Nine of the illest young rappers in Kenya right now

In our second edition we bring you some of Kenya’s best rappers who are following into the footsteps of godfathers of rap music in Kenya.

1. Khaligraph Jones

Khaligraph is one of the local rappers who is taking the industry by storm owing to his unique flow, style, delivery, lyrics and the American accent makes him different from the rest.

His story is as exceptional. In spite of dropping out of school after completing Class Eight, Khaligraph (Robert Ouko) raps fluently in English, with a weng to boot.

He begun rapping in the house while at the same time working as a club bouncer. Today he remains one of the most versatile rappers in Kenya credited for his unique style of rap ranging from slow, fast as well as changing all the flows all in one verse. He is also an exceptional writer going by his songs. His songs Julius Yego, Ting’ Badi Malo including his latest Mazishi are a force to reckon with.

A section of renowned Nigerian musicians recently ranked him the best in continent besides admitting that he is on top of the game when it comes to unique flow and delivery of lyrics. To many Kenyans he remains the undisputed local rap king hence giving him the top position.

2. Rabbit

We know Kaka Sungura’s fans are convinced that Rabbit is the greatest rapper Kenya has ever seen, but our experts rank him second after Khaligraph.

He refers himself as the Swahili Shakespeare probably because his lines are poetic and lyrical. Although he hasn’t been in the game for long compared to other MCs, he has a number of albums and 6 mixtapes to his name.

He started off as a backup rapper for Chiwawa. His first hit (Orutu ya Masudi) was inspired by his grandfather – Masudi who used to play the flute.

Rabbit, like Octopizzo, has an entrepreneurial mind. Through Kaka Empire, he runs a clothes company and a recording studio.

3. Octopizzo

The Number Nane Boy is the self-proclaimed King of Swag.

Octopizzo’s (Henry Ohanga) smooth and hard-hitting 15-track album Long Distance Paper Chasers (LDPC) comprising songs like All Black Eveything, Wwy, Could be Us, They Love it Next 2 U, Bomaye, Prezidential, Wuoda, War Get Rich, Let Mi Know, No time, Jump Pydu, Heart of a Lion and Salute Me achieved worldwide recognition besides taking Kenyan hip hop to the next level.

Considered one of the finest rappers and one of the very few who has grown his brand through enterprise (clothing & condom products) and community projects.

The father of two daughters Octopizzo is the the founder of YGB (Young Gifted and Black) and the CEO of Choclate City Tours. Despite his fame many local fans feel that of late Octo has relaxed on his aggressive style and delivery of lyrics. This has seen him drop from the top position as Kenya’s Dr Dre to the third position.

4. STL

There is no denying that Swedish based Kenyan rapper Stella Mwangi popularly known as STL is one person who has given many local rapper sleepless nights going by all standards.

Her prowess and unqiue style of rapping in English, Swahili and her mother tongue (Kikuyu) has cut across both local and international fans.

The rapper who emerged into the Kenyan limelight after her collabo Happy with rapper Chris Kantai has over the years continued to release a number of songs that have been well received locally and abroad. She stands at the top when it comes to the best local female rappers but could be as well ranked slightly behind Octopizzo.

5. Madtraxx, Mejja and Kid Kora  (The Kansoul)

Their music is taking the local airwaves by storm.

The trio from RedRepublique have indeed proved that they are a force to reckon with when it comes to local rap. Besides being accorded immense airplay- they are also domainating shows locally.

6. Kristoff

The local rap scene cannot be mentioned with the Dandia hit maker.

Just like his cousin Collo of the former Klepto Maniax group, Kristoff is one rapper who has managed to woo local fans with his unique style of rap as well as vulgar lyrics which has earned him the name Bad Boy of local rap.

His entrance into the local music scene brings back memories of the once controversial rappers Nonini, Circuit and Jo-el famed for Manyake. The latter was banned on radio and TV owing to its extreme vulgar messages.

7. Xtatic

Rapper Xtatic has been rated the best female MCee in Kenya by our panel of experts.

The mother of one was discovered on YouTube after she posted a prelude verse which caught the attention of Sony SA producers. She signed a contract with the recording company but was back in Kenya after a year under unclear circumstances.

She is flawless when it comes to rapping in English and makes rapping look effortless.

8. Majirani

In case you are wondering who he is, Majirani is the musician behind hit songs Hivo Ndo Kunaendanga and Tukumbukeko.

Unlike his peers whose songs are inspired by daily life activities or happenings within the society – the soft spoken rapper is credited for his ability to compose lyrics based on his real life experiences. 

Take for instance Hivo Ndo Kunaendanga whose inspiration stemmed from his experiences in prison including his stage name Majirani.  And it appears there is no stopping him as he is set for bigger collabos with huge rappers in the near future.

9. Femi One

As one of the few female MCs, or as she refers herself ‘Femcee’, 20-year-old Shikow Femi One is a lyrical and witty rapper using humor and interesting wordplay.

FemiOne uses swahili and sheng as the main languages in her music in ways that elevate her to the competitive level among male emcees/rappers. Shikow’s Trademark line, common in most of her records, clearly describes her wordplay style as she states that “Me ndio femione among ma-feminine…”