Police ban planned Project X party, organisers sought

Police have warned against the party being hosted.
Police have put planners of a party dubbed Project X on notice, saying any illegalities committed will be dealt with according to the law.
A tweet posted on the Kenya National Police Service account said the party as announced could be associated with activities that “run counter to our moral fabric and in breach of law”.
“We are taking action aimed at establishing what the organisers are planning,” a statement from the police read.
“We will not allow events where illegalities are committed to take place.”
The party slated for March 12, at an undisclosed location in Nairobi’s plush Kileleshwa estate, is named after a 2012 Hollywood movie with the same title.
In the movie, one of the characters (Thomas) was celebrating a birthday initially intended to be a small ceremony with a handful of friends.
The celebration quickly turned into a drug-induced, sexually charged orgy which forced police in the area to intervene.
The announcement of the Kileleshwa party caused a social media uproar over the nature of activities included on the poster.

“8 Days to go to the biggest celebration of bad behavior in the +254... Chiqs... Dudes... and a whole lot of booze...no rules...no regulations...everything goes," a thread sent via messaging app WhatsApp read.
"...carry your own high... Whether it's herbs... Pills...everything is legal advance tickets are almost sold out!! Get the few remaining at selbected outlets [sic].”
Tickets for the event have been priced from Sh500 in advance, Sh1,000 at the gate and Sh3,500 for the VIP, and were available at outlets TRM's Bobo shop, Game Masters and Inntech in the CBD, and Bonk at the Junction mall.

“No one goes back home a virgin” and "Old enough to know it's wrong, but young enough not to give a f**k" are some of the phrases on the posters that led to the social media outcry.
Nominated ODM MP Stephen Mwaura and Films Classification board CEO Ezekiel Mutua were among those who called for the banning of the party.
“This sex party called Project X circulating on social media which is to happen on 12th needs to be stopped at all costs. We cannot allow people to cash in on our vulnerable youth,” wrote Mwaura posted on his Facebook account.
Mutua called for the arrest of the people selling tickets whose numbers were shared on the WhatsApp messages. “Could anyone be having information on where exactly these tickets are being sold or the venue for the proposed party,” Mutua quizzed on his Facebook page.
He urged anyone with the information to share it with Deputy Inspector General of Police Joel Kitili.

The Godown Gig

The Godown Gig – The GoDown Arts Centre

The monthly GoDown Gig is a fun-filled platform designed to showcase local talent at its best, and is open and free for audiences from all over Nairobi. Typically, the gig stages three local bands of diverse styles including 
Red Acapella, Kwame & Dan ‘Chizi’ Aceda

The winners of the 2016 Grammy Awards ceremony

Kendrick Lamar was shut out as Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, Bruno Mars won top Grammy awards.
Taylor Swift won The Album of The Year to take the night.
Rapper Kendrick Lamar led the Grammy winners on Monday with five wins but was shut out of the night's top categories as Taylor Swift nabbed album of the year in an upset victory.
Compton, California rapper Lamar went into the awards with 11 nominations, and had looked on course to take album of the year for his critically-acclaimed "To Pimp A Butterfly," but it was country-turned-pop artist Swift who won with "1989", the best-selling album of 2014.
Swift, 26, made history as the first woman to win album of the year twice after also taking the Grammy in 2009 for "Fearless," and delivered a feisty acceptance speech on female empowerment.
"To all the women out there ... there will be people who try to undercut your success or take credit for your accomplishments or your fame," the singer said on stage, adding "don't let people sidetrack you."
The speech appeared to be a swipe at Kanye West who last week released a song called "Famous" in which he claimed that he made Swift famous after the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards incident in which West hijacked Swift's win live on stage.


R&B singer Bruno Mars and producer Mark Ronson won record of the year for their upbeat track "Uptown Funk!"
"We wouldn't be up here if it wasn't for the people dancing to this song," Mars said.

British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran won his first Grammys, including song of the year for "Thinking Out Loud", receiving a big hug from Swift as he went up on stage.
Pop star Meghan Trainor, who broke out last year with her body-confident hit "All About That Bass," was named Best New Artist, tearfully thanking music executive L.A. Reid "for looking at me as an artist instead of just a song-writer."

SPOTLIGHT ON COMPTON
Hip-hop took center stage as Lamar won best rap album and delivered the night's most socially charged performance.
The rapper wore chains and a prison uniform to perform "The Blacker The Berry," a powerful commentary on racial issues facing America's black youth. He then broke free and rapped his anthemic track "Alright" surrounded by African tribal dancers.
Other winners included blues-rock group Alabama Shakes, who took home three wins including best rock performance for "Don't Wanna Fight," and Broadway musical "Hamilton" won best musical theater album.

Canadian crooner The Weekend won two Grammys out of his seven nominations, including urban contemporary album for "Beauty Behind the Madness," while Chris Stapleton also scored two awards, including best country album for "Traveler."

Canadian pop star Justin Bieber won his first-ever Grammy in the best dance recording category for "Where Are U Now," which he later performed.

