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February 09, 2007
'Siku Njema' is the latest offering from the group Wenyeji who are part of the Ukoo flani collective. Initially from the Ukoo Flani website i read it was gonna be called 'D Cinema' but that was dropped and they went with 'Siku Njema'. Wenyeji is part of the Ukoo flani collective but its a duo, two emcees Zakah and Swaleh. The sound on this album is decidedly different from past Ukoo albums but on par with the preceding ones.Majority of the production I would believe is handled be by stable mate Chiz n' brain, with help from Musoyka, Tshazi and Producers from Ragz to records(they are home to some of the heads on 'Kilio cha Haki'). The features are kept to a minimum which is always a good thing especially for a debut album.
From the cover I could see why they would go with aforementioned title it looks like picture directly captured from a TV. In the 'intro' we hear MLK advocating for a non violent means to get your point across...did not quite see how it was supposed to fit with the whole album. The intro though cross-fades pretty well into the next track 'imagine', 'Gaza' the singer who does most the singing in the album sets it off with an opera like sounds-cape in the background, before zakah hops on the track about survival , the hook aptly describes this ...living on bread and water alone, struggling to keep their heads above water. He continues... picture me rhyming about material things, booty shaking and the like. Gaza meshes really well in this track too. Swaleh warns... "Majority wanapanga kuingia bunge na mapanga"... 'Mizani is the absolutely 'livest' track in the whole album, the whole track reminds me of 'dandora love'. Its a nod your head type of track, the bass-line is dope... (would Kenyan dj's would bump this in the club?) and the hook is catchy enough without sounding like desperate attempt to get mainstream acceptance.
On the one track that has a feature 'Soldier', producer He-Rum crafts a rhythmic reggae-like soundscape as swaleh and kah spit on the decay of their community referring to it 'sodoma' akin to the biblical city of decay. 'Kitu Sewer' lends a hand on this track and as it is customary he rips it. The singer on the hook does a pretty good job to complement the emcee's. In one of my favorite tracks 'Elimisha' the chic laughing when the track starts reminds of 'the blast' off the 'train of thought'. This IMO one of the better beats in the LP with a background wailing voice. Though I appreciate that they are more than your cookie cutter surface artists, I disagree with their assertion about Mugabe, only problem I had with the track is the length quite short(on the flip side though its about time tracks coming out of Kenya were made shorter a whole album of five/six minutes will not do). On the interlude the concept was dope replaying a mock interview that they did... at least the responses were true and revealing.. 'una rhyme na una reason' and their plan to also start a library. The track on the back ground is dope I would not mind getting my hands on that.
On 'Real-life experience' they take a shot at politicians about the promises they make during election campaigns then after make it into parliament, the disappear never to be seen again. Speaking on many scandals the ministers participate in. 'Moyo Wangu' is another of my favs its just they way its put together, a whole sum of the beat, the singing is aiight and most of all its love track which is rare for UFMM. Shows that they are regular cats who holla at girls too. Ma Issue ('Vichwa zi face juu') is the best beat on the album but like elimisha its short. The album kinda stumbles as we approach the end a lack lustre 'Ndani ya Kazi', weak offering on 'heartbeat', before it picks up again on 'Jirushe'. On of the more surprising tracks in the album 'Tunavyoishi', a story telling type track about one of their homies who gets killed. Had to step my sheng game ha ha...but at the end of it you get to see that its not all gravy as he details how the protagonist gets mowed by ma banga (cops) and they continue with another story on how people move from the rural areas, overestimating life in the cities only to soon realise its not what it cracked up to be... so he resorts to a life of crime.
Overall great album several if any flubs, but nevertheless the duo crafted a great album. I would give it a
7/10
tracklist
1.Intro
2.Imagine
3.Mizani
4.Soldier
5.M-A-U Double
6.Elimisha
7.Interlude
8.Real Life experience
9.Moyo wangu
10.Ma Issue(Vichwa zi face juu)
11.Ndani ya kazi
12.Heartbeat
13.Jirushe
14. Fanya Muziki
15. Tunavyoishi
16. Bonus..mysa youth
p.s. the bonus track is deadly..those kids can rhyme
Attached is Mizani...will be up for a week or two before i take it down
Labels: album review, KE hip hop, Mizani, Siku njema, Wenyeji
