Know your worth - Kenrazy's wife calls out fellow music artistes

 The 'Sura ya Kazi' hitmaker did not mince her words   Photo: Courtesy

By Sheila Kimani (@sheilakimm)

Forget the scandals and drama that saw all eyes on her relationship with ghipuka singer Kenrazzy. Sosuun moved past it and recently made it clear that Kenyan artistes need to go hard or go home because at this rate our neighbors (read Tanzania and Uganda) seem to be doing way better at building international brands.

To my fellow rappers both male and female, just know i like it when everyone goes hard. Lets minimize the talks and act because our immediate neighbors are not joking in their industry and the money they are making can't be compared to Kenya.

Having been with some of the industry bigwigs including Refigah, Sosuun spoke about the industry and warned fellow artistes that rather than settling for cheap cheques, celebrities should know their value and strive to keep their standards high.

“Lets know our value as musicians and don't just settle for unreasonable cheques. Know your value!!!”

Well, here is the heartfelt message to fellow artistes as written by Sosuun:

I've been in the industry for a minute now and in only a very short period of time a lot has changed in the game. The collaborations and competition among African artists has become more intense hence raising the quality of African music Industries as a whole.

My biggest concern is our stakeholders in Kenyan Music industry. Most are doing little if not nothing to take our music to greater heights. There is a lot of complaining and negativity instead of people focusing on how to better the industry.

People are very critical and unsupportive of our own efforts but quick to embrace foreign art at the cost of their local music industry and culture.

Instead of thinking who or how we will get more than 5 artists nominated in international awards alongside Sauti Sol next year we are busy fighting ourselves about small moneys and talking too much, which is not really helping at all.

As for me, i decided i will not stay in that box. I decided to polish my game and continue to do so. I want to be the change I want to see, so I have stepped up the game in my career which has also stepped up the local game as evidenced by the response from the fans and upcoming female MCs. In the last month or so I have been humbled and motivated by the number of budding female rappers who have mentioned me as a role model and it was crowned by my being mentioned in a top Radio show recently as one of the musicians currently making moves to improve the local music industry. Asanteni sana.

I am grateful, encouraged and because of the faith shown in me I pledge to go even harder to uplift my game to such levels it up lifts the regional industry's game in general. I loved working on Sura ya Kazi and appreciate the reponse it has received countrywide and in the region.

Perhaps these are some of the issues artistes should discuss in details in a bid to progressively build the Kenyan industry.