Gengetone Music as A Subversion of the Urban Space

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dc.contributor.authorMukasa, Antony
dc.date.accessioned2024-04-03T08:02:29Z
dc.date.available2024-04-03T08:02:29Z
dc.date.issued2022
dc.descriptionResearch Paper Published in Kenya by School of Creative and Performing Arts, Film and Media Studies, Kenyatta Universityen_US
dc.description.abstractThis paper examines how Gengetone, a new music genre birthed on the streets of Nairobi and “hoods” of the inner estates like Jericho, Ongata Rongai, Langata and Umoja has revolutionized Kenyan music, sparked controversy by becoming the object of a national debate after being criticized for its explicit lyrics. However, despite the criticism, the music has instead become popular in mainstream media like Ghetto classics and alternative media spaces like Facebook groups, YouTube channels as well as nightclubs and matatus. I examine this genre, which has adopted “sheng” as its primary idiom and combines elements of American Hip-hop with different kinds of Kenyan popular music. The paper argues that the popularity of this underground street music can be studied as an expression of resistance against the mechanisms of social marginalization. And that normative understandings of what constitutes proper music is at play in the suppression of the genre. The paper looks at the politics of Kenyan Urban street music, discusses the Gengetone in relation to the notion of an authentic Kenyan genre. The second part examines selected lyrics of Gengetone artists such as Ethic, Sailors, Boondocks Gang, Mbogi Genje, Ssasura, Ochungulo family and Zzero Sufuri. The paper adopts a perspective that engages critically with aesthetic norms in popular music and argues that the lyrics of mentioned artistes can be understood as a distinct literary form.en_US
dc.description.sponsorshipThis project has received funding from the Transcultural Perspectives of Art and Art Education (TPAAE) Grant Number 872718; Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions under Horizon 2020en_US
dc.identifier.citationMukasa, A. (2022). Gengetone music as a subversion of the urban space. Journal of Creative Arts, Communication and Media Studies, 1(1), 1-19. Retrieved from https://journals.ku.ac.ke/index.php/JCCM/article/view/302en_US
dc.identifier.issn2958-1745
dc.identifier.otherhttps://journals.ku.ac.ke/index.php/JCCM/article/view/302
dc.identifier.urihttps://ir-library.ku.ac.ke/handle/123456789/27784
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherJCCMen_US
dc.subjectgengetoneen_US
dc.subjectpopular musicen_US
dc.subjecturban cultureen_US
dc.titleGengetone Music as A Subversion of the Urban Spaceen_US
dc.typeArticleen_US
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