Let’s Bring Back Luo Rap, Omera!

Dhako kelo wichkuot, omiya total balaa! Does this sound familiar?

If it does then yes you are old and yes you know your Luo rap really well. If it doesn’t, well, that’s Poxi Presha in arguably the first mainstream Luo rap song, titled Dhako (A woman). An abrasive but very funky hit that took the Kenyan contemporary music scene by storm. The Bruce Odhiambo produced classic made Luo rap a thing.

Soon after we had Gidi Gidi Maji Maji with the massive Ting Badi Malo club banger, which was on heavy rotation on national radio stations.

The duo, in a couple of years or so dropped the then national anthem, Unbwogable.

After that, rapping in Luo was a fad and a sure fire way of brightening your star on Kenya’s music charts. Big Pin, at some point, even self proclaimed himself as the Luo Rap King.

It shows you how this sub genre was influential and trendy then. Our own language and accent flowing over hip hop beats just about brought out the African in us in the most passionate and proud way possible while at the same time connecting us with global music flavors.

Luo rap became so big it almost went global. It was this 🤏🏽 close.

Gidi Gidi Maji Maji signed with a South African recording label and became Mecca clothing line brand ambassadors.

Remember “Many Faces” they released to the African market? The Luo spit in it was Grammy worthy, did justice to the tracks. Sadly thereafter, some intellectual rights tiff with Ted Josiah over the remix of Atoti put a damper to it all, and the global dream faded.

So what happened to our vernacular flow after scaling to such lofty heights?

The last notable artistes that served us some good joints of it are Vicmas LuoDollar and Japesa.

Vicmas made us get some dope lines in Luo from Octopizzo; that song is a gem, Bank Otuch it was. It’s been a lull since then. Maybe a line here or there in a song by Khaligraph or someone but not an entire properly done song.

I would love to see Luo rap make a full comeback and not just cameos in songs. Someone bring back our Luo rap bwanaaa!

Wouldn’t it be cool having Luo raps featuring Ohangla artistes like we see lately with Ohangla acts doing mash ups with artistes from other genres?

How excited would you be listening to King Kaka lay it smoothly in his prose style over the beats in Luo? Heck even Diana B might as well spit some now that she is a rapper.

Hehehe. I mean, just give me any good jam in Luo and let’s get the party on once again.

It can be very refreshing to see new acts come up, innovate and carve out a niche’ for new Luo rap.

South Africa’s Amapiano is currently catching fire globally yet we understand nada in those songs as they are majorly in their mother tongue, but man don’t the beats, the vibes and flow get your juices running! Music is universal like that. There is a huge welcoming space for indigenous dialects to thrive in this digital age music scene.

Let’s bring Luo rap back 😇