so am out on a story at a local radio station/production company... and like every other Kenyan I want to know why local artist are not making paper.... the guy looks me straight in the eye and says

'it because they are lazy...'

woo woo hold up MC he was not hating i think he had a point so I went ahead and asked him on yo behave

 ‘wachu mean lazy?’

 he says

‘they produce a track, a very good club hit, and then think they are celebs now and chill out expecting to get paid, but guess what even in the west, the 50 cents, Game, Lil whatever they wanna call themselves, have hits that last two to three months then they old and need to release another hit…. But in Kenya some MCs drop one or two tracks a year…’

 so the brotha does have a point and so I go to the next question, what about albums why does it take Mcs so long to produce an album and why can’t they make money outa that… Yah you guessed his answer

 “because they lazy…. I mean at one or two tracks a year how long will it take you to drop an album….’

 So I goes like

 ‘so why can’t they make money……

 he say

‘coz who wants to buy old songs with one or two new singles… I mean they was hot back in the day but now they plain old…. Plus look at the new singles by the time the album is out its been on radio and over played so its also old…. If you wanna drop an album hold back some songs don put them all out there I mean there is a reason why its called a single that is coz its one song of yo album meant to make it popular….’

So I ask

‘what about piracy and how come MCs all over Africa from SA to Ghana And Nigeria is making cash… hell even I TZ and UG MCs got paper what is wrong in Kenya’

He says

‘we lazy that’s wat we are from producers to managers I mean we have no distribution chain, we don organize enough gigs and most artist they cannot perform to a live band…. They produce one two at most three songs a year their albums have songs from five years ago their latest hit is a remix featuring some nu artist and when the drop the album its between 800 to 1500 KSH…. Now music is bought on impulse I mean who you know that you can say budgets to but music… I mean yo not even sure when the next album you’ll like will drop so you don budget for it… so yo walking down town and you see yo favorite local artist Album is out and its 800/= how many Kenyans have 8soc to spend on impulse…. On the other hand a Lil whoever album is 200/= so even 150/= so on impulse you can buy it….’

So I ask about piracy

He says

‘why do people pirate… coz its cheaper I mean most are 100/= to 150/= and at the end of the day its old music… now go down to River Road those guys make mad cash they local artist but their music is affordable and accessible so they sell on economies of scale…’

Not having forgotten Nonini’s complaint “meaning ya Fm ni nini Free Music Ndio maana watu hawanunui music’

The guy laughs and says

‘radio stations pay loyalty to play that music… radio makes yo song popular and you as an artist as well…. So if the money does not get to you talk to yo producer or whoever sells yo music for you … if thwy are robbing you don blame radio if we don play yo music you’ll be a none hit no one can buy a product they do not know…. Music is a mater of taste so if they don here it they will not buy it I mean when was the last time you bought anything just to try it out even new products have free samples…’

So at the end of the day all I have to say is get to the studio record don work hard just work smarter set up a distribution chain and lower the prices… if yo good will buy yo music… if you wanna make it I know you all think yo hustlers or some thing but if you don up yo game and get some business skills into yo act then you will always be that talented MC with Hits but no paper… if you think am hating then prove me wrong