We are living in an age where the prolific use of technology in almost every aspect of our lives characterizes our daily activities.
Our artists for a long time have been inaccessible and so is their music, but all thanks to social media platforms like Youtube, we can now enjoy more content from a wide variety of them. YouTube is a channel that every developing artist should explore. With over 1 billion active users a month, YouTube is a phenomenal outlet for artists to connect with fans. Not to mention it can also become another great revenue source for the artists.
In Kenya, we are seeing our artists handling Youtube right and getting the views up to the millions. Here is a shot compilation some of the jams that went viral and hit 1 million views in the first month of release.
Sauti Sol Feat Patoranking – Melanin
The very first single off the forthcoming LP ‘African Sauce’, Melanin is a stand out lead single and the feature from Patoranking is definitely propelling the stellar views. The video has garnered over 1.4 million views in a week since its drop and is the number one Trending video on Youtube Kenya. Several reasons can be attributed to this quick success. First of all, Sauti Sol has etched its brand to appeal to an international audience since they already have the 254 on lock. They have a strong marketing machine that projects their image in all social levels. Sauti Sol’s video meets the desired threshold in terms of quality, storyline, and presentation.
Nyashinski – Malaika
Comeback king Nyashinski has mastered the business of music. Being away for so long, I bet he gathered the Ps & Qs of making it in the industry and he did apply the skills in his craft. ‘Malaika’ was his 3rd single since his return and in a month it was way over a million views. Striking while the rod was hot, the single was a follow up to the smash hit ‘Mungu Pekee’ but he flipped the style and the wedding gigs ran away with the tune. He invested in quality video, had a timely drop and the wave was his to ride. The jam has garnered over 3 million views in 6 months.
Khaligraph Jones Feat Cashy- Micasa Sucasa
The king of the 254 Trap Papa Jones is a work in progress as he gets his brand to the level it deserves. The track ‘Micasa Sucasa’ was a sample of the infamous Mobb Deeps ‘Hell On Earth’ and Khali decided to trade bars with his girlfriend and upcoming Femcee Cashy. The jam created a huge buzz as it was a standout track with an edge. We had not seen Khali trade bars with a female as they did on this. The video was well done and just highlighted the pair as the perfect Hip Hop couple. The lyrics too were so on point speaking about the current issues at that time like the Chris Brown’s 90million Show, DJs playing local music in clubs, and politics of that time. The video has over 1.4million views a year later but had over a million views in a month.
Willy Paul Feat Alaine- I Do
Willy Paul is always pre-eminent in his gospel sector and competes with acts from the secular world fiercely. The Jam ‘I Do’ features Jamaican songstress Alaine is not gospel but they term is a love song. Pushing the envelope to the limit, Willy Paul flew in Alaine from Jamaica to Nairobi for the purported wedding and created such a buzz on social media. He duped his fans that he was now married and the pictures were in all dailies then he struck with the video. The excellent marketing gimmick drove the views on his Youtube to over a million in a month.
Octopizzo -TBT
Kibera’s Finest Octopizzo aka Mr. International has his place as the Hip Hop face from Kenya and he states his competition is not in the 254. The Kapuka banger ‘TBT’ had his fans jump and scream in awe after he dropped the video. Shot abroad in the USA, Octo showcased his travel diaries on the video but the lyrics were too hot. Firing subtle shots at other rappers and music players, he braggadocio is peerless. The video garnered over a million hits in a month and 6 months down its at 1.7million.
