Right away, here’s a bunch of things this list isn’t. It definitely is not a ranking of the most popular dual-based artists. In other words, the artists in this piece aren’t laid out in order of who’s more known or commercially successful, and neither were they selected based on any such thing. But it was rather more about their relationship between the two bases they’re affiliated with, and the nuances or beauty of the music that results from their roots from either base.
That said, here’s some positive clarifications: For one, “dual-based”is just another way to say the artists are based in two countries. It’s not used in the strictest sense with every entry on this list. Some have musical output entirely from one country code, while having been earlier raised in another country whose formation or continuing effect on them can’t be understated. For others, it’s more of a back-&-forth ethnic affair and less about mobility between both locations. Even then, the majority on the list fit the framing of the feature in a straightforward sense. What’s common among them all, when all is said and done, is that they fall in our scope. That cleared, let’s dig in!
1. Wanja Wohoro (as pictured in cover still) – Kenya, Australia
Born in Australia, grown in Kenya, & back and forth since then, Wanja’s Afro indie craft has benefitted from her ethnic & geographical meld. It’s as evident in her sound as it is in her artistic ethos. Both locations have presented uniquely nuanced dynamics for her musical trajectory à la big-fish-small-pond and vice versa. We’ve been beneficiaries of that resultant depth, and we can’t wait for the next entry in her catalog to exhibit the same layers of experiences she’s always been intent on portraying.
2. Kabeaushé – Kenya, Uganda/Germany
Bro was molded in the 256, though he’s Kenyan, & now continues to thrive on the German scene and beyond. Taken up, grown and exposed by the Nyege Nyege (Hakuna Kulala) pipeline in these our parts, he’s grown into a rather delightful melange of hiphouse, industrial hiphop and EDM. He continues to draw inspiration from the different locational arcs where providence has placed him and we’d be quite well served with more output from him in addition to his current touring.
3. Afamefuna – Kenya/Nigeria, USA
Here’s an example of an artist aptly optimizing their roots in multiple bases for meaningful impact. While based in Brooklyn, the Kenyan-Nigerian dance artist and A&R has made it a point to include multiple fellow 254’ers onto his projects. He’s also drawn from his immediate scene to create such a beautiful conceptual contrast. We dived into his last project some months back and you can help yourself to it in our review section.
4. Xenia Manasseh – Kenya/Uganda, USA
Xenia’s a gem. At this point, honestly, she’s got to be one of the artists we’ve featured the most. We do pride ourselves on being dispassionate in our pieces, but there’s a sense in which she’s a fav to the team back here😂, what with the sublime vocals and immaculate sonic acumen, thick sauce! But the point here is, one can’t fail to see the influences of her layered ethnicity and how it bounces off the separate locational context she occupies. For one she’s keen to incorporate an Afrocentric vibe to some of her tunes, but it’s also evident that she’s serving multiple appetites in her delivery.
5. Manzi Fleur – Rwanda, Canada
Based in Canada, Rwandan alt rapper Manzi Fleur’s been on his decidedly conceptual arc for a while now. His most recent project’s a bold concept album that showcases, among many things, his rootedness to the contexts that have formed him and continue to hold him together. The gem in it all is how he says much without being didactic or patchy, and our best guess is that it comes down to a wealth of experience and social-artistic intuitions formed by the very contexts he paints in his craft.
6. mwami – Uganda, Kenya
Nairobi’s been kind to mwami, but it’s not as if there’s no love for him back here. His blend of artsy dance music, coupled with his multihyphenated inclination, has seen him inspire more artists on both scenes that we bet he knows. We actually have a feature coming out on that soon, so we’ll save our poetry for then…
7. Tendai – UK, Uganda
A singer-songwriter from East London blending soul, rock, R&B and pop, Tendai’s on the list on grounds of ethnicity and not mobility. Even then, there’s an evident Ugandanness about how he comes off, must be his Adventist, formerly musical Ugandan parents or something in that vein. If you pick one thing from this piece, let it be the urge to help yourself to bro’s sublime artistry.
8. Degs – Kenya, UK
With his work having attained growing recognition in the UK where he’s based, Drum & Bass vocalist & producer Degs is still keen on impact back in Kenya, having headlined culturally potent Nairobi joints like The Kenyan Way in 2024. He’s evidently taken the same hybrid ethos he applies to his genre-fusing craft and imposed it into his cultural ethos by conceptually holding together multiple influences from both settings (UK & the 254). Nifty!
