To be on the same page, the entries on this list are all in EA’s context, though not necessarily native to the region. Additionally this isn’t a compilation of scenes with the greatest pull of audiences in general. But a part of it comes down to our scope of coverage. Still, each of the genres included are thriving beyond a singular country code. Lastly, we won’t include umbrella genres that are kinda broad collections of multiple subgenres, like, say, Afropop or even Afrobeats. You get the picture. While at it, we’ll attach one selected artist’s project on Spotify from each listed genre, as a rep for other artists of the same category. Let’s dive in!
1. Afro Indie
Something special here, there’s gems in the genre all over EA, but the 254 seems to be churning out most of its gem-makers. From Njerae and Wanja Wohoro to certain iterations of Caleb Awiti, it’s something of a layered scene. So much so, there’s already acts in Ug or Rwanda classifying themselves within the genre. In terms of definition, a lot has been said about what defines the sound, but to be pretty simple about it, it’s guitar pop for the most part, with undertones of an African feel. In the way of future influence and lucrativeness, Kenya’s expanding roster has already shown the growing potential and cultural infiltration prospects. One would simply have to follow the template prudently, but evidently we’re not the only ones already catching vision.
2. Alté
There was always gonna be a sleek urban fusion of afrobeats, dancehall & alternative R&B. It’s a natural progression typa thing, which makes it a suitable container to house lots of urban budding acts and audiences. Furthermore, the broadness of its influences keeps it from growing stale, making it prime for the future.
3. Alternative Rap
From Rw’s Manzi Fleur to Kenyan maverick tg.blk & all sorts of acts in between, alt rap has shown how vocationally feasible it is in the region by how much attention it has courted. The charm is that it retains the centrality of the rapper’s verbal acumen and bars, while coating it in richer sonic layers, drawing from funk, jazz, pop/rock & soul. The last half-decade’s pulled many EA nüschoolers into tilting their rapper artistry towards an alt angle. And there’s room for more experimentation within the next five years.
4. CCM (Contemporary Christian Music)
Gone are the days of CCM being solely a bunch of either tacky off-vogue sounds or try-hard cringe. There’s now an influx of hip, sonically innovative collectives & solo acts within the genre all over the region. In a special way, though, Ug’s got a larger crop of them, especially in terms of sheer quality & artistry. Outfits like The Collective & Bunjoville Ug have such a cutting edge sound to them that even aces that of a number of their mainstream counterparts. They seem to have good art for years. Bring on the next half-decade!
5. Alt-Pop
Conceptually edgier than trad pop, with less safer sonic traits like the meddling of organic instrumentation with suave synthetic elements… sounds like a boardroom-drafted joint for a portion of an aspirational middle class, no? Well, its hooks pull farther than that. Now more than ever, artists are realizing that you can force-feed a culture. And there’s a defiance to subgenres like these in the region’s landscape, a defiance showing no signs of letting up in the next few years.
6. Neo-soul
Tz artistes like Turunesh & 254 acts like Lisa Oduor-Noah have charted an interesting path by creating unconventional blends of jazz fusion, funk & soul at a commercially sustainable level. The reason subgenres like neo-soul are eyed with skepticism, especially regarding commercial viability, wherever they’ve shown up, is due to their retro feel in contrast to the sleeker modern mainstream sounds of the times. And one of many reasons it persists is that it’s quite literally among the most interesting variations of soul. And this current emergence or revival doesn’t seem to be an outlier in that regard.
7. Electropop
We have a full feature coming up on this entry. For now, tease yourself to the attached album.
8. Experimental
The team has this last because of the challenges it presents category-wise. After all, artists across all sorts of genres can have an experimental inclination. Thing is, though, there are forms of music to which it’s the major defining feature & not merely a conceptual accentuation. New crops of artists across the region seem to be more fearless than their predecessors. Yet some even take it to the level of what would have been previously deemed as uncommercial. We foresee the next half decade having more new scenesters incorporating prog & avant-garde elements in their craft. It’s just bound to happen, given the exposure and interconnectedness of the game.
