posts on the norient space by Raphael Kariuki

Kamau Ngigi aka Kamaa aka Githingithia (Earthquake) is one of the founders of legendary rap trio Kalamashaka, widely regarded as originators of Kiswahili rap in Nairobi. Here, he tells the story of the Nairobi of his day.

Nairobi’s Westlands district is the rich side of a highly unequal city. But it also provided a space for electronic musicians and music-lovers from across social divides.

Juliani, a self-confessed «musician with a mission», runs a community center in the heart of Nairobi’s poorest district, building on the legacy of conscious rap that began in this part of the city.

A remixed profile of young Nairobi-based DJ/producer Victor Munyasya, an exciting newcomer to the city’s electronic scene. Baring his soul in this abridged interview, he challenges the need for false identities and the social pressures behind it.

Oscar Mizani is a rapper using Nairobi public transport as his stage. We take a ride with him as he spreads his message through the streets.

Different artists from Nairobi share their experiences of life in the city during the tumultuous election season of early 2022, and their thoughts on political and social messages in music.

A selection of ten music videos from Nairobi from 2020 onwards, plus two older ones by DJ Raph’s algorithm. Some are examples of popular current music addressing heavy political themes, while others are a sort of antithesis.

Nairobi-based artists Kamwangi Njue (7Headc0) and Raphael Kariuki (DJ Raph) remixed conversations between seven Nairobi musicians and Norient’s Thomas Burkhalter, resulting in this compilation album.

Journeys through Nairobi take on an abstract, haunting quality, where familiar traffic sounds transform into otherworldly voices, transporting us into a fugue state where the mundane act of moving in the city begins to suggest other journeys, other places.