2018 has been a great year for them

Music history is littered with rumour, myth, folklore and majesty that have all influenced the culture of our time. It has not been different this year and just like other sectors, 2018 has had highs and lows in the music industry with each player having a share of such moments. Here are some of the artistes who have had a big year:

Moji Short Babaa

His music career might not have looked as promising when he broke away from the duo Kelele Takatifu which was riding high at the time with several hits which included "Itakua Ngori" and "Bamba Mbaya" among others that had turned into anthems mostly among the youth.

Backlash was sure when he released his first song "Kuzitoka" as all fingers pointed at him as the one who had sabotaged the group.

His status at the beginning of 2018 read #YearOfBabaa and as sure as his word this materialised when his second release took to the media. He has received a lot of love and support both in Kenya and internationally where he has performed on several occasions this year. He has several hits to his name and has received bookings and major endorsements across the country. He was recently chosen as the second gospel Artiste to be on Coke Studio after Bahati.

Jabidii

Unlike the norm that you need years of trial before you can learn the game and probably make a hit if you are lucky enough; his first release dubbed "Shoot Satan" was a major hit.

He narrates that he was at the very verge of giving up when a friend invited him for a project which he termed as his last attempt to book a place in the music industry. He closely followed this up with "Odi Dance" where he featured Hype Ochi and Timeless Noel.

It turned into an anthem with the young and old dancing to the song just days after release. He went on to release "Vimbada" alongside Moji Short Babaa which continues to receive massive airplay and requests to date. The crowning of it all would be when he scooped five awards out of the eight categories he was nominated in at the coveted Groove Awards.

Khaligraph Jones

Popularly known as Papa Jones, his star has shone bright this year more than any other time of his career. The Yego hit maker landed a deal to work with internationally acclaimed American producers/rappers Rick Ross and DJ Khaleed.

This came after the rapper was awarded an endorsement deal with deal Luc Belaire Rare Rose, a French produced wine where he acts as the East African ambassador to the company. The rapper also endorses Erisstoff drink, Captain Morgan, Monster energy drink, Blaze among other top brands. He crowned it all by winning Best Rapper Award at AFRIMMA.

Amani G

She warmed hearts on social media when a video of her singing "Girl on Fire" by Alicia Keys started doing rounds.

She was an ordinary class eight girl residing in a humble home at Githurai but her life and that of her family underwent a transformation when she landed a Sh2.5 million deal with Pine Creek Records. She recorded her first single "Sitasahau" followed closely by "In Love" featuring Vivian and most recently "Ni Poa" where she features Pitson. They all continue to receive warm reception from fans as she recently launched her first EP.

Guardian Angel

After years of great music in the gospel music scene he was at the verge of giving up and relocating abroad for “greener pastures”.

He mentions that it is around this time when the idea of "Nadeka" crossed his mind and he hurriedly pitched it to his producer Vicky Pon Dis. It was a hit upon release and this was the beginning of his stardom.

He bagged the male artiste of the year at Groove Awards, Maranatha Awards, won twice at Sauti Awards and most recently Xtreem Awards unapologetically. It’s only a matter of wait and see whether he will live up to such top accolades and the responsibility that comes with them.

Nadia Mukami
Her career has been on an upward curve the whole of 2018 as it continues to open up for more opportunities. She got signed to Hailemind Entertainment after her first release and after her "Si Rahisi" single hit the airwaves; her career was off to a blazing start. She has been performing in major concerts countrywide and her music doing rounds on top media stations.

The Maseno University student has later released two more singles which have continued to enthuse fans. She is one of the newest entrants into Coke Studio Africa where she will be sharing the stage with top African acts.

Otile Brown
His name has been on almost everyone’s mouth for both the good and bad reasons but as they say; good or bad publicity is still publicity.

He started the year at a high note when he released "Chaguo la Moyo" alongside Sanaipei Tande which has continued to be an anthem to date hitting up to 10 million views on YouTube. Otile landed numerous endorsements and followed this up with several other hits.

This year he also fell into the love boat and rumour mills went into an overdrive that he was dating Vera Sidika the renowned socialite. Rumour was confirmed when he released "Baby Love" where the socialite featured in the video. Long before fans could welcome a new couple in town, their love affair went south in the most ugly fissure. Their names topped search engines and social media networks for a while and this seemed to be working in favour of their brands.

Nyashinski
After opening the year with "Bebibebi", his star has not ceased to shine just as it did in 2017. He followed this up with several sensations including two hits alongside Sauti Sol namely "Short & sweet" and "Tujiangalie".

He was later nominated for MTV Music Awards to compete against Nigeria’s Wizkid and Davido as well as South Africa’s Babes Wodumo and Nasty C.

He received countrywide support even from the President urging everyone to support Nyashinski to bring the award home. He was recently awarded with YouTube’s Silver Button Award for attaining over 100,000 subscribers.

As the curtain is now almost falling on 2018, his latest releases "Free" and "Finyo" continue to headline the top music charts attesting a greater ending for him.