The Rise Of The Kenyan Trap Scene

2018 will go down as the year of Trap music in Kenya. Despite it being predominantly pioneered by international artists like Drake, Future, and Migos, there is an uprising of the subgenre in our local music scene and it is catching on fast.

Trap is basically new school Hip Hop for the cool kid, the key word here being Hip-Hop. When it comes to mainstream media in Kenya, Hip Hop hasn’t necessarily been given its fair share of attention. Gospel and the local flavor of Kapuka mixed with any of the African subgenres have always been the order of the day. Hip Hop has been so marginalized that even Bongo music from neighboring Tanzania boasts more audience.

But this year, all that is about to change. There is a new revolution that has slowly been bubbling in the underground and can no longer be contained. Names such as Shukid, Barak Jaccuzzi, Steph Kapela, Tunji and Medusa Kenia are quickly gaining some traction. It’s hard to hit any of your favorite entertainment hotspots and not hear one of their tracks blazing in the background.

These brave soldiers have found a way to pick the key elements of this synth-heavy, 808-blazing music from the South of the United States and mix it with some local flavor and dialect to create pure magic.

It is only a matter of time before the mainstream media catches on. We have seen the go-to rappers like OCTOPIZZO and Khaligraph Jones switch their methods to suit this incoming juggernaut and judging from the reception, the Kenyan market is ready for the trappers.