The Kenyan music industry is one of endurance. Each week your favorite superstars are vehemently vying for the position as the game’s head honcho. Though some will shun that notion as merely an afterthought on their priority list, the fact is every artiste wants to be at the top of the ‘baddest’ chain pyramid.
Right now, at this very moment, Timmy Tdat Is the best artiste in Kenya. There I said it. Well, let me explain to you why ‘anatosa’. If 2015 was about a new collection of young insurgents rising, then 2016 appears to be a year of solidifying superstars and weeding out the wannabes. Guys like Kristoff are already starting to struggle yet Timmy is releasing hit after hit. There’s no denying that he’s having one helluva streak.
Fans of Kenyan music are fickle. They can turn an artiste from being hot today to being lukewarm tomorrow. However, for as long as anyone can remember, Timmy has been a perennial fire-starter. He unwittingly watched and seized the throne long time ago as he rest slept.
The paradigm shift began a few months ago. Led by the profligate ode “Welle Welle”, Timmy then capped off 2015 with monster tracks such as Tunakubali. Shortly after New Year’s turn, he unleashed ‘Dus Nyau’ and then ‘Haitosi’ about a month ago. I am not going to forget the various other artistes he has collaborated with.
There was one point in time, where It seemed like Timmy was involved in every hit song on the radio. Didn’t matter if it was a feature or a song of his own, the newly signed Kaka Empire artiste was everywhere. Even when it felt like people were hopping off the Pacho bandwagon, his knack for making hit records never faltered.
At the end of the day, it all comes down to making hit records. Everything else falls under the column of irrelevancy, if you’re not capable of making good music. That’s where the longevity factor comes into serious play. You can’t last in this industry, if you have the inability to adapt and keep your audience intrigued. It’s a daunting task, but it’s the key to a prosperous career within the guidelines of one’s artistry.
In a country where public opinion is the undisputed truth, the response to his songs has been palpable. Even the naysayers have taken notice.
Timmy’s a man of a few words. Until recently, he had done very few interviews. Instead, he’s allowed his music do the talking. The tome 48 Laws of Power says there’s value in scarcity. So while fans searched for insight on their favorite songs or his person affairs, Timmy, in turn, increased his profile by keeping his mouth shut. His relationship with Kush put him in the media’s Q&A a bit more but that ended, meaning he’s now back to himself.
Nothing lasts forever and by next week, the pendulum can very well swing in another direction. But right now, at this very moment, Timmy Tdat is the hottest artiste in the game
