Some quick hits, Kanja has a new track with Kunzo from Nigeria. I have no real opininon on the track right now – since I am barely getting to listen to it, but maybe in a few days I will add on to the post what I think. Initial thoughts are that there is no real verse, too many hooks, too many piga makofis and bounce bounce bounce – not sure how to jam to this. And its okay I guess lol. I mean we cant be serious all the time, maybe sometimes we just need happy music.

I think I am also getting tired of Auto Tune in a sense… Sure T-Pain can do it and get away with it and so can Akon but for most part a lot of these cats have other songs without voice correction. After while folks will just need to hear your voice. I think maybe that’s why I liked that “Shorty say ahh”… Or Maybe I liked that Song coz of Naomi (Man naomi is CAKE waaaa lol).

Anyway listen to the track let us know what you think..

listen and download the track here:

Kanja & Kunzo – Bounce, Bounce, Bounce by getmziki

watch the video here:

Last weekend during Oktoberfest I met two lovely pretty Naija chics. Its funny how you see Africans in a crowded environment and you can quickly point out each other and get along relatively well. We immediately connected as I mentioned I was headed to San Jose for a Naija party. Surprisingly it was the Nigerian Independence day party to which I bet they were pleased I was headed there.

As I post this track and wish all my Nigerian friends and online visitors a happy Naija Independence day. I cant help but look back and picture the dancefloor when DJ SLIM, dropped this track. This infectious beat and D’banj vocal inspired track has been the genius of their labels viral campaign which started a while back.

Mo’Hits Records have been running a competition that would give a chance to people with talents in dancing, comedy or anything entertaining by recording a video clip of themselves or their group dancing to this Oliver song.

The videos can be uploaded to YouTube and link emailed to oliver@mohitsrecords.com, as I understand the videos will be judged based on how entertaining they are.

The 1st prize is $2500; 2nd prize is $2000; 3rd prize is $1500; 4th prize is $1000; 5th prize is $500. The Top 10 entries will be part of the Official Oliver video and the Top 50 gets a FREE Koko Mobile Handset (D’Banj owns this Network or Phone service).

Funniest thing though is how infectious the entire campaign or track is – I wish I had my camera to capture the Naijas who went buck wild last weekend. I love this .. enjoy.

listen and download the track here:

D’Banj – Oliver Twist by getmziki

Watch the viral video here:

Buy far I would vote for these young’ns

Finally a Kenyan has jumped on a crazy Naija track to bless the remix. There have been so many different remixes and covers for Oleku coming from Naija but I think for me personally this has to be the best execution to date.

Vikki Secret or better known as Victoria Kimani (looks like she is going through a rebranding effort to drop the vikki secret handle which to me is about time – I couldnt wrap my head around Vikki Secret.. so big ups to the PR and publicity folks steering this move). Anyway Victoria who happens to be Bamboo and Kimya’s sister was orginally born in LA and then sorta moved back and forth between the US, Nigeria and Kenya. So with the links am not surprised she would jump on the track or get the blessings to be on the remix.

I think Vikki will do big things once the branding gets sorted out – she has a killer jam that Bruce Odhiambo produced some years back – I posted it here (Tell Me). Listen to this bird chirp… and tell me this is not the best R&B singer Kenya has to offer right now. (sorry Mercy )// ps. Waithaka you need the vocals for Tell me ufanye mambo?

listen to Oleku remix here:

Download audio file (Victoria-Kimani-Oleku-Remix.mp3)

download the track here:

This is a new track just in from our Nigerian connects – i think this gonna be a HUGE banger riding on the whole house/dance phenomenon that is sweeping the continent right now.

Play/Download it below.

Good Tyme J Martins. feat Cabo-Snoop by getmziki

I’ll make a quick post here because all the hoopla being caused by this song in Kenya right now and am being asked why its not on GetMziki. Truthfully We’ve had it for a long time, but I personally never thought it was such a big song. But apparently in Kenya its being played every 67 minutes across all radio stations and night clubs. This particular version I am uploading is a remix which features Ghanaian heavy weight ASEM. Naija and Ghana Stand up.

listen and download the track here:

Flavour – Nwa Baby Ghanian Remix ft Asem Bradez Stone by getmziki

watch the video here:

Honestly right now the buzz on 2Face from my perspective is probably more warranted than the buzz on Dbanj. Sure Dbanj got signed to Good (Kanye’s label) but in my opinion 2Face was my first pick in terms of an artist that was to break into the international market. Either way I think when I listen to Only Me which is in 2Face’s upcoming album appropriately titled “The Unstoppable” I cant help but think this is why Naija music is running Africa right now.

