Maji Maji is a Kenyan music industry veteran. In the 90s, he burst onto the scene with his compatriot Gidi Gidi on their first hit single, 'Ting Badi Malo!' Since then, they also released another banger, 'Unbwogable,' and more recently, MajiMaji released 'Talanta' with gospel artist Ringtone. Maji Maji attributes their success to a gamble they took to take vernacular music and give it a bit of 'swag.'
When asked about the state of the current music industry, as compared to back in the days when he was starting out, this is what Maji Maji had to say:
"There is a big change. I'm not trying to be selfish, but I think there was more... much of originality and identity in the back years. So we've kind of moved to billboard sound."
He gave an example of Akon, an African man who has emerged as an international superstar, but still maintained that African sound. Maji Maji says:
"African music is not about the drums and the chants. As long as you have that originality, it doesn't matter how urban you are, but have that originality."
Watch the full interview here:
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