As Hip hop celebrates its 50th anniversary, the genre’s journey in Kenya stands out as a testament to its global influence. The Hip hop music scene in Kenya is vibrant and full of creativity.
Nyashinski, Wakadinali, Boutross, Khaligraph Jones and Buruklyn Boyz are the top five streamed artists of the genre in Kenya, according to Spotify data. Others on the top 10 list include Maandy, Ssaru, Mejja, Ndovu Kuu and Kahush.
Each of them brings something unique to the music, making the mix of styles and sounds interesting. Wakadinali’s lyrics talk about city life and struggles in a real way, social injustice, cultural pride, hip-hop culture ,personal struggles and growth and street life while Nyashinski has a strong and interesting presence when he raps, mixing thoughtful ideas of love, relationships, personal experiences and African identity with charm. Maandy has been making waves in the East African hip-hop landscape, captivating audiences with her unique sound and authentic storytelling. Buruklyn Boyz’ words flow smoothly and mix old and new ideas and Boutross tells stories with his words, talking about things that matter in society. All of them together make up Kenya’s Hip hop story, showing its change and growth over time.
According to data from Spotify, the age demographic most engaged with these top Hip hop artists is predominantly between 18 and 24 years, comprising 55% of their listenership. A secondary age group of 25 to 29 years constitutes 19% of listeners, suggesting that the appeal of Hip hop spans the early adult years.
Delving deeper into the data, male listenership holds a significant majority, accounting for 75% of the highest engagement with the artists in focus on Spotify. Female listeners constitute 24% of the highest listenership, indicating a notable gender gap in the genre’s appeal.
Here are the top 10 streamed Kenyan Hip-hop artists on Spotify this year, so far.
Nyashinski -144,959 monthly listeners
Wakadinali – 108,587 monthly listeners
Boutross – 93,521 monthly listeners
Khaligraph Jones – 90,662 monthly listeners
Buruklyn Boyz – 67,260 monthly listeners
Mejja – 57,358 monthly listeners
Breeder LW – 47,628 monthly listeners
Ndovu Kuu – 33,175 monthly listeners
Kahush – 28,142 monthly listeners
SSaru – 27,624 monthly listeners
Maandy – 20,381 monthly listeners
