By Chiquitta
When I heard the Hurricane Chris’s song titled Halle Berry, I couldn’t believe my ears. Not because the song is about Halle Berry, it’s the way he says it (Halllee Berreeey! Halle Berry!) that makes it quite funny. The song is such a hit, video website youtube, has been inundated with home videos of people doing the Halle Berry dance. Even Oscar winning Actress Halle Berry, being the good sport that she is, danced along to the song during a recent taping of the Ellen DeGeneres’s show.
There are different things that make a hit song, the beat, the artiste, the singing, and the flow and when it comes to lyrics one line can make or break an entire song.
Halle Berry and Ellen DeGenres |
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...Nimekumaindi toka zamani
This is a line from Amani’s song Tamani, I thought what she meant was, she had been minding the guys welfare for a long time. Well, someone from Mombasa broke it down for me, Nimekumaindi means I am into you and for those who speak Nairobi lingo, Nimekunoki. Seems Amani has a thing for that theme. It must be a good thing because she has now been nominated for Best Female Artiste award at the MTV MAMAs.
...Nine inches kwa boxers Abass baby!
This line can only have been spat by Doobiez aka Abbas. It’s boastful and full of attitude and very funny…nine inches? Seriously? In fact the entire line including "na seduce hata medusa na gusa na gusa na anapata goose bumps" showcases Abbas’s Lyrical dexterity. Abass added some much needed K-South Flava to a song that could have ended up being just another Kapuka anthem. Too bad, Baby G didn’t agree with that last line.
singo, singo, singo girl
These are one of those lines that makes you wonder what K-Lynn was thinking when she wrote the lines down. K-Lynn’s song has a banging Mandugu Digital beat and her looks are enough to keep jamaas glued to the screen for three and half minutes (one and half if you are watching an annoying VJ mix). Things become a little less straightforward when it comes to her lyrics here’s a sample: You know I am. Crazy. Over you. Crazy. Crazy. Crazy. Crazy. Crazy. Over. You. Lakini sasa nachoka! Aaah!" and a little before that was the line "singo singo singo singo girl"or something of the sort. See what I mean. On further investigation I have concluded that she is saying "single, single, single girl". Maybe a remix of BeyoncÈs Single Ladies is in the works for K-Lynn.
nimekuwa stalker kwako
A pal of mine has the habit of using lines from Flexx songs at the least appropriate moments. Take for example during lunch when presented with a nice piece of chicken... "Hebu we Tulia usitoke hapo, nimekudigi kitambo". Flexx, is a Nairobi jamaa’s favourite singer because he sings and talks like a dude, none of that high-pitched Tanzanian fare. He doesn’t bemoan the fact that the chick wouldn’t look at him, rather he tries to convince her by dropping some lines and asking for her number. If that doesn’t work, he asks for her sister’s number. Typical!
...sterra nyambura wa mwa-gi!
STL gave me a pleasant surprise with her song Biacara, not because it’s her first song in vernacular but because she sounds like she really enjoyed making this song. There is none of the strain of trying to flow metaphorically and what not, she just keeps it simple and fun. And at the end when she shouts "Sterra! Nyambura! Wa Mwa-gi!" Just in case you forgot a girl loves her shagz, you can’t help but smile. This song will be a hit because in the deepest recesses of any Kenyan heart lies a love for all things shady.
Mama Katanga siku hizi ashakuwa mwizi
Mejja aka Okonkwo na Sonko is a gifted genge rapper with a penchant for story telling. His song Niko Poa featuring his alter ego Bro has a side-splitting video. The fact that it doesn’t deal with alcohol or chicks, makes it a breath of fresh air. However, like most Calif songs though there’s the scene involving a ‘friendly’ mugging. The funniest part of this song though is when Mejjas brother from shagz writes back to him and fills him in on the goings on in shagz including the line above. In a world where letter writing is obsolete, the old school charm and the shadiness of the lyrics makes this song memorable.
