Barnaba Classic | |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Elias Barnabas Inyasi |
| Born | Kilimanjaro Region, Tanzania |
| Genres | |
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| Years active | 2000–present |
Elias Barnabas Inyasi who is predominantly known by his stage names, Barnaba Classic and Barnaba boy [1] is a singer, songwriter and performer from Tanzania.
Barnaba began his musical career from training for vocals in his local church choir in 2000. He was scouted and later joined the Tanzanian House of Talent (THT) at the age of 17. His breakthrough song was "“Baby I Love You"" song released in 2007. [2] [3] In 2022 he released a 19 songs album [4] featuring 20 musicians from East Africa. [5]
Music In Africa's and Tanzanian Music Journalist, Charles Maganga praised Love Sounds different Album by naming the 18-track body of work as "Barnaba Classic's most celebrated body of work to date" [6]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Nabembelezwa | Best Zouk/Rhumba song | Won [7] |
| 2012 | Himself | Best male artist | Won [8] |
| Year | Album name | Single |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Love sounds different [9] |
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Bongo Flava is a nickname for Tanzanian music. The genre developed in the 1990s, mainly as a derivative of American hip hop and traditional Tanzanian styles such as taarab and dansi, with additional influences from reggae, R&B, and afrobeats, to form a unique style of music. Lyrics are usually in Swahili or English, although increasingly from mid 2000s there has been limited use of words from Sub-Saharan African music traditions due to the influence of Afrobeats and Kwaito with their dynamics usage of West African Pidgin English, Nigerian Pidgin or other Creole language.
Tanzania Music Awards are national music awards held annually in Tanzania. They are also known as the Kilimanjaro Music Awards or the Kili Music Awards after their sponsor. The awards were established in 1999 by the National Arts Council (BASATA) under the Tanzanian Ministry of Education and Culture.
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The 13th edition of the Tanzania Music Awards took place at the Mlimani City Conference Center in Dar es Salaam, on Saturday 14 April 2012. The event was anchored by Vanessa Mdee and Millard Ayo. The nominees were announced on 8 February 2012 with Bongo Flava artist Diamond Platnumz topping the list with seven nominations. Two days after the list was released, four-time nominee Dully Sykes announced his withdrawal from the event. He stated 'it does not contribute to my growth whatsoever, and this contest is full of lies'. After leaving the 2011 Tanzania Music Awards empty-handed, Diamond Platnumz made a return by winning three awards, including Best Male Artist and Best Video.
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Ali Saleh Kiba, best known as Ali Kiba or occasionally as King Kiba, is a Tanzanian musician and songwriter. He is one of the most talented musicians in East Africa and mostly considered the King of Bongo Flava music Genre. He is from Kigoma and the owner of Kings Music label and the Crown Media Group. With hit songs such as Mwana, Aje, Chekecha Cheketua, Cinderella, Nakshi Mrembo, Usiniseme, Dushelele, Single Boy with Lady Jaydee, Mapenzi Yana Run Dunia and Macmuga. Ali Kiba is usually regarded as one of the most successful Bongo Flava stars usually associated with close rivalry with Diamond Platnumz.
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Zuhura Othman Soud better known by her stage name Zuchu, born is a Tanzanian singer and songwriter born in Zanzibar. She is based in Dar es Salaam and signed to WCB Wasafi record label. She was awarded the Silver Plaque Button by YouTube for hitting 100,000 subscribers within a week. She became the first East African female artist to reach that milestone within a week. She also became the first East African female artist to reach 1 million subscribers on YouTube 11 months later. In 2020, Zuchu was named by AFRIMMA as the Emerging Artist Award winner.
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