Genge music is a genre of hip hop music that had its beginnings in Nairobi, Kenya. The name was made popular by Kenyan rapper Nonini who started off at Calif Records. It incorporates hip hop, dancehall and traditional African music styles. It is performed in Sheng, Swahili or local dialects. The term Genge is a sheng word for "a group people" derived from the English word 'gang'.
Calif-style Genge was originated by producer Clement Rapudo (also called Clemo) of Calif Records located at California Estate in Nairobi. It became popular through rappers such as Nonini with his song "Manzi wa Nairobi" and Jua Cali with his songs "Nipe Asali" and "Ruka". The name Genge is more commonly used to describe music from Calif Records.
The most notable genge artists are Nonini, Jua Cali, Flexx, Jimw@t, Rat-a-tat, the late Lady S, Pili Pili among others.Since Nonini left Calif for Homeboys Entertainment he has since fallen out of favor with most genge artists and Calif producer Clemo. Jua Cali, who stuck on with Calif Records, is the king of Genge; he is currently riding high on his latest songs.
Some of the most popular genge tracks include:
Manzi wa Nairobi - Nonini
We Kamu - Nonini
Ruka - Jua Cali
Kiasi - Jua Cali
Nyundo - Flexx
Morale - Pili Pili F. Rat-a-tat
Under 18 - Jimw@t
Kamata dame - Pilpili
Bidii yangu - Jua Cali