A huge part of me thinks the producers have evolved and hence the music performance and writing has ultimately changed/matured. Overall listen to this cats vocal delivery and listen to the flow tell me you don’t think this dude needs to be on a Tower Records shelf or something.. Shit I forgot most record stores closed shop lol..

ps. The message in this song is deep, we are all one regardless of where we come from – when I went to school back in Kenya I recall conversations around Cushites, Nilotes and Bantus. When you think of Africa in those terms, what separates us is really what we eat (Fish, Cows or Grass)… the newness in our ethnic lines and color lines in my opinion was created during colonialism and it gets worse the more developed our countries get… LETS UNITE – AFRICA is one big COUNTRY

listen and download the track here:

2Face – Only me by getmziki

watch the video here:

Ice Prince from Nigeria has been enjoying a phenomenal year after winning the Hennessy Artistry Award in 2009. From my Naija sources I understand he is signed to a record label called Chocolate City in Nigeria. This particular track has to be one of the his biggest which dropped earlier this year but we slept on it for technical reasons. OLEKU is big, if your DJ doesn’t play this for you – fine him or just tell him he aint doing a good job or blessing your well diversified ears.

I wont talk much on this track – please enjoy OLEKU here..

listen and download the track here:

Ice Prince feat Brymo – Oleku by getmziki

watch the video here:

Since this is the first time I have heard of 5Mics and I am totally digging his flow, Ill do something I rarely do. Which is use content directly from his PRESS KIT. Mostly because I find people spice up their press kits so much with flavor and grease it removes for the element of knowing who the artist really is. But in summary 5Mics from Nigeria is described below from his label:

//
5Mics [real name, Stanley I. Ikegbulam] is an artist after a pattern. The average artist might use a brush to paint his pictures but this artist paints his pictures with words. The name ‘5Mics’ was bestowed on him by colleagues for his energetic, though provoking and soul stirring lyrics [a status earned by rappers with skills and given to rappers like Nas and Jay-Z]. His relationship with hip hop is a long standing one from his childhood days that saw him start writing lyrics and belting them out in his unique style in high school. With influences like Nas, EPMD, Biggie Smalls, 2Pac, Rakim, Eight Ball, Boot camp Click, Wu Tang, KRS One, LL cool J, Def squad and the Ruff Ryders; 5Mic’s art has always had a unique approach with a mind blowing mix of all these rapping styles.

Born to parents from the South-East of Nigeria, he was raised in Lagos where he was exposed to music at a young age. His parents were also a factor in his walk with hip hop as they were free-handed and allowed their son to experience in his words, ‘any and everything’ the environment had to offer. This broadened his view and is also the reason why his art resonates with practically every group of the society. His music is received well from international hip hop heads to the ‘boys’ in the local hoods. His education which began in Lagos brought him to Abuja where he bagged a BSc in Business Administration but this did not stop his heartbeat for his first love.

listen and download the track here:

5Mics – Five Blessings by getmziki

I have to make this post real quick because I think this track is fire and my Naija connects are acting all secretive and protective over the mp3 … blaaargh. Cmon VECTOR sort us out with the track this shit is FIRE. Vector just came correct with the pidgin rap and ofcourse I cant say enough of 2 Face Idibia. Naija is on a whole new level right now the quality of the video is ridiculous as it is regardless of the fact that every African video is now using this After Effects color correction plug in – for now its okay I will swallow that as just cool shit. The video is hot, the TRACK production is SICK. Vectors new album is called STATE OF SURPRISE and if this track is anything to go by his upcoming project. Then I am completely sold.

watch the massive video here:

He’s currently promoting his sophomore album “Super C Season” and  has released a couple of singles on the album including “Kinda like a big deal” which we featured On GetMiki before.  “10 over 10″ is the track I’ve been bumping too heavy in the last few weeks., where Naeto C flips his flow to perfectly resonate with the beat creating a record that will be driving the streets, radio and clubs crazy in the next few months. Its perfectly summarizes the song title “10 Over 10″.

