name Jua Cali, is a Kenyan rapper and record producer. In 2000, together with record producer Clemo, he founded Calif Records where he has been ever since producing music which dominated East African music alongside Jose Chameleone of Uganda and Mr. Nice of Tanzania. Jua Cali performs in Swahili and Sheng in a popular Kenyan style of rapping called genge.
Rosemary Wahu Kagwi, professionally known by her mononym Wahu, is a Kenyan singer-songwriter, former fashion model, actress, and entrepreneur.
"Jai Ho! " is a song by Indian composer A. R. Rahman and American girl group The Pussycat Dolls, recorded for the re-release of the group's second studio album Doll Domination (2008) and their EP Doll Domination – The Mini Collection (2009). It was released on February 23, 2009, by Interscope Records as the fourth single from the album and is an English remake of the original Hindi song "Jai Ho" which is taken from the soundtrack to the hit film Slumdog Millionaire (2008). The remake was conceived by record executives Jimmy Iovine and Ron Fair who tasked the Dolls' lead singer Nicole Scherzinger with creating a pop record that did not deviate from the original melody. Iovine and Fair also asked a number of other writers to create interpretations of the song, including Brick & Lace, The Writing Camp and Ester Dean. The final English version of "Jai Ho" was dubbed "Jai Ho! " and is sometimes also referred to as the "RF Mix" or "Ron Fair" Remix.
"I Gotta Feeling" is a song by American group the Black Eyed Peas from their fifth studio album The E.N.D. (2009). It was written by the group members with the song's producers David Guetta and Frédéric Riesterer. The song was released as the second single from The E.N.D. on June 15, 2009, by Interscope Records.
Radio & Weasel was a Ugandan music Duo that performed under their record label Goodlyfe Crew a Ugandan music group with lead performers being singers Moses Radio and [Weasel Manizo]. Moses Radio provided smooth RnB vocals while Weasel's contribution is a fusion of reggae, ragga and dancehall vibes. Because of their prominence, Moses Radio and Weasel formed their own duo known as Radio and Weasel. The Lead singer Moses and Vocalist Radio died on 1 February 2018 from brain injuries after an assault by a bouncer at a club in Entebbe. Radio's attacker threw him down about 3 metres (9.8 ft) onto a concrete pavement which resulted in massive intracranial hemorrhage.
"The Time (Dirty Bit)" is a song by American musical group the Black Eyed Peas from their sixth studio album, The Beginning. It was written by group members will.i.am and apl.de.ap along with DJ Ammo, who produced the song with will.i.am. Additionally, Franke Previte, John DeNicola and Donald Markowitz received co-writing credits since the chorus interpolates 1987's Dirty Dancing soundtrack "(I've Had) The Time of My Life", performed by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes.
"On the Floor" is a song recorded by American singer Jennifer Lopez for her seventh studio album, Love? (2011). Featuring American rapper Pitbull, it was released by Island Records on February 8, 2011, as the lead single from the album. "On the Floor" was written by Kinnda "Kee" Hamid, AJ Junior, Teddy Sky, Bilal "The Chef" Hajji, Pitbull, Gonzalo Hermosa, Ulises Hermosa, along with the song's producer RedOne. It is a pop song combining techno, Latin, dance-pop and house music and with a common time tempo of 130 beats per minute. Lopez recorded a Spanish-language version of the song titled "Ven a Bailar", which includes additional lyrical contributions from Julio Reyes Copello and Jimena Romero.
Camp Mulla was an alternative hip hop group originating from and based in Nairobi, Kenya. The group rose to prominence with the release of their single "Party Don't Stop" on 31 August 2010, with that and their subsequent works earning them a nomination for Best International Act (Africa) at the 2012 BET Awards. Following the release of their debut studio album, Funky Town, the group's lead singer Karun and rapper Taio both left the group to pursue higher education and solo careers. In September 2017 the main four members announced their reunion at The Wave performance at the Waterfront, Ng'ong racecourse, but soon after disbanded again. The group's musical style, fashion sense and origins have drawn comparisons to The Black Eyed Peas, while they have also been criticised for making "bubblegum music".
"What Makes You Beautiful" (WMYB) is the debut single by English-Irish boy band One Direction. It served as their debut single and lead single from their debut studio album, Up All Night (2011). Written by Savan Kotecha and producer Rami Yacoub, the song was released by Syco Records on 11 September 2011. The uptempo power pop track features a prominent guitar-based chorus and riff. The middle eight consists of a "na na na" hook.
Sauti Sol is a Kenyan Afropop band formed in Nairobi in 2005 by vocalists Bien-Aimé Baraza, Willis Chimano and Savara Mudigi. Initially an a cappella group, guitarist Polycarp Otieno joined before they named themselves Sauti Sol.
"Good Night" is the debut single by British-Australian recording artist Reece Mastin, who won the third series of The X Factor (Australia) in 2011. It was released digitally on 22 November 2011, shortly after the show ended, as the lead single from his self-titled debut album. The song was written by Hayley Warner with Anthony Egizii and David Musumeci of the songwriting and production duo DNA Songs. "Good Night" received mixed to positive reviews from music critics, most of whom noted its similarities to Pink's "Raise Your Glass" (2010). The song debuted at number one on the ARIA Singles Chart, and became the first number-one winner's single for The X Factor (Australia). It was certified five times platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), denoting sales of 350,000 copies. "Good Night" also peaked at number one in New Zealand and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ).
Simon Njoroge, popularly known as Shrekeezy, was a Kenyan advertising strategist. He was also largely involved in art and entertainment as a radio host, TV presenter, rapper, DJ and Entertainment Executive. He first gained major attention for his successful online radio show Shrekeezy Live which was later taken up as a daily radio show on Hero Radio Kenya after gaining over 40,000 fans on social media. As a marketing executive at Hero Radio, Simon developed huge interest on Internet marketing and took part-time classes with Chartered Institute of Marketing. During this period, he played a major role in marketing muicbook.com, a social networking site that was founded by his colleague and close friend Samuel Keige. The site was however sold to Afroleo.com. He left Kenya a year later to be the personal assistant of Tanzania-based Indian entrepreneur Nilesh Bhatt. He later that year joined Pilipili Entertainment, a Tanzanian film production company owned by Nilesh Bhatt as the marketing manager. He had since worked as a Digital Strategist in major East African Advertising agencies like Scanad, MetropolitanRepublic, Express DDB and BrandVision Advertising.
