By Alex Roberts
Here at EA Scene, we always want to give love to spectacular performers who have been crushing it, not necessarily getting the love that they deserve. As such- the following five are a list made up of rappers who deserve a closer listen on repeat without getting that mainstream love. So in no particular order, here are five of the most under-rated rappers in the 254.
5) Trabolee
What is Trabolee’s music exactly? It can really be summed up as that special brand of dopeness that only a truly indie rapper can rock. His style is his own, and he seems to care less about any noise that comes from outside of his art and his vision for it. He’s definitely outlandish, and once you start vibing his tracks, he’ll be a mainstay for you.
Check him out for yourself:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGdZmdad2JY
4) Bey T
Bey-T truly deserves a lot of respect for the niche she’s carved out in the Kenyan rap game for herself. She’s been holding it down for a few years, but hasn’t quite made it ‘big’- at least the classification of big that sees multi-millions of views on YouTube and selling tens of thousands of LPs; that doesn’t take away from what she’s doing, with her style notable for a sort of trappy-dancehall style of 21st century hip-hop with a Nairobi style twist. If you’re looking to get turnt and Bey-T is not on your playlist, you’re missing your mark badly.
Check her out:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpjMop3dMQ0
3) AD Family/Shraplife
Nairobi has an undeniable love affair with trap, anyone who claims otherwise just hasn’t spent any time in the Nbi and probably doesn’t deserve to speak to the conversation. Shraplife has been at the forefront of the turn up sound for a minute now and continue to put out tracks that serve as a back drop to a thousand strange nights from Nairobi West to Westlands. They seem to sum up the Kenyan party scene in a way; ratchet as fuck and a lot of fun.
Check them out
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOP-CEc7oNw
2) Steph Kapela
How else can Mr. Kapela be described other than terminally underrated; he just rocks dope beats with an ill flow: simple—what he puts out is no nonsense hip-hop with a definite swag to it. Those who haven’t stumbled across his tracks yet are surely missing out a bad one.
Take for example:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWHDE_kVk8
And last but not least: Petra
Yeah, she’s getting included on this list, and I defy anyone to tell me otherwise. She might be more prominent than some of these other entries, but she never seems to have gotten the respect she deserves. Case in point; a lot of her stuff is the very definition of what hip-hop in a Nairobi club sounds like, great party rap tracks and stuff that no one can ever say no to dance to. If you haven’t given her a thorough listen, then what are you doing with your life?
