Music (Kenya): Getting to Know Diva Akothee, Suddenly, Plus a Passing Note on Grace Jones

Kenya's newly-found musical sensation, Akothee, is all of a sudden strutting the East African entertainment stage like she's just landed from another planet; and like the Diva she must surely become, one suspects, if things continue at the velocity and along the inter-stellar trajectory we're witnessing -- agape and agog, to boot! Here below, for example, Akothee, the girl from Rongo (on that long-winded route to Sirius, perhaps), tells NTV's Larry Madowo of her incredible, unstoppable life's journey so far. Click on the image below and be a witness, if you've got 23:40 jaw-dropping minutes to spare. Be warned, though, this mother of five star-children sees and says things just as they are, and doesn't know (yet?) what the word Socialite "posed 2 mean" (those aren't her words, sorry):

READ: Nine things You Didn't Know About Akothee

In the next video, Akothee tells us more, even more, about Akothee. Is that why I'm beginning to think of irrepressible Grace Jones (everyone interested in the performing arts should know her by now, for their own good sake) who once swore (some people wanted so bad to believe her) that she'd never write her memoirs. And then, voila, The Book drops, feet first, sort of! You check out the similarities and possibilities, inspired by Akothee: who's loud and impossible. Who does "the impossibilities".

The video alluded to is sung in Swahili (which Akothee speaks with amazing fluency, being the unapologetic Jang'o that she is), and I'm not translating. Akothee's remembrances are coming out, freely, in chunks of rib-cracking episodes. Long may they run. Still, a book must surely follow (perhaps titled simply Akothee):

MENTORSHIP POINT: Akothee was only recently really broke, but beat that bad rap real bad

Akothee (on Churchill Show): "I am the author of my story". Watch:

Then there's this related matter of Akothee's recently released single, My Sweet Love. in which incredible Bongo Flava star, Tanzania's Diamond Platnumz (no less), willingly features! The Akothee-Diamond collabo has set off a rumor mill that's very revealing concerning how the world of collabos works, though some details around it need to be verified. Read More -- after you play the music.

Total My Sweetie Love views as at 2 a.m. Jan 16, 2016 = 53,505

SEE: Dazzling Images of Akothee (Grace Jones. eat your heart out)

Let me finish!
I'd like to finish, without further ado, with  Shengerera Mama (released in August 2015). This is Akothee's tribute to the proverbial Mama we all know:

Total Sengerera views as at 2:00 a.m., Jan 16, 2016 = 36,954

Den: Haiku

Den of little fears.
Prop for pale, unhappy thoughts.
Fire! In the hills.

MUSIC (Kenya): So This is Where Elani, the Group, Was All of 2015! Plus Remembering Their 2014 Hit Song, KooKoo

Let's just listen to how Elani, the Kenyan musical group, explain what has been happening to their musical career lately; specifically, huge discrepancies in their royalty payments by MCSK derailed them. The payment system is broken, and must be overhauled. The music industry is too important to be run like this -- like a beginner's Jua kali outfit.

Nigerian artistes seem to be at ease with their royalty system, and are visibly powering on. Hope I'm not missing the fine details there. But if things are indeed as they appear to be, then we need to bench-mark Kenya's payment system with Nigeria's.  Elani lost the whole of 2015 just trying to sort out the mess in their accounts at MCSK. Just not on!





We must end on a happier note. We must. So, here, do watch this heart-warming music video, KooKoo, by none other... The song ranked 17th in Africa's 25 Happiest Songs of the Year, 2014: Yambo Selection. I still luv it -- this tuneful duet, this priceless lovers' ballad -- Lots! Do let me know what U think, y'all.

On that note, too, I think we're all entitled to three or four new videos this year from Elani. That's the only way to go forward.

C'mon, Elani! Make it happen! OK?

Inner Limits

Protection is never
As strong as we want it 
To be:

To save life
From certain,
Individual, end.
Or, alas, extinction!

100

Nothing hits 100
But is struck by it!

David Bowie, RIP

In his earlier years, David Bowie always had this distinctive other-worldly mane, mien, persona --  which you couldn't forget. Which is how we got to know him. He was, without a doubt, The Man Who Fell To Earth -- which is how I mostly remember him -- and who ended up marrying an earthling: a  Somali, 'Kenyan' (as we thought for a while), African -- who once walked the pavements of Nairobi City like many of us, who do it proudly. We who were amazed when he snatched her, Supermodel Iman, for a wife.

Here, a trailer of The Man... (a movie which I watched soon after its release, I think, while at U of I, Urbana-Champaign, those long-gone days):

But when I try to think of the songs of his that I really remember him for, nothing of clarity comes to mind; but, instead, puzzingly, Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody. But they were both in the same artistic space, I think; and I do remember his carefully cultivated androgynous looks of the earlier years.

David Bowie died earlier today. RIP!

His deed is done
He's gone back up
Now.