As an added bonus, I decided to throw in his street anthem for “Successful” (The P Mix Video), featuring behind the scenes views of the Channel O Awards ,when he got his award for “best video of the year”. The video also captures tons of African artists who were att he awards like 2Face, Amani, Sasha and many more. Enjoy!!!

Listen to the track “10 Over 10″ below:

Download audio file (Naeto_C_Ten_over-_Ten.mp3)

Click HERE to Download the track (RIGHT CLICK AND SAVE AS)

Watch the video for Successful The P-Mix below:

I have been MIA for a while now taking care of some business, but we are back now. Thanks to Leo, Alvin and Louis for taking care of all the updates.

I got this track like 3 weeks ago and although we showcased it on the “Homepage“, many people go directly to the blog and most likely might have missed the song.

I showcased the original Bracket “Yori Yori” way before it became a hit and people everywhere have been going wild when this song comes on. I’m really glad they came out with the remix which features Naija heavyweight 2face who did a couple of tour spots in the US a few months ago, since although the original is a banger, after so many spins and after every other Dj playing this track 2-3 times a night, the song has really been “overplayed”. This remix has been out for like 3 weeks now and its already on the charts in major Naija radio stations.

My sources tell me that Bracket is actually gearing up for the release of thier second album and the ” Yori Yori” remix is the first single off the album. This song was produced and recorded at Giant Beats Studios, Abuja by hit producer Dekumzy. The remix is a different song altogether and features a new beat plus 2Face on the track. I wanna see if djs jump on this track just like they did the other one.

Enjoy!!!!!

Listen to the track below:

Download audio file (Bracket_-_Yori_Yori__Remix__ft.mp3)

Click HERE to Download the track (RIGHT CLICK AND SAVE AS)

We have featured Justina from Naija in the site before with the club banger “Omo Too Sexy“. The song enjoyed massive airplay and rotation both locally and abroad during its drop and remains people’s  favourite as a heavy club banger even till this date.

With her astonishingly powerful and variable voice, Justina combines different elements from Jazz, R&B, Soul, Hip Hop and Afrobeat to her very own style. In her songs which she composes largely herself she evokes her relentless love for life but also touches on pressing social issues such as poverty, corruption, struggling kids and the treatment of women in Africa.

On this track she talks about her love for a radio dj. The question is which one ????

I’m really feeling this track and I wanna know what people out there think.

Listen to the track below:

Download audio file (Justina_Radio_DJ.mp3)

Click Here to download this Song (RIGHT CLICK AND SAVE AS)

This has to be the most evasive track I have ever had to post. Honestly I have had this track for months but I was unimpressed with the quality of the file I have (sadly its the version I have posted today). But we kept asking our Naija connects to hook up a better version all with no success. We even tried hitting up Maye Hunta’s peeps down in SA but still nothing got back to us. At this point we decided this is a big tune to let lose, its been out for a while but we just cant keep holding it hostage anymore.

Olumayowa Adekunle Odejimi aka Mayé Hunta is a Nigerian singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. Maye who is currently based in Jo’berg South Africa has been singing for a while but got into the commercial scene around 1998. Part of his acting career can also be seen on M-Net series called “Jacobs Cross.” However we fell in love with this track last year when it dropped because it reminded us of what most guys growing up in Africa experienced.

You see the reality of the storyline on this track is so real that its almost impossible to ignore the entertainment factor. Most of us guys know a guy or a man of a household who was tapping the housegirl. Most guys who grew up in Africa probably lost their virginity to some house girl (lol). And thats just me being real with you guys, so there is the sheer entertainment of the track and awesome high quality video. Then there is the reality on the ground that guys really fyeka their housies… Am just saying! Anyway let me kill this vibe before I get into trouble.

