Is Kenyan music becoming a "porn groove"?

                                Sanaipei in her new video "Mfalme wa mapenzi"

Just few weeks after Sauti Sols’ released their controversially perceived Nishike video; Sanaipei made a comeback with her new jam Mfalme wa Mapenzi a provocative, sensual music video that seem to have yet again sparked debate on artistes going too raunchy in their videos.

After the buzz about the Nishike video scenes in which the members of the boy band went topless as they danced suggestively with female actors, some TV stations banned the video off their screens.

And even with the wide public rebuke especially from fans who claimed that as role models to many youth, Sauti Sol had presented a wrong image, the band went defiant, justifying their course by saying they had no apology to make to anyone.

Ironically, in less than two months, the video has received over six thousand views on Youtube, the highest number of views any local video has had in such a short period.

Their recent concert was a houseful affair with ladies going gaga when the boys stripped for them.

Early this year, another local video Show Me, by newcomer artiste Blaqy was banned due to its explicit content. The video is dominated by ladies ramming their behinds sexually in bikini wear as the star checks them out. He even throws himself in a swimming pool with them where everything gets steamy.

Another video by Nigeria’s Tiwa Savage is causing a major uproar across Africa, too, due to its raunchy scenes where she is seem gyrating suggestively in semi nude image.  

As explicit music clips make an inroad in the local showbiz scene, a polarised debate has emerged with a section of the audience accusing the local artistes for seeking cheap publicity with others holding the opinion that the local music industry has become defiant.

Such discussion is however not only limited to the local music industry; but also in the internationally spheres where there has been an increasing concern about musicians resorting to sexual imagery to sell their music with singer Miley Cyrus, Rihanna, Nicki Minaj and Lady Gaga leading the park.

During a recent interview, Sanaipei said: “The video is just a follow up to the song, which is a celebration of love making and a celebration of the Kenyan men.”

Seemingly satisfied with the publicity the video has received, the mellow voiced Sanaipei said that while shooting the video, she knew what she was getting into.

The controversial singer Moustapha on the other argues that, “Many artistes including him resort to such stunt for publicity. Most of the things we do in music video or during performances in shows are aimed to make our fans happy.”

“Music videos today have become more artsy and with the cut-throat competitions an artiste has to do what they have to do to make their video stand out,” Moustapha adds.

Celebrated Mombasa-based singer Nyota Ndogo however differs.

 “Let us not blame the artistes, many of the television station and radio stations play explicit music videos by foreign artistes. The local artiste is then left in a dilemma as to why their ‘clean’ music is not being played and therefore they opt to make explicit videos which are more likeable,” she argues.

Nyota observes that Tanzania and Kenya music videos are leading in explicit content in the region with scenes of girls rocking bikini, thongs and twerking now becoming a norm.

She notes: “Lets us not be the first to point accusing fingers to Sanaipei and Sauti Sol for their choice of video. The music television shows needs to shoulder some responsibility for play listing artistes who relied on ‘soft porn’ to boost their profile.”

A content director and producer in one of the popular TV music shows who seek to remain anonymous said, “We are a family broadcast and there is no way we can broadcast such sexual videos that clearly aims at arousing the audience. In a month we receive at least three explicit videos which we refuse to air.”

“Most of the videos are explicit both in terms of the lyrics and clips. We often advise the artistes to go redo the video to meet a family television standards. Some take our advice,” the anonymous source said.

Enos Olick, the music video director behind Nishike affirms that he receives many requests from different artistes both upcoming and established who are seeking videos with sexual appeal.

“Shooting such video is demanding and at the same time interesting. The video director is always curious to hear the reaction of the audience,’ he told Pulse.

The new explicit content trend is not only being embraced by musicians but also local filmmakers who are now producing films with sensual scenes.

One of such films is House of Lungula a sex comedy, which interestingly has earned ten nominations in the Kalasha Films Awards.

Alex Konstantaras of Historia films in a recent interview with this writer said: “It was surprising when we earned nominations at Kalasha especially now that it is a sex comedy.”

While speaking as a panelist at the Broadcasting, Film and Music Africa conference held recent, Konstantaras argued that sex sells.

Between the lines is another film that has received criticism because of its sensual scenes. However the film director Likarion Wainaina terms such arguments as too old school for todays’ audience and the theme of the film lay in Between The Lines.

Record companies are not left out. They have been accused of continuing to peddle music with explicit lyrics. However, according to Suzanne Gachukia, the founder of Sub Sahara Records, musicians are the mirror of the society and a good music is one that the audience can relate to. She says that people are now relating to what we call explicit as ‘times have changed’.

Gachukia however feels that a musician should produce music that portray a perfect society and is authentic.

But with new media bringing in endless options through which TV and radio banned explicit content can get to the youth, there is little parents and guardians can do to stop the youth from accessing the said material.

In fact, besides watching the videos, Pulsers are now making explicit videos of their own through their phones, which they end up posting on Youtube.

More than ever, young people are filming themselves and posting suggestive videos of themselves on Instagram for the whole would to see. 

Many of the artistes who spoke to Pulse posit that today an artiste face a lot of pressure to promote their music thus many of them now resorting in more suggestive revealing outfits.

Word over, the debate still ranges as what is explicit in this ‘pornification’ of urban pop. Are the artistes behind these videos simply bold and daring? Do we say the videos are puerile, perversely entertaining or well, eye-watering extreme.

It is interesting to learn that being ‘explicit’ has never harmed any musician’s singing career. In fact, many stars got career breakthroughs thanks to raunchy acts. Take for example, Shakira’s explicit She Wolf video earned her over 35 million views on YouTube, meaning the public was really eager to view it regardless the wide ban outcry.

Despite MTV refusing to play The Prodigy’s Smack My Bi*ch Up, the video ended up winning two MTV Awards in 1997. Since then, the station has been airing it quite regularly despite it having graphic scenes.

A recent survey published by the ABC News revealed that the 'over the top' raunchiness of Miley Cyrus and Rihanna may have a potentially damaging impact on children.

The survey by Netmums indicated: “More than 80 percent of children are mimicking overtly provocative dance moves and repeating lyrics of sexual songs after being exposed to explicit pop music.”

The survey also revealed that a third of parents admitted that their child had copied overtly provocative dance moves they had seen pop stars perform, while more than four fifths said their youngster had sung or repeated sexual song lyrics without realising what they meant.

The survey constituted more than 1,500 parents, who are utterly worried that many of today's pop stars put on far more explicit performances than when they were young, and that it is sending their children negative messages about sex.

Many parents in the research feared that their children are being taught that they need to show off their bodies and act in a sexual manner in order to get noticed, arguments shared with Nyota Ndogo.

Almost half the parents interviewed said that they feared sexy music videos may make the boy child grow up expecting women to be too sexually available, while 58 percent said it may leave their sons expecting women to have unrealistic figures.

"Instead, if a star wants to make a statement, why not use their brain, not their body?" Netmums founder Siobhan Freegard wondered.