Best Diss Track In Kenya
Any Hip Hop music lover will agree that diss tracks are a vital cornerstone in the growth of the genre. In fact, diss tracks have been there since time immemorial, especially in the late 90s during the famous Notorious B.I.G and Tupac Shakur Beef. Since then, rappers such as Jay Z, NAS, Drake, Dr. Dre, Eminem, Snoop Dog, Nicki Minaj, 50 Cent, Lauryn Hill, and Common among others dropped disses in the form of tracks that became hits.
While many diss tracks have been aimed at fellow rappers, others have been written to affirm the position of certain rappers in the industry, call out record labels for mishandling artists, or purely for entertainment reasons. Kenyan rappers also have diss tracks that have been a source of entertainment for their fans and even added certified hits under their belts. Below are some Kenyan diss tracks of all time:
Best Rapper in Nigeria – Khaligraph
The message of this song was aimed at Nigerian rapper Black Bonez who said that Khaligraph was unworthy of his SoundCity MVP Best Hip Hop Act Award. It had a good reception from the fans and Khaligraph even trended at number one in Nigeria’s Twitter.
Pilau Njeri – Femi One
Even though Femi One called this song a wake-up call for all female Kenyan rappers, there is no doubt that the Kaka Empire signee dedicated this song to her fellow rapper Njeri.
Tuendelee – Kleptomaniacs
This classic is the oldest in this list. Dropped by Kleptomaniacs at the height of their musical success in the early 2000s, the track became a club banger. It was directed at the Kenyan Hip Hop puritans who seemed offended by their commercialization of the fast-rising new genre Kapuka that had Hip Hop elements.
Kuku Mwitu – Kyki
As much as many fans felt that this was an unnecessary diss track, this song made a mark in the history of diss tracks in Kenya. In the song, Kyki called out all the popular female rappers of the time and went on to affirm her position as a young respected rapper
Kichinjio – King Kaka
King Kaka is definitely a king when it comes to bars. In this track, he addresses his haters and reminds other rappers to acknowledge his contribution to Kenyan Hip Hop, while bragging of his legion of fans that cut across the borders.
Khalighraph Jones vs. Octopizzo
This list would be incomplete without mentioning one of the most popular and longtime Hip Hop feuds in Kenyan rap history. In an interview with Richard Njau on CTA, Khaligraph said that their tiff began at a Wapi Rap Battle. This beef has kept many entertained, from their social media disagreements to their diss tracks. One of the most popular diss tracks from this beef is the rap battle they did on HBR, on Drake’s Pound Cake Instrumental