2012 was an exciting year for music in the city of Nairobi Many artists went to work producing what has now come to be known as “Kenyan urban” music. It’s necessary to have this distinction because Nairobi, unlike many other parts of Kenya, is a huge metropolis with many different influences, cultures and vibrations. Abbas definitely had everyone saying the word “Tokelezea” well into 2012 with the 2011 release that he did with singer Chantelle. “Gentleman” by P Unit and Sauti Sol was a fresh and melodic dedication to the fellas and got a lot of airplay.

Early 2012, Kibera’s biggest rapper Octopizzo released a whole list of club jams, one of them being a collaboration with Muthoni the Drummer Queen. “Vile Inafaa” got Octopizzo recognition with a whole new section of urban listeners. Camp Mulla have manifested themselves as a talented group around the world. Their song “Hold It Down” was for their home town Nairobi and became a huge hit, and they went on to excel with their anthem “Keep It fresh All Day”. That song definitely kept Nairobi’s dance floor occupied and managed to stay on the charts for weeks.

On the other side of town, Ogopa Records’ Size 8 released “Vidonge”, a definite club banger in many parts of Nairobi. We need more from where that came from. RnB artist Didge made a comeback with “Kipusa”, a great voice and a fun song. We are hoping he is back for good. Just A Band dropped a new album, Sorry For The Delay, with a hit single “Probably For Lovers” that’s sizzling. The biggest song from Nairobi in 2012 was “Mbona” by the gospel artist Daddy Owen featuring Denno.

This song has people standing up and dancing from churches, clubs and chill out spots across the city. It has such a strong message and is a great overall tune that has mass appeal. P Unit and Collo’s newly released track titled, “You Guy” is a catchy and humorous song on heavy rotation at the moment and will keep people happily dancing as we get into 2013.