Did “Sauti Sol” Nail It?

Song writers and musicians compose different types of music to achieve varying goals. Some songs are composed to sensitize people and to address social issues, while others are purely composed for entertainment. Statistics show that a song will forever remain engraved in one’s mind depending on the message it conveys. Therefore the underlying factor that leverages the success of any song is the strong universal message that one can relate to. That’s why the songs of musicians like Kenny Rogers, Bob Marley, Dolly Parton, Don Moen, Michael W. Smith, etc will stand the test of time because of their universal messages.

One day I sat down and listed all the favorite musicians who have ever left an indelible mark in my heart through their music. I wasn’t taken aback upon realization that there were few Kenyan musicians who featured in the list. One of them is the boy band group “Sauti Sol”. They have been churning out impeccable songs like coming home, Kijana, Range Rover, etc. These are songs whose messages mirrored the society and reverberated beyond the borders. It’s out of this that they have been able to grace many corporate functions and scoop many awards.

The group has never disappointed till it released the famous/infamous Nishike song which predictably ended up being banned from our local TV stations. Immediately after the launch of the song, Kenyans in their usual behaviour were literally falling over each other in the social media criticizing and praising it in equal measure. The criticisms and praises caught my attention and I embarked on a mission of searching for the song in YouTube. To say that I was disappointed after watching the song will be an understatement.

Sex is the message that monopolizes the music industry of our generation. Therefore if Kenyan music has been tip-toeing towards sex, then “Sauti Sol” went full throttle with their Nishike song. In most occasions, Kenyan musicians usually release the audio version of their songs before releasing the video version. But when “Sauti Sol” did the reverse, I became eager to find out why. After successfully scavenging for the lyrics of the song, I shouted Eureka!

It is unequivocal that if the group would have released the audio version before the video version, the response from its fans wouldn’t have been immense as witnessed in the social media. This is because the lyrics are wanting. The group realized this and decided to use their abbs and nudity as a red herring to distract viewers (especially ladies) from listening to the lyrics. If you think that I am unfair to them, ask any lady who has watched the video to comment about the song, and the answer you will get will be about the boys’ abbs and muscles. You can certainly take this to the bank and use it as collateral.

I extracted the following hooks from the song for the sake of those who have either seen the video and didn’t listen to the lyrics or didn’t see the video and didn’t listen to the lyrics in totality:

Oooh Nikushike (Nishike)
Nikushike (Nishike)
Nikushike Baby (Nishike)
Nikushike,
Until You Say Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaiiii,
I'm Gonna Make You Say Aiyaiya

Nakuomba Baby Unishike (Nishike)
Unishike Mpenzi (Nishike)
Unishike (Nishike)
No No No No No No No No (Nishike)
Until You Say aaaaaaaaai
Until You Say aaaaaaaaai

I Wanna Hold You Tighter, And Sweeter,
Lets Make Love Tonight,
I Wanna Kiss You Tender, And Deeper,
Lets Make La, La, La, La, Love (x2)
La La La La La La La La La La La Longer
La La La La La La La La La La La Longer Babe,
Tease Me, Tease Me, Tease Me, Tease Me, Te Tease Me Baby,
Put Your Arms Around My Body Iiiii

This is the kind of message that the group expects to remain engraved in our minds. If this is the direction “Sauti Sol” is heading to, then I’ll have to speak with candor and say that the number of Kenyan musicians in my favorites list is going to shrink further.