Essentials: Big Yasa opens a new chapter with ‘Biggs’ EP
A young rap star writing his legacy one quotable bar at a time
Big Yasa might be considered a newcomer in the mainstream music scene but he’s been around, earning his stripes as one of the exciting, emergent rap stylists in Kenyan drill music. Born and raised in Kibera, Kenya’s second largest slum, Big Yasa has steadily learned the art of incorporating the daily challenges of his community into his songwriting. His story is not majestic or lavish, rather it’s a dark side with a hint of hope for a better tomorrow.
Making a menacing entrance in 2020 with “Mahd Clan freestyle,” he displayed his raw ability to make every bar ring out with a purpose. While the Drill hype was at large taking over Africa, Big Yasa made his official debut with “Peng Ting,” featuring Twice the Gang. On an ominous beat, he sang along to the drill melodies as he tried to find his place and sound in the scene. Just as a seed needs nurturing to flourish into a flower, Big Yasa’s craft required polishing. It was not until he released “Compete,” featuring label mate Spinx Mafia, that he turned a couple of heads in the city. It was finally clear Big Yasa had found his flow and the perfect production. The drill beat was inspired by the dusty feel and thudding knock of ’90s east coast rap, giving life to Big Yasa’s husky voice, his unique selling point from the jump.
Over the years, Drill has been associated with unbridled youthful exuberance, and while Big Yasa leans into that, he’s more thoughtful in his approach. Growing up in Kibera, he uses his drill tracks to tell menacing tales of survival which resonate with the youth of Nairobi, as he reflects upon the harsh realities of the street. “Ulalaa” featuring Davaji saw him take a more intimate approach to his writing, reflecting on the death of his parents, while calling out lazy people. While building his cult following, he participated in the “Ordinare Challenge” hosted by veteran rapper Khaligragh Jones, reaching the semi-finals before falling off. The Nairobi rhymer knew he had to do better and focused on pushing forward.
A strong affiliate of Buruklyn Boyz, he has managed to carve out his identity in the drill scene under his label Mahd Clan. As 2021 wrapped up, he gifted his fans a feature on the fan favourite “Bad Boyz Club” alongside Nairobi’s drill stars Buruklyn Boyz and upcoming Mombasa artists Double Trouble. Big Yasa closed off 2021 as an UnKut Hennessy HipHop Awards nominee for Best Drill Artist. A champion of growing together as artists, Big Yasa often puts up Live YouTube sessions of various drill artists jumping on beats with his latest experience dubbed, “The Wapoa Live Experience,” with the main goal of promoting fellow underground superstars. Over the past few months, Big Yasa continued dropping his group of loosies and jumped on a bunch of features for other artists such as Sewer Sydda, and, most recently, Buruklyn Boyz on their debut album ‘East Mpaka London’.
Two years after plunging into the scene, Big Yasa has delivered his debut EP, ‘Biggs’. Driven by punchy drums, he gives a mantric delivery as he dives into grizzly and textured verses. Compiling rage, joy, and hope into a 5 track project, Big Yasa makes it clear he is not about to stop reigning the streets. “Interlude” is a 14-second sample from a Skillibeng interview serving as an encouragement to his fans. The slow, melodic tune serving as the intro is comforting as the harmonious piano keys bring serenity, anointing Big Yasa as the voice of the streets while urging the youth that better days are yet to come.
The word breakthrough perfectly describes everything about “Wasp”. From the opening chorus about dedication to his hard-hitting 808s that make you feel you are chanting after him in a concert. “Wasp” builds up momentum for the tape. The guitar strings open the track with Big Yasa chanting his famous catchphrase “Mahd Clad.. 8side Westside”, an identity to his home Kibera. It is undeniable that Big Yasa knows how to grab and hold your attention as the entire sonic landscape has you anticipating what the tape holds. Big Yasa seems to be coming to terms with his flaws as he states he wasn’t born rapping but had to learn how to do so.
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“Crystal Clear” is an ode to all with dreams and aspirations, and still doubles up as something close to a gangsta love song. When the song careens into eardrums with its bass backdrops, it’s obvious listeners are in for an aggro treat. Big Yasa’s lyrical ability seems to evolve as he has mastered his cadence controlling his speed while still delivering hard knocking punches. “Lil Bro” is a dedication to his little brother. The overpowering aggression dripping from the keys and deep bass is accentuated by the most effortless production.
