Top 5 Kenyan Artists of 2018 So Far

2018 has been a good year for Kenyan music so far, with several artists putting out quality releases that have found a place on our playlists.

These artists have had some of the biggest singles, videos, albums and projects, with their songs garnering a lot of  attention from Kenya and beyond.

Kenyans.co.ke presents 5 artists who have absolutely been on top of their game over the past 3 months.

1. Sauti Sol

The 4-man afro-pop band has cemented its status as a bona fide star African act with the back-to-back hit singles they've released from their Afrikan Sauce EP.

A follow up to their acclaimed 2015 album Live and Die in Afrika, Afrikan Sauce has spawned hits such as Melanin with Patoranking, Girl Next Door with Tiwa Savage, Afrikan Star with Burna Boy and, most recently, Rewind with Khaligraph Jones.

The project will see the famed boy band release new collaborations with African artists every month until November. 

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2. Muthoni Drummer Quuen

Muthoni DQ looks set to have a big year following the release of her album SHE in March.

The talented artist cum entrepreneur has released singles such as Suzie Noma, Criminal and Lover from the album. The album's concept is to shine a spotlight on the lives of Kenyan and African women in the most creative of ways.

Her most recent video release, Criminal, for example, is loosely based on Felista Wanjiru, the widow to one of Kenya's most wanted criminals Simon Matheri who only found out about her husband's activities after he was shot dead by police.

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3. Khaligraph Jones

Khaligraph has for a few years been considered one of Kenya's top rappers, and 2018 has seen him stake his claim for the title of King of Kenyan hiphop.

He has dropped several hit singles this year; such as Kasayole with Timmy Tdat, Rider with PetraRewind with Sauti Sol, Mat za Ronga Remix with Tunji and Khali Cartel with various artists.

Khaligraph has previously hinted that he was working on an album that would be released this year.

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4. Stella Mwangi

Stella Mwangi, also known as STL, has been having a great year as she releases new music on her new independent label Badili Akili music.

After landing several licensing deals year from Hollywood productions which used  pop songs from her 2016 Stella Mwangi EP last year , Stella has made it clear that she's back to her hiphop roots in 2018.

So far, she has dropped singles such as Kuchizi, Ready to Pop and 10 toes.

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5. Otile Brown

The crooner is considered one of Kenya's most promising, talented acts and is synonymous with smooth Swahili vocals and tear-jerking love songs.

This year, he is riding high with hits such as Aje Anione, Tamu Sana with Tanzanian star Shettah and Tam Tam with Timmy Tdat.

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