MUSIC REVIEW: 'Kama Kawaida' by Kagwe Mungai, Mayonde, Fena and Muthoni the Drummer Queen

Writer

What you need to know:

The collaboration between these three queens and Kagwe Mungai’s fierce production skills is veritable in its own right, and is the second in a series of ongoing magic also featuring Just A Band vocalist and producer Blinky Bill.

I was ready for this jam as soon as Mayonde said it was about to be out and it was worth the wait. The video, shot by Skinny Filmmaker aka Jenny Muigai, has a relaxed feel about it; you can tell that the people who got together to make this magic are people who were just having fun, hanging out, and it turned into a video, spread across varied Nairobian/urban backdrops; an artsy house, what looks like it could be a local park, and of course, where a typical Kenyan can be found, the club.

FIERCE PRODUCTION SKILLS

The collaboration between these three queens and Kagwe Mungai’s fierce production skills is veritable in its own right, and is the second in a series of ongoing magic also featuring Just A Band vocalist and producer Blinky Bill. Mayonde’s honey-laced vocals lead in to the track with your classic humble brag lyricism, followed by what feels like Fena’s latest foray into the world of flow (which I am absolutely loving, by the way, and she gave us a little leg to boot, which almost never happens), and then Muthoni The Drummer Queen brings it home in the third verse. The song in itself, “Kama Kawaida”, is about how Kama Kawaida, we kill it – as usual, we’re killing it. Killing whatever you’re doing – the scene, the day, life, adulting – you can take your pick and make this trap-inspired Camp Mulla reminiscent flavourful tune your soundtrack.