Alt. Kenya
Description
Discover the best alternative music from Kenya and its diaspora.
Quickstats
Playlist Length
0 days, 5 hours, 32 minutes
Playlist Followers
2725
Source
Discovered On, Reddit
Playlist Last Updated
March 24, 2023
Mood
Mixed Mood
Track Popularity Rating
Deep
Style
Varied
Average Release Decade
2020s
Main Genre:
Afro
Reddit Info
Reddit Post
"Kenyan music sucks" is not an unpopular opinion. No shade, but it's something I hear a lot from people who don't listen to Kenyan music much. It's not accurate. "Decent music" is a blanket phrase. Does it refer to lyrical content, production, or vocals, etc? Because for every artist who fails at any number of these elements, there's one who excels. I don't think the lack of a 'national musical identity' is automatically a bad thing. The popularity of Afrobeats is a result of its commercialization, not necessarily the quality of the music. It is formulaic and easy to imitate and therefore mass produce, which makes the songs sound the same. That makes it easy to export, but it keeps a lot of good non-Afrobeats artists (eg Johnny Drille) in the sidelines coz it's all labels push. I agree that fake accents are annoying, but cultural exchange is inevitable and has been happening since time immemorial. The internet accelerates it. So Kenyans will do rap music, and that doesn't have to be a bad thing. An example: British R&B, to me, is better than American R&B, yet it's a cultural export. It isn't native to the UK. And frankly, I don't see the problem with Gengetone. It's an offshoot of Genge, and it's lyrical content, which is what most people like to complain about, exists within a certain context, and it is a representation of life. It might not be your cup of tea, but that doesn't make it bad. I would challenge you to listen to more Kenyan music. Labels here, just like labels everywhere else, try to push certain genres and artists, but there's something for everyone. Check this out for a start: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37tncyDlSz0QbJOUJkx7x7?si=5b2919e602fb4b90
Upvotes
33
Subreddit
Kenya
Reddit Username
Working_Mousse7326
Reddit Timestamp
12/29/21 23:16
Reddit URL
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Top Artists
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