“Halal Haram” is an introspective song on a drill tune, something you rarely hear. The chorus highlights Big Yasa’s conundrum of making music despite it being considered wrong in his religion. His ravishing hunger to succeed is put in the spotlight as his voice gets heavier and darker. It is no doubt he has a knack for storytelling, as he delivers head-bumping verses that incorporate the cynicism and braggadocio fans expect and love. As the drums switch around at the halfway point and the hi-hats begin to fire at double speed, Big Yasa speeds up to a furious, machine gun pace that carries the second half weightlessly.
‘Biggs’ is a reflection of Big Yasa’s time in the industry. From a young boy who struggled to find his voice on a beat to a full-grown artist who has the streets quoting bars from his songs. As he has managed to step out into his light and create his image, so has he done with the music he puts out. Despite this, Big Yasa still has a long way to go as he transverses the hip-hop streets. As a first project release, this is only the beginning of a young star writing his legacy one quotable bar at a time.
Listen to ‘Biggs’ EP by Big Yasa here.
ICYMI: JAKK QUILL RIPS THROUGH BEATS ON NEW EP, ‘FINDING FLOWS’
Maya Amolo Is Committed To Giving You The Sweetest Time
There’s undoubtedly more to come from the talented singer as she looks to solidify herself as one of the...
“Sweetest Time,” Maya Amolo’s latest single, is a soothing, lovesick confessional that mixes intimate, heartfelt lyricism with wistful production courtesy of Ugandan musician and producer SOULCHYD aka MAUIMØON. Alongside fellow Kenyan singer Ywaya Tajiri, the self-acclaimed sweetest girl delivers a lustrous duet that sees her soft vocals, which perfectly complement Tajiri’s more robust voice, skip and flit across moody synths, intensifying the spotlight on her wholehearted delivery. “I can feel you rushing through my system / Every single day it’s my religion,” she sings passionately halfway into the record. The whole thing sounds like the aural equivalent of a warm blanket; a truly affectionate record that immerses and envelopes its listeners in its warmth. This is the brand of vulnerable, understated R&B music that has been helping Amolo gain significant attention since she debuted in the pandemic year.
Born and raised in Nairobi, Kenya, Amolo always had an affinity for music. The singer and producer, who took on piano and guitar lessons as a child, has previously credited acts like Brandy, Erykah Badu, Prince, and Kenyan musical icon Eric Wainaina as her early influences – and it’s easy to see how Amolo’s style draws from this strong lineage of musicians whose music is equally expansive, soothing and vulnerable. After years experimenting with different styles, recording covers to beats she ripped from YouTube and posting them on her Soundcloud page, Amolo released her debut project ‘Leave Me At The Pregame’ in 2020.
The EP, which quickly soared up the charts in Kenya, served as a brief but emphatic introduction to Amolo’s minimalistic take on R&B. Standouts like the emotive opener “Puddles,” “Lush Green”, and “Jokes” showcase her clever and poignant lyricism that reflects on themes of love, depression, and self-healing. Along with sparse, melancholic production and the icy sensuality of her voice, Amolo delivered a remarkable debut that made her one of the most promising figures in Nairobi’s alternative music scene. Two years after ‘Leave Me At The Pregame,’ the Kenyan rising star released her debut album, ‘Asali.’
‘Asali,’ which translates to “honey” in her native Kiswahili, showcased Amolo’s progression as both an artist and a human being, as she swapped out the sad-girl tunes that filled her debut EP for more vibrant and intricate records – thanks in part to Sir Bastien and Kenyan producer and rapper Lukorito – that explore themes of growth and the complexities and rich luster of love. The album’s lead singles, “Foundry” and the self-produced “Can’t Get Enough,” found relative success on streaming platforms, placing Amolo as one of the continent’s most exciting new R&B voices. About a year after the release of ‘Asali,’ Amolo updated the album with 8 new songs on a deluxe version that featured Kenyan stars like Bensoul, Xenia Manasseh and Zowie Kengocha.
In August 2024, a few months after she delivered a splendid Colors performance, Amolo released a new project titled ‘What a Feeling.’ The 5-track EP, which essentially serves as an ode to Amolo’s home city, Nairobi, sees her experimenting with an array of dance sub-genres without straying too far from her R&B roots. While the project still retains much of the melancholy and elegance that defined her earlier work, there’s a hypnotic and pulsating energy that courses through ‘What A Feeling,’ that highlights a shift in the singer’s sensibilities. Amolo’s honeyed vocals gently seep through subtle Dancehall, Electronic, R&B and House-inspired production and the accompanying visualizer, a mashup of camcorder footage of her and her friends in Nairobi, also adequately captures the charming and nocturnal vibe of the tape.