Enjoy the track..

listen to Ekaette here:

Download audio file (Ekaette – Maye_Hunta.mp3)

download the track here:

watch the video here:

If Hellon wasnt so busy with his nonsense with Esther I think this is some of the interesting creative work that the genius sax player would put his mouth into. I mean really, how crazy is crazy when crazy goes insane!! I cant believe i used to enjoy the Jazz sessions at Pavement with him and Aaron back in the day. Anyway not to be opinionated – because really I don’t care about that whole situation. I’ve actually sat on the back bench watching the drama unfold and deep down catch myself thinking this is a good thing for Kenya – yet again some random news thats taking Kenyans mind off the state of politics and poor Governance. (Am sorry sometimes i get political when I watch NTV news and half the coverage is about useless ministers talking about nonsensical issues in parliament – honestly its sometimes just saddening – when will Kenya learn, its the same cast different movie.. I mean these guys pass 2 or 3 bills a year if at most during parliament… anyway.. I think in kenya politics is a career move its not something you do because you want to become of service to the people. Its something you do because you want to better your own individual lifestyle.. ) URRRGH….. I digress am sorry. Am sorry. Am sorry sincerely apologize.

Back to Hellon. Actually scratch that no need to waste time talking about Hellon. But lets just say Kenya has Chris Bitok and people like Hellon who can really intertwine and collaborate with the Urban/Pop/Genge/Kapuka folks. I am yet to hear something as interesting as the track I’ve attached. (if there is anything out there please send it through). My man DJ Mighty Mike (Naija) has an entire album called AFROMENTALS which is a rendition of all African Tunes performed by an energetic sax player who just loves making remixes to popular African genre. This is the type of music your mom can listen to and be happy on a Sunday afternoon without the lyrical content.

Ive thrown in some bonus material towards the end of this post also. Enjoy! Arrghh Kenyan politics really makes me angry. But I was once told to be angrier at the people who elect the leaders

listen to Shayo sax version here:

Download audio file (Bigiano_Shayo-Sax_Version.mp3)

download the sax version here:

Bonus material:

Watch the video here:

Get some uncut remixes of shayo:

Download audio file (01—shayo-remix-feat.-vector-illbliss-sniper-yun-chido.mp3)

download Shayo remix feat Vector, sniper, yun chido, illbliss:

We’ve slept on this song long enough, I think long enough for Wesh to call me out on this particular post. So now I am feeling bad that i didnt post this track when it was relevant and hot. However this is GetMziki this is not Kenyan/African Media – we have a tendency to do things “kienyeji style” and it works for our audience most of the time. So please be patient with us.

This has to be one of the few most interesting collaborations I have heard in a while. Wawesh produced and inspired so you know the beat is heavy with real instruments and acoustics. I kinda like Wawesh production style lately. I am still trying to bucket his sound but its been hard lately because everything sounds so different. This track has some essence from some old school tracks. I am not crazy about the track but its a feel good joint we felt worth posting. The whole Kenyan Naija collaboration sounds like a winning formula to me.

Give the track a listen

listen to Mara hio hio here:

Download audio file (Sauti_Sol_General_Pype_Sasha_P-Mara_Hio_Hio.mp3)

download the track here:

CREDITS
Artists and authors: Sasha P, General Pype & Sauti Sol
Music composed, recorded, arranged, mixed and mastered by Wawesh for Penya Africa
Musicians: Guitars by Polycarp Otieno
Chorus Vocalists: Muthoni The Drummer Queen, Nayomi Ramos, Celia Muya & Sauti Sol.

Some resources on the Artists. (one of the reasons I love Wawesh, you can be guaranteed his artists are available online one way or the other).

SASHA P music is found at http://storm360degrees.com
GENERAL PYPE music is found at http://storm360degrees.com
SAUTI SOL music is found at http://www.penyafrica.com

download the bonus material here:

sample the instrumental:

Download audio file (Sauti_Sol_General_Pype_Sasha_P-Mara_Hio_Hio_Instrumental.mp3)

instrumental:

One of the few interesting things about me probably has to be my listening habits. I have an array of music that i listen to and that I am exposed to, however over time I tend to lean towards certain people that I just generally like or I am fond of. For instance I was an avid DJ Tim Westwood fan for years, until I discovered Clinton Sparks. I kept it true to Clinton Sparks for years until I discovered some other local Internet stars who just blow my out of my mind with their technique skills and music selection.

The thing with these youngn’s (which I wont share because they are my resource for hot new US hiphop). Its that these cats actually write what they think about the songs, they play them, they mix them, they blend them. What they essentially did for me is they killed the whole Celebrity style music presentation and brought to me the DJ in his bedroom style performance coupled with killer turntablism and a massive selection of hot new music. I resepect anyone who can play a Bad song but blend it so well in between good songs to make it stand out as the GREATER song.

