Throwback Genge Songs That Deserve a Grammy

Ajuma Millicent

Genge being offered a slot in the Grammy Awards as a genre of African music and given a valid category in the music award show is a big move for the Kenyan music industry.

Growing up in Kenya in the early 2000s meant that the Genge music was the highlight of childhood. The trailblazers for the Kenyan music industry have singlehandedly put Kenyan music on the global map despite backlash even from Kenyans. Genge music became synonymous with names like Calif Records where most of the talents were nurtured by the founders of the recording studio. Artists like Juacali, Nonini, Pilipili, the late E-sir, Mejja, and Madtraxx are just among the few artists who pushed the genre of music.

Here are some throwback Genge songs that deserve a Grammy Award;

Landlord by Mejja

Released in 2011, the song is packed with both wit and relatable lyrics, the song highlights the struggles of living in Nairobi.

From hustling to pay rent, to having a landlord that does not care, the song is relatable to anyone who has lived in a landlord’s house in Nairobi. The artist’s ability to bring out the scenario in a comical way makes the song worth an award.

Banjuka by D. N. A.

The song was released in 2008 and was the highlight of childhood then. From clubs to Nairobi matatus, DJs went crazy with the song and it gave Kenyans a song to dance to back in the day.

The beats on the song made it perfect to dance to and it was put on repeat everywhere you went at the time. The popularity of the song makes it deserve a Grammy Award to celebrate the time in history.

Tuendelee by Kleptomaniaxx

Despite breaking up, Kleptomaniaxx were ahead of their time and created beautiful music. This rap jam deserves a Grammy Award for the artist’s ability to put together lyrics that were not conventional at the time and get such a big audience.