You’ll not believe some of these songs are 10 years old

Sinzia: Nameless

It has been covered by several stars in various platforms, with varying levels of success. But no one has covered it like Phy did last year on Maisha Magic.

Though the rising star was barely in her teens when the song won a Kisima Award in 2006, she totally slay the cover. It is this timeless quality that continues to make Sinzia an urban legend.

Ten years later, it echoes across the generations. In 2007 it won Tanzania music award and Channel O music video of the year. It was also the song that introduced Nameless to a new audience, both young and mature. It also helped the star grow with his audience... and it paid off well for him.

Bad Boy: Amani ft Nyashinki

He may have staged the comeback of the year last year with 'Now You Know', but 10 years ago Nyashinski was rulings the airwaves — first with Klepto and then solo. The group had just disbanded, but Nyash was showing his skills.

His duet with Amani won the collabo of the year at the 2006 Kisima Awards. He followed that up with a TMA in 2007 for best East African song. Another Amani song that was doing very well was Missing My Baby.

Though it first came out in 2006, it had a good two-year run, winning a Kisima in 2007 and being nominated for the TMA and Channel O music video of the year in 2008.

Kushoto Kulia and Si Lazima: Nonini and P-Unit

It was considered the golden age of Genge. After the pioneers had received all the hate, the genre was now taking off.

Both singles from Nonini’s Mwisho wa Mwanzo were massive hits, with Si Lazima snagging a Kisima Award for best Boomba song in the group category.

In the same year, Nonini was selected as one of the 100 most influential Kenyans by a local daily. 

She Say Dat: Wyre

Wyre was still trying to figure out which sound to go with. He had wowed the country with his R-n-B hit Chuki, but many still loved him for his dancehall sound. At this time, he didn’t quite know which route to follow. Well, the success of this song settled that. Ragga it was.

He then topped the song with a remix with Jamaican songstress Cecile, taking the jam to a whole new level. Back in 2007 though, the ragga hit was on every deejay’s playlist, packing out dance floors every time it played.

Number yako: Flexx ft Laefty

It was the ultimate high school pickup line back in the day, Number yako by Flexx ft Laety was on one of songs you hoped would be playing when your crush walked in. It was a simple teenage crush song by a guy asking a girl for a number; the oldest story ever told. There is probably a wife somewhere who got married because they fell for this line, for them this song was definitely life changing.

Tatizo: Pam and Karma ft Wyre, Abbas, Nyashinski, Nameless, Juacali

Compared to its contemporaries Tatizo was a quantum leap in video quality. The jam is iconic to date; you just have to play it for five seconds and it will take you on the ultimate tbt.

It was done mainly by the heart throbbing Pam and karma who have since disappeared from the music scene. It also featured Wyre, Abbas, Nyashinski, Nameless, Juacali.

Imani:Jemimah Thiongo

It was a follow up to her 2003 mega hit, Mwenye Baraka. In 2007, it was blazing from just about every speaker in the country. The current gospel explosion was in its formative stages, so any gospel artiste who made it to the mainstream was considered a hero. In 2007, the composition won best gospel song at Kisima Awards, with Jemimah scooping best female artiste from Kenya. 

Twende Twende: Eric Wainana ft Oliver Mtukudzi

Mtukudzi is one of Africa’s finest musicians and he teamed up with one of Kenya’s most successful artistes. Though Wainaina may not always top the chats, he is a shrewd music entrepreneur who knows how to cash in on his craft. And he has done quite well for himself.

In 2007, Wainaina’s collabo with the Zimbabwean legend secured him a Kisima Award for best Afro-fusion song.

The jam was later selected by a local telcom company as the theme song to their advert, a deal that must have earned the duo a pretty penny.

Furahi Day: Nonini ft Nameless

It was the party anthem of the day, a song that still features prominently on any old school mixes. It was a hit straight out of the gates.

By the time Nonini says: “Another Homeboyz produc-shizzle, waaa...” the dancefloor would be full. It literally told the story of Kenyan adults whenever the clock hit 3pm on Friday. It was an era where every Friday, the Safaricom network would go down as people started planning their weekend shenanigans. Good times. 

Bidii Yangu: Jua Cali

He is considered one of Kenya’s longest serving musicians, having weathered many a storm, and he is still trying to keep his head above the water today.

In 2007, he made headlines when he signed multi-million-shilling deals with Motorola and later with Orange Mobile, Pilsner and Protex. That year, his iconic hit Bidii Yangu was the talk of town. It was every hustler’s default tune.

Sivyo Ndivyo:Chameleon ft Professor Jay

At the time, the current Bongo invasion was still in its early stages. But this jam was rocking big.

Although Kenyans were dominating both local and regional award shows, these two (Ugandan and Tanzanian) were making serious inroads.