Spotlight on Kenya's next big thing: Steph Kapela
It's a great time for East African music and African music holistically. Every day, more new music and dope artistes keep coming out. This week, we introduce to you multi - talented Kenyan artiste Steph Kapela, who first shot to fame with the R&B/hip hop track "Got The Sauce". We wrote about it:
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Before this single, Steph had already collaborated with his longterm producer Atwal in Atwal’s 2016 album "Trap Heaven". Steph was featured in the songs: "Like This", "Rotate", "Over You", "Sweet Sixteen" and "Work". By 2017, Steph signed a record deal with Atwal Music, immediately opening many doors for Steph and a plethora of releases that led to his debut music video - ‘Got The Sauce’.
Check out Steph Kapela's "The Man" featuring Timmy Blanco:
Steph Kapela is Kenya's next biggest thing solely because of his versatility. Only he could stop his shine. Very few singers can rap like he does. Same goes for rappers, very few can sing like he does. It's also different how he fuses cleverly thought out Swahili and English lyrics delivered like The Weeknd's, or in a way sometimes so reminiscent of the styles of new indie kings of R&B like Bryson Tyler. In fact, Steph's style is largely trap soul. He is the definition of Nairobi's 'Nu" new wave.
But Steph is more than familiar sounds and trends, he is a distinct and unique artiste who continues to impress as he shows off different sides of his musicality. His latest release "Only One" featuring Kemunto and produced by Atwal Music is an unlikely smooth ballad yet a certified hit record. The song's Lyric Video was produced by Crizo.
Before returning to Kenya in 2015, Steph was in USA for higher learning, while there he was working on his to-be-launched music career that borne the mixtape entitled "Kick City." As Steph Kapela abides by lessons of his past and present sounds while finding ways to make his style of music authentic, his brand is slowly morphing into something iconic and irresistible appeal to a global audience.
