In 2020 we got the pandemic and the way we consume music experienced a significant shift. The pandemic coincided with the demise of the first wave of gengetone stars. In 2018 nobody could touch these acts but on 2 years later they are basically on the periphery of popular music. Ethic could only be sustained by Rekles’ hooks and the constant phoning in by the others for only so long. Sailors’ call and response style was not long for this world anyway, unfortunately Ochungolo Family had to separate due to internal creative issues and nobody really knows what happened to Boondocks Gang.
But from the ashes something new grows, Ssaru, who has been in the music industry for quite a while now has quietly established herself as the most consistent artist in Kenyan popular music. From her slow burning releases that have taken time to infiltrate the public consciousness to her scene stealing verses Ssaru has been consistently delivering at a high level. It helps that she can actually rap, she actually possesses the technical skills required of a rapper while her contemporaries were average at best and hid their failings behind their production. A trick that can only work a few times before the audience sees through it. Her solo singles have been bangers and has been featured on so many tracks you’d think its a competition between her and Mejja to see who can make more of them, they even have a song together. Also her verse on the recent Sailors track is one of the best of the year, 2 years it would have been hard to imagine them working together much less her having the best verse on the song
It is expected that Gengetone would have its growing pains. A lot of the early successes were there because they happened to be the ones doing it at the time. With all things in life the more people do it the better they get at it and it is not unusual to see the first wave of creators get left behind because they couldn’t adapt. It doesn’t help that these early Gengetone acts were not really prepared fot the limelight and dealt with a lot of issues especially being exploited by their management (especially one violent teacher). Ssaru herself has had issues with management which ultimately led her to losing her YouTube channel and having to start over. She hasn’t stopped though, 2020 was a banner year for her and 2021 is shaping to be better. Some artists are trying to survive the pandemic while Ssaru is thriving. She is a study in consistency and an important lesson to anyone building a career in music. In the next three year gengetone will experience its next major shift and there will be stars of today who will not be able to transition. Ssaru will though, she most definitely will.