What is this thing called the Music Business?

Dead Beat Kenya, Esther Arunga and Tony Mochama aside, there is a slow fire burning in town that has stubbornly refused to be fully extinguished.

As we are sure you are aware, the second season of Coke Studio Africa was launched a few weeks ago. The show has caused a certain amount of furore on the social media circuit. UP Magazine has a slightly privileged angle because we believe we were present when the discussion kicked off so have decided, for those of you who are wondering what went down, to do a small recap of the different sides of the argument.

It all started in the kitchen at a house party where DJ Momo was bidding farewell to the city that had so kindly hosted him for the better part of three years. A conversation was unfolding with Buddha Blaze, one of Nairobi’s top HipHop promoters and music entrepreneurs, around what people felt was lacking from the show.

In his role as one of the writers and producers of Coke Studio, Blaze wanted to know what people felt could be done to improve it. “Octopizzo” one of the group was quick to respond. “Ok”, answered Blaze (and of course we paraphrase) “So who do you think should have replaced him instead?”

When the responder was slow to come up with a suitable candidate, Blaze reacted with annoyance. Why is it, he asked, that Kenyans are always so quick to point out problems but are mysteriously absent when it comes to working out solutions?

At that moment, someone else suggested that Wangechi be the one to replace Octopizzo. They argued that the musicians getting air time on shows like Coke Studio are always the same ones and that there are other better ones out there that deserve the spotlight too.

Blaze explained that someone like Wangechi, who is currently in hospital recovering from a car accident, may be a good rapper but that unfortunately she does not have the numbers needed to headline such a show. Coke Studio, Blaze pointed out, work with numbers which Octopizzo and the other musicians on the show are not lacking.

As the discussion continued, the “critics” pointed their fingers at the “suits”, executives who according to them were to blame for not having the right artists on the show. Blaze however stood his ground and maintained that this was a decision that had been thought through thoroughly and that ultimately it was what was best for something of this caliber.

At this point the conversation fizzled off and as the different members of the group went off to imbibe themselves, they thought that was the end of it. A couple days later however the issue was raised again, this time online by a drummer that goes by the name of Mathewmatix.

This comment kicked off a long thread which heavily featured Buddha Blaze and the musician Makadem - who despite his international fame has never been a huge darling of the Kenyan media.

According to Blaze

This kicked off a whole new lengthy discussion, prompting Blaze to update the following on his own Facebook page:

 

Five days later, hundreds of comments and over 30 shares, the thread is still growing. Comments vary in ideas and opinions; some supporting, some opposing and some trying to find a solution to it all.

Eager to make his position clear, Makadem decided to make a post of his own on his facebook page. This one appeared to be less about the intricacies of the argument and more about personal pot shots at one of the people involved in the controversy:

A handful of friends liked and commented.

So how did Blaze react to all this online chatter?

By inviting everyone that had been involved in the discussion to an open HipHop Parliament that was held last Sunday (21st of September) on the roof of PAWA254.

And how many people turned up to stick by their guns and defend their views on Coke Studio Africa? Very few from what UP Magazine could make out (we were doing a fashion shoot or would have been there in force!).

So to sum up: there are a faction of people that believe that television programs that support musicians should focus on giving airtime to up and coming or less “mainstream” acts. On the other side of the spectrum, the argument is that people are too quick to point of flaws in the system but not propose any viable alternatives. Furthermore, according to this camp, it is important to keep in mind that as long as these programs are being sponsored by a big corporation, they cannot be expected to promote underground or fringe artists that do not attract the required viewers.

So what do you think? Would Kenya be better off without multinationals pumping money into mainstream music TV shows? Or should there be someone out there coming up with alternative formats that will put worthy artists on pedestals and give them the respect they deserve?