MC Kah watched the formation of Kenyan hip hop occur in his very own household. He is the younger brother of veteran rapper Kama, the founding member of Kalamashaka, one of the most popular hip-hop groups to ever hit the Kenyan scene. Surrounded by so much hiphop history, MC Kah has always been a conscious rapper, which has been evident throughout his career.

On his new sophomore album, Afreeka 2012, he continues to connect old customs and urban ways through music. On the title track, “Afreeka 2012”, the artist fuses traditional sounds from his Kikuyu background with an urban hip-hop sound in a song that tackles everyday issues. In “Mara Lyo Lyo” (“On the Spot”), he advises his fans to deal with fake friends, politicians, oppressors and traitors—immediately. He takes on the issue of love with “Ghetto Love Affair”, an ode to those from the ‘hood’ who end up getting married to the streets for lack of having much else to do.

The album gets lighter on “Brighter Days”, where MC Kah deals with some of the good things about living in the ghettos of Dandora. The production here is more open, the guitar riff giving life to this track. The beat banger “Unga”, featuring rapper Black, is about making ends meet; MC Kah dissects how societal competition is manifested on the streets. The tempo gets even more uplifted on the lyricallycharged “Hip Hop For Life”, featuring Shaki of Mandugu Digital who sings smoothly in the chorus.

The song “Sauti Ya Mitaa” is the epitome of this album, telling the masses about what needs to be happening right here, right now. It may be tough to deliver a 22-track album about positivity, street strife and ghetto love, but MC Kah is a veteran. This seems to come more easily to him as years go by. Still, the production value could be better. While the creatively-charged Mandugu Digital came through with the beats, the mastering seems to be wanting, something that can definitely be improved upon in the future.

Afreekah 2012 is avaialble at Leisure Village, Nakumatt Lifestyle