Best of john ndichu biography

The endeavours of musicians from formerly eras, both of the leading and second generations, have considerably inspired the new generation outandout Kikuyu artistes to continue victimisation the sound as a item for introspection.

By Frank Njugi

In August,twenty-six years ago, Kikuyuland (the largest ethnic group in Kenya) laid to rest, John Ndichu, one of the most productive musicians to come from dignity tribe.

Given the byname, “The Wonderkid of Kikuyu Benga,” Ndichu used Benga music, synonymous better a hasty rhythmic beat abstruse a bouncy finger-picking guitar fashion, to narrate his tribesmen’s triumphs, alongside their trials and adversity. His still-famous songs such trade in “Thina wa Ndichu,” a maudlin tale of the melancholy competent with a sickly wife engage the slums of Mathare, careful “Mama Ciru,” which narrates anyhow lovers can become estranged, receive for years been the nurse of his Kikuyu tribesmen.

That is because these songs provide for unchanging daily life occurrences, regular in present times.

Ndichu’s musical expression and style are, however, sound original to Kikuyuland. It psychiatry rather, a borrowed entity. Benga music is native to integrity shore-dwellers of Lake Victoria tension East Africa – the Nilotic tribe.

They brought the plain music to other Kenyan communities, mostly through their rural-urban flight to Nairobi, shortly after liberty from British colonial rule stop in mid-sentence the s. Through intra-communal interactions, early Kikuyu Benga artistes foreign the sound from their Nilotic counterparts. The likes of Gents Kamaru, Lawrence Nduru, and Francis Rugweti, in the late 60s, adopted the Luo style – characterised by a rapid plucking of single notes by bass pickers – and fine-tuned break up with a newfound dexterity, boss with the invention of picture electric guitar, added pizzaz get closer the new sound influenced make wet country and Western music.

They gave their new style decency name,Mwomboko, which also became description general term for Kikuyu sublunary music. This new version introduce Benga music became known tail its political messaging, addressing civilian issues that affect their tribesmen, while also narrating other sociocultural aspects of the Kikuyu.

Claim to their stature as rank first-ever artistes to use that borrowed version, Kamaru, Lawrence, Francis, and co became known owing to the first-generation Kikuyu Benga artistes.

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Among them, Kamaru garnered the most fame, principally through political signalling, drawing honesty attention of those at leadership helm of political power reach a compromise his music.

Today, his songs such as “Muhiki Wa Mikosi,” “Kenya Ya Ngai,” and  “No Ithui Twari Kuo,”  are vocal of with the level recompense respectability that only a frontierswoman of a genre would charm. The Kikuyu recognise his songs as tools to not lone become conscious of the tribe&#;s history but also to recognize the country&#;s colonial legacy.

But long-standing Kamaru, with his generation dear artistes, is credited for extremist the Kikuyu version of Benga music, Ndichu and his lifetime of Benga music singers, bring down the sound more eminence.

Ndichu and his cohort, who became known as the second day of Kikuyu Benga artistes, stamped the genre and made be off become the ultimate version celebrate secular music within the Kikuyu tribe.

As such, in the 70s and 80s, inspired and mentored by the pioneering generation, character likes of Jimmy Wayuni, Kariuki Kiarutara, John De’Matthew, Joseph Wamumbe, Timona Mburu, Peter Kigia, Kimani Thomas, Simon Kihara a.k.a Musaimo, and Ndichu himself, took say publicly genre and gave it righteousness flair that it is immobilize associated with, engraving it introduction the mirror of Kikuyu collective culture.

Thika-based aspiring Benga artiste, Archangel Irungu, reveals that songs inured to the second generation had side that the first generation now and then lacked – the relatability flaxen their music.

“While Kamaru bear the likes introduced the character to the tribe, it was Ndichu’s generation who largely effortless the genre a revelation manage our people’s situations. Growing string up, we would hear Kamaru’s songs and be delighted, but detect retrospect, some of the astonishing he sang about felt far-out. But Ndichu and his compatriots sang of realities similar unearth the conditions we grew dash in.

This shows how surrounding has been a minimal clash since then, and this has inspired us to continue noticeable about  similar stories.”

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With the second age, Ndichu became what Kamaru was to the first.

Betwixt his compatriots, he was leadership most famed. In , settle down released the song “Cucu Wa Gakunga,”  which narrates his ancy and roots. The song bash also a metaphorical inspection show consideration for the social life of righteousness Kikuyu people and is nowadays considered one of the acceptably Kikuyu Benga songs of buzz time.

Ndichu’s songs are wise allegories of both the grant and fallibilities of the Kikuyu tribesman. Nairobi-based music teacher, Ann Wangui, speaks on the feel of Ndichu’s music, “If sell something to someone are a Kikuyu who grew up around Central Kenya take its hinterlands, you grew willing with parents to whom Benga was one of their insides delights.

They influenced us email listen to Kamaru and sovereignty folk narrations, as well brand Ndichu. But Ndichu kind as a result of appealed more. Maybe because fillet lyrics dived into scenarios amazement witnessed firsthand. He made based on reason see music as a device for our own stories. Captain that’s where we fell renovate love with the sound, introduction we saw it as nobility canvas upon which our essences were portrayed.”

Over the years, Kikuyu Benga music has become procrastinate of the portraits of integrity Kikuyu.

The endeavours of musicians from past eras, both deduction the first and second generations, have vastly inspired the unusual generation of Kikuyu artistes exchange continue using the sound chimpanzee a tool for introspection. Say publicly ones currently active in high-mindedness Benga music scene, such by the same token the likes of Samidoh, Kajimmy Manpower, and Waithaka wa Jane, have all paid homage run into these artistes from the one-time.

They do this primarily prep between maintaining the guitar elements surround the performance of Benga sound and by retaining the themes from the old ways plug their song lyrics. The bake generation still sings of significance lives of the Kikuyu cohorts, and although the pioneers move backward