Africa's Top 25 Happiest Songs of 2015 ~ #TheYamboSelection

I. INTRODUCTION

You cannot do as they do in Nana, Reggae Blues, Enemy Solo, Kaunyaka, Sukus and all the rest -- all of which have the halo and the tone and the body text of happiness -- and not be happy yourself inside, and outside; if only for a brief 3 to 4+ minutes of magic. That's all I want to say here, for now, about all the lovely offerings listed below -- and about which we can talk endlessly about. 

This is the second annual edition of Africa's Top 25 Happiest Songs of The Year. It covers only songs released in 2015.

READ: Africa's 25 Happiest Songs of The Year, 2014

Happiness is a state of mind, a feeling - with feelers to the 'outside'. Outside becomes what things we allow it to become, and what things we have no control over and so impose themselves. Happiness and Love? They are twins. Twins, which, sometimes, alas, we find in mortal combat, inside one body.

Good music is at once a convergence of happiness -- happy feelings -- and its source. Happy songs make people happy, happy people arguably happier, and less sad sad people (and even, perhaps, happy -- if they're not too deep into their own sadness). Happy songs breed happiness through the joyfulness of their words (and through their inner soulfulness which flavors the words and nurtures the very joyfulness). 

Happy songs move us as well by means of the melody in the tunes, the liveliness of the body's texts and the suppleness of the assembled 'bodies'. And they win us over with the harmony of the charged instruments, the pulsating visuals of the video clip, and the warmth of the stage and the body-politic upon which everything, and everything else, is set.

There is magic in the happy song, then. The song that makes people happy has magical power over 'em. So, oh my goodness, does the song that makes people truly sad. There's song, too, you bet, in what Dawkins has called The Magic of Reality. And in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, we find, Duke Orsino utters these immortal words, which I want to endorse here:

"If music be the food of life, play on; / Give me excess of it ..." 


If good music be what it is, thus, let it be. Give me more, is all I should say! There are times, if I may digress, that I have thought (sensed would be too strong a word) that a truly throbbing drumbeat among the prayerful carries within it the voice of God in its surreal, surround going, as it's heard among the gathered, and as it cascades across the land - and even among the landless and the faithless.

So good music, howsoever it is delivered, has the powers -- howsoever we c these powers. But, I ask: Why is it (is it true) that music videos that elicit the most happiness seem generally to have a street motif; and if not, then grudgingly a theatrical setting? Is it perhaps because there are no other actionable options?


II. MEASURING HAPPINESS:

Can happiness be measured? Perhaps yes, perhaps no. Perhaps, which is what I want to go with, yes -- but not too well.
Still, we have endeavored to do so here. For the selection and ranking criteria used in creating this list, click here.


III. LIST AND RANKING OF AFRICA's TOP 25 HAPPIEST SONGS OF 2015:
[Click on a Song's title to watch the video]

25. Game by Navy Kenzo ft. Vanessa Mdee (2015):
Views on record just prior to the publication of of this post: 592,780

24. Come Around by Staizz ft. Cheddah (2015):

23. Oh Bad by D'Swade (2015):
Click here to read comment

22. Shake Yo Bam Bam by Sauti Sol (2015):
Views on record just prior to the publication of of this post: 721,191
Click here to read comment

21. Go Down by Chuddy K ft. Daddy Shawkey and Drey Beats (2015):

20. The Banger by Runtown ft. Uhuru (2015):

19. Gaara by Brain (2015):

18. Favorite Song by Skalled (2015):
The video is no longer in circulation.

17. Aiye Mi by El Phlex ft. OritseFemi (2015):
Click here to read comment

16. JantaManta by Mavins (2015):

15. Take it Slow by Zikki ft. Jaguar (2015):
Views on record just prior to the publication of of this post: 146,973
Click here to read comment

14. Igbeyawo by OritseFemi (2015):
Views on record just prior to the publication of of this post: 213,718
Click here to read comment

13. Don't Stop by Olamide (2015):

12. Shower Me by Jumabee ft. Cynthia Morgan (2015):
Click here to read comment

11. Feel Alright by DJ Kaywise ft. Ice Prince, Mugeez, Patoranking (2015): 

10. Taking Over Me by Yemi Alade ft. Phyno (2015):


9. Be With Me by Addiction (2015):

8. Ebelebe by Tee tee (2015):
Views on record just prior to the publication of of this post: 920
Click here to read comment

7. Sexy Rosey By Mr. Flavour ft. P-Square (2015):
Views on record just prior to the publication of of this post: 3,245,677

6. So Good by Eddy Kenzo (2015):
Click here to read comment on this song

5. Sukus by OritseFemi ft. Harry Song (2015):

4. Kaunyaka by Chege + Mh Temba ft. Dj Maphorisa (2015):
Click here to read comment on this song

3. Enemy Solo by Awilo Longomba ft. P-Square (2015):
YouTube views on record just prior to the publication of of this post: 2,097,063

2. Reggae Blues by Harrysong ft. Olamide + Iyanya + Kcee + Orezi 015)
Click here to read comment on this song

1. Nana by Diamond Platnumz ft. Mr. Flavour (2015):
Click here to read comment on this song
READ: Diamond Platnumz's bioinfo



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
READ: World Happiness Report 2015
ALSO READ: "The Happiness Contagion" that I posted on December 9, 2008