Thats kinda where I put DJ Mighty Mike. I am an avid follower of his blog and music updates, I have learned more about Naija music and artists from Mighty Mike than I have from any other Naija DJ or blogger. I mean Mighty informs me by proxy more than our own GetMziki Naija connex thats just how much respect I have for this cat. He has all sorts of mixes in his downloads vault I’d suggest if you have time visit this url: http://djmightymike.net/media/ get a sampler and then download your fist of fury. As a true DJ he is music agnostic (as much as he is renowned for his Naija knowledge). The man just plays anything and makes it sound tight. I don’t think he is the biggest DJ that Nigera has currently has but I’d say he is probably the most entertaining and creative DJ I’ve listened to.

There is a Dancehall or reggae set on his downloads page he did in 2009 if you listen to it all through to the end where he does the US vs Dancehall blends you cant deny his capabilities. Also his Afromentals compilation album is sick – the sax and the Afrobeats… Shit why didn’t I think of that considering I had access to Chris Bitok all this time

listen to Heavy Something Vol 5 here:

Download audio file (DJ_Mighty_Mike_Presents-heavy_something_Vol5.mp3)

Download the mix here:

http://www.zshare.net/audio/6067605477282a45/

The Naija duo of P-Square just released their new album “Danger” a couple of weeks ago and as everybody knows the whole of Africa was waiting to see what they were going to come up with on the new disc. I got a chance to listen to the whole album a couple of times and on this album it seems the duo really never went out to create music from their hearts but were following a “formula” . It seems the “formula” for the new album was have a couple of club records(“Danger”, “Break It”, “Trowley”) then have a couple of records for the ladies(‘I Love You”, ‘Like Dat”) and a few collabo’s. Don’t get me wrong, the album is “classic brilliant” P-Square material but they really do not push the musical envelope like on their previous albums.

The new album has 10 tracks with 3 instrumentals and the amazing part is that the first song on the album “I love you” is my favourite track . Its one of those tracks that really take you back to P-Square’s musical strengths. The duo also enlists the help of 2face on the track “Possiblities” and the duo of J Martins on the track “N No Easy”.

On their first single”danger”, the duo goes hard on the 120BPM range beat by showcasing their musical growth on the first single. It seems that everybody is now doing tracks in the 120BPM range, right from Blu 3, Mad Traxx, Birdman, Jay Sean, The Dream, Shakira to BEP and the fact that 8 songs out of the top 10 songs on the billboard are on that BPM range gives an insight on the “in thing” in music today. I guess its just a matter of riding with the flow.

This song is definitely going to be driving the clubs crazy in the next couple of months. I’m sure most djs will be adding this in their Serato crates on the first listen, since no party is a party with no new P-Square jam.
Enjoy!!!

Click Below To Listen to the Track:

Download audio file (P_Square_Danger.mp3)

Click Below To Download the Track:

Watch the video Below:

Our Naija connects just blessed us with this song today, but looking at the Blog lines it appears to be a slightly older song. Either way it deserves a spot on GetMziki – I am into local Naija music, I hate the new urban stuff thats coming out of Naija studios both in the US and in Nigeria. There is a very thin line between hiphop and the cross breed that has been thriving in Africa over the last few years. I’ve been introduced to a variety of new Naija artists but I felt they all sound like T-Pain or Kanye and not well suited for the GM market (I could be wrong).

As much as we do African Urban music here – I feel as though there is a fine line… FINE LINE. With no general bias there is a lot of music we dont post that comes from East Africa but if we feel it just sounds too Western like something off Power 106 radio out here we normally ignore /. Sio kwa ubaya its just how we want to build the African Urban Music scene from our perspective. But this discussion is for another day.

Here is a classic example of a track that is crazy borderline – the beats can pass for anything, but the lingo is classic Naija – JANGOLOVER ha ha ha ha. I personally love that, lagos boy, Naija boy – whats a Jangolover – is it a JUNGLE LOVER?? Ama a Jango Lover (Like as in Luo Lover) ama it has nothing to do with Lover.. who knows but me I personally am feeling this track – enjoy!

listen to Jangolover here:

Download audio file (Jangolover.mp3)

download the track here:

Kind of late posting this, but here we go: In  other news the kokomaster has a reality show at the kokomansion with 12 Kokolettes – something like a flavor of love Nigeria style – http://www.kokomansion.tv/about.php