Flopped Etana Concert in Kenya crushes chances of 6 Africans getting Grammy Certificate

Kenya is known around the world for three things, athletics, corruption, and its love for reggae music. Reggae music is so strong in Kenya that one of the top candidates running for president in the 2022 general elections, has crafted his campaign slogan around phrases related to reggae music. Like ‘One Love’ and ‘Nobody Can Stop Reggae,’ Kenya is the reggae capital of Africa. With good promotion and organization, a reggae musician can easily fill a stadium on a rainy Tuesday night, something that’s difficult to achieve even for the Kenyan national team Harambee Stars. This love and unity amongst reggae lovers in Kenya has attracted both good and bad promoters alike, with the latter being 90% of them.

Many reggae legends have been badly embarrassed in Kenya over the years due to corrupt promoters. Israel Vibrations, Everton Blender, Donovan Francis, Morgan Heritage, Alaine, and Eric Donaldson are just but a few of the reggae icons that have tasted this ugly side of corrupt promoters. Bermudian reggae maestro Collie Buddz openly rejected an offer to perform in Kenya due to this ugly monster that surrounds Kenyan reggae events.

Recently Jamaican reggae Queen Etana released her latest project ‘Pamoja,’ Etana is without a doubt the most beloved female reggae musician in Kenya at the moment. It’s really and truly her moment to shine her light on this little East African piece of paradise called Kenya. This would explain the title for her album ‘Pamoja’ which means ‘Together’ in Swahili, Kenya’s national language. This project was a vote of thanks for the love Kenyans have shown the Queen over the years, and to drive this point home, the reggae Queen invited three Kenyans, to collaborate with her on this project.

Kenya’s Meru born reggae musician Michael Bundi, was the luckiest of the three. He collaborated with Etana on the title track for the album ‘Pamoja.’ Fast-rising Nairobi rapper Naiboi collaborated with the Queen on a track titled ‘Legacy’ and Kenya’s most beloved reggae artiste Wyre came in flying hard on the track titled ‘The One.’ Other notable African artistes were Ghana’s Stoneboy, Zambia’s Wezi and Tanzania’s soulful singer Nandy.

This project lived up to its title ‘Pamoja’ and was up for a Grammy consideration. With this came the dreams of these sons and daughters of the soil to get closer to at least a Grammy certificate. Even though featured artists don’t actually get a Grammy Award, they are honored with a Grammy certificate for their contributions on a winning project.

The importance of Etana’s Pamoja Festival was critical in cementing Etana’s position as a winner or a top contender in the 64th Annual Grammy Awards, to be held on the 31st of January 2022. The concert for lack of a better word, was badly promoted, and badly executed on the material day. With revelers going for hours without sound, some reggae lovers vented out on social media while others chose to go home and rest on that rainy Saturday night. Opening acts were ripped off their pay, and sound system operators had to switch off everything for long periods of the night, in an effort to force the promoters to pay up.

With good promotion and organization, Etana would easily have pulled a hundred and fifty thousand fans in Kenya, and been miles ahead of the musicians who are also up for a Grammy. Etana’s hit songs are the most popular on Kenyan reggae nights and there isn’t one reggae mixtape in Kenya without three or four of her songs. The last time Etana visited Kenya thousands of reggae lovers who attended her concert sang her hits word for word, She didn’t have to sing, she acted as a choirmaster, that’s how powerful Etana’s music is, in Kenya.

The effects of this terrible blander will be known on the 31st of January when the Grammys will be held. Whether artists like Michael Bundi will ever be involved in a project that is up for a Grammy is a question only God can answer.

(Source: Rapcha Da Sayantist – JustRapcha.com)