While most performers on the night offered pared-down renditions of their hits, Lady Gaga gave a colorful tribute to late British singer David Bowie, singing a medley of his hits while dressed as the androgynous 'star man.'
Offstage, Rihanna made news by canceling her scheduled performance at the last minute due to illness.                       

Music Industry Corruption

#ElaniSpeaks: Why Is This Popular Kenyan Band Calling Out Music Industry Corruption?

Photo via Elani’s Facebook

Why did one of the biggest musical acts to hit Kenya go totally silent in the span of a few months? The answer might hold implications for one of the most powerful music industry players on the continent.
In 2014, Kenyan afropop act Elani went from relative anonymity to becoming one of the most popular bands in Kenya. But after their breakthrough year, the Channel O Award-nominated trio hit a standstill in 2015.
With the new year upon us, Elani’s voice is as loud as ever. This time, though, they’re using their platform to speak out on corruption in Kenya’s music industry. Kenyan musicians and social commentators on Twitter have been fast to show their support, rallying around the hashtag #ElaniSpeaks.

In a video the group shared on Tuesday, band members Bryan Chweya, Maureen Kunga and Wambui Ngugi explain where they’ve been the past year. Their storybook 2014 it seems ended with the band millions of shillings in debt. “It was heartbreaking for us, because this is the thing that we love to do. And we still love to do. And we were hoping that at that moment, it would show us some love back.”
And though they were eventually able to clear that debt later on in 2015, the band says the ordeal made them realize a bigger problem.
“Music is a job like any other job. And from any other job, you’re entitled to a certain amount of compensation or salary. So for artists, the way it works for musicians, we write a song. We release that song. And from the song, from the airplay it gets, we get royalties. The Music Copyright Society of Kenya is mandated with collecting, and making sure that they distribute the compensation of the monies going to the artists, after a certain period, like let’s say a year.”
Like a number of Kenyan artists, Elani are signed under the Music Copyright Society of Kenya (MCSK). The music from their successful 2014 was registered under this MCSK system. This is where the problem arises they say. The check they received for 31,000 Shillings ($302.83)–the presumed value of a year’s worth of radio play for the successful band–didn’t make much sense to them. “We questioned the amount, I think only because we happened to be in debt,” the band admits. “If we weren’t in debt at the time, I’m not sure that this would have come up. But we realized that there was something wrong. This didn’t seem right. It didn’t seem like the amount of money we’re supposed to receive, especially seeing as 2014 was such a good year for Elani.

They went to MCSK’s offices asking for answers. MCSK blamed it on Kenya’s radio stations. Elani called the stations up themselves to do some fact-checking. Their findings came back suspicious for MCSK.
“If everyone gives this money into MCSK, why isn’t any money coming out? Where is it? Where did it go?” they wanted to know.
A few days later, Chweya got a call from MCSK with a compensation of 300,000 shillings.
“That’s when we realized, there’s a problem. If what it takes for me to get ten times the amount of money that you gave me, is for me to scare you in an office. And if 300,000 is what you’re giving me after five days, tell me, how much is available?”
They wondered about the implications for other Kenyan musicians who don’t necessarily know to go knocking on MCSK’s doors. “If Elani deserves 300k, and all they’re getting is 30, how many artists are there who deserve ten times the means that they received? Only because they didn’t come and ask. And that’s the problem that we had.”
The group put MCSK’s practices in simpler terms: “Any creative work that I do. Any creative work that I go ahead to register, I should then be entitled to receive money for that work. If I have created it, any revenue generated from me should come back to me as creator. What MCSK is done has collected money, and then from what we can see, found a way to shift and dodge from paying out the artist. And now we’re calling it out.”
Elani says they’re not asking for much. They just want transparency. “We need you to be open. We need you to show us what the monetary process is. How much do you collect. Where do you collect from. How much do you spend with your salaries. How much do you spend during the collection of that money. How much is left. And the amount that is left is the amount that you’re giving out to artists.”
For their part, Elani says they’re happy to be transparent. “You can open our books. You can open it to the world. Let them know how many times our song on played on X radio, on Y radio. Please.”
“What we need more than anything is transparency and accountability on the part of MCSK to show us, because you’re mandated, as an organization mandated to protect our right that I am entitled to.”
They also have a message for their fellow musicians: “Any artist who has their work corporated, just know that you have a right to go and ask for a compensation.”
“Enough is enough. We are tired. We feed off music. We live off music. And it is the only way for us.”

This Is How It Went Down At Sauti Sol’s Album Launch (Photos)

My all time favorite Kenyan boy-band Sauti Sol finally launched their much-publicized album, Live and Die in Afrika, on Saturday 13th February at the Ngong’ Racecourse.
Hundreds of fans from all walks of life; TV & radio personalities, fashion bloggers, public figures, ordinary Kenyans, gathered to celebrate with the band which has witnessed massive growth over the past few years.
Also in attendance were Sauti Sol’s family members i.e their siblings and parents (pictured below).

Sauti sol has been putting in that work and on Saturday 13th February it did pay off. From the stage set up and even security,you could tell that these guys were well organized, and there was no room for trying.


Missed the event? don't worry! I've got you covered. Check out the pictures below

 

Photos: By Quaint Photography