The project produced standout tracks like the sensual “Let It Flow,” the title track and “Take It,” which later got remixed by Ugandan singer Soundlykbb and rapper SGawD. With Amolo’s latest release, “Sweetest Girl,” the Kenyan rising star continues her intricate exploration of R&B music, merging it with varying styles to produce her own distinct and refreshing variant. There’s no telling what Amolo might do next, but with only a handful of releases to her name so far, there’s undoubtedly more to come from the talented singer as she looks to solidify herself as one of the genre’s most prominent faces across the continent.
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T.I Blaze Updates ‘Shakur’ EP With Deluxe Version
Following the success of “Trenches Luv,” the street-pop star is back with seven new songs on the deluxe...
Over the last few years, street-pop, a guttural version of afropop, has surged to mainstream popularity, birthing stars like Asake, Seyi Vibez, and Shallipopi. On the homefront, a generation of younger stars also put unique spins on the sound. Singer, T.I Blaze, has been a notable star in the sub-genre since his 2021 single, “Sometimes,” and a subsequent remix with icon, Olamide, launched him into a different stratosphere.
Since “Sometimes,” Blaze has established his profile as a reliable source for songs that reflect the pulse of the streets while archiving his come-up story across a debut album (‘El Major’) and three extended plays like ‘The Fresh Prince Of Lagos’ and ‘Dangerous Wavy Baby.’ His 2024 EP, ‘Shakur,’ further underscored his evolution as an artist, featuring slippery numbers about escapism, his thoughts on life in the fast lane, and brotherhood with features from rising stars like Tml Vibez and BhadBoi Oml.
In 2025, the singer has picked up where he left off last year, releasing “Trenches Luv,” a balmy February release that examines the dynamics of romance from his point of view as a young adult moulded by the hard realities of life on the street. The success of “Trenches Luv” has led to a deluxe version of ‘Shakur’ with the singer adding seven new songs to the original version of the project. Impressively, on the new version of the project, TI Blaze taps up Ayo Maff and Ghanaian star Arathejay on “My Brother” and “Mario Remix,” respectively.
Led by a galala-inflected opener, “Track 1,” ‘Shakur (Deluxe)’ is both raw and complex with the singer sounding refreshed on songs like “My Brother,” “Dodge,” and “Introduction.” In many ways, this project is an invitation for listeners to explore the many facets of T.I Blaze’s artistry as well as a portent to celebrate his roots and offer a glimpse at his evolution.
Listen to ‘Shakur (Deluxe)’ here.
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NATIVE PREMIERE: Rigo Kamp Runs Ahead Of The Pack With The Visuals For “Marathon”
Rigo Kamp’s Marathon video is an intimate Afro-juju revival that pays homage to Sir Shina Peters and stamps...
Last Friday, Rigo Kamp, a NATIVE uNder alum and one of the architects of an equal parts nostalgic and refreshing sound released his self-titled debut EP, delivering a propulsive fusion of Alte, R&B, Funk, and Soul-infused rhythms.
Featuring previously released singles “Morning Sun” and “Summer”, the six-track eponymous EP executively produced by Odunsi The Engine sees Rigo lean heavily into his element as a sonic alchemist, jumping from silky falsettos to gritty grooves without losing an ounce of cohesion, and ultimately stamping the Abuja-born, Lagos-based singer-songwriter as a mad scientist of sound.
Just last November, Apple Music named Rigo Kamp as its Up Next artist, an acknowledgment that underscored his potential and confirmed what the tastemakers and underground scene already knew. Weeks later, he delivered an exhilarating live set for Spotify Fresh Finds in Lagos, proving he’s just as compelling live as he is in the studio.
On “Marathon”, the refreshing opener to the Rigo Kamp EP, Rigo borrows the bounce and swagger of Afro-Juju legend, Sir Shina Peters’ golden-era, fusing nostalgia with re-imagination to birth a vintage performance that feels like a private party for two, where it’s just Rigo, and you.
Get an exclusive first look at the video for Marathon here:
Listen to the Rigo Kamp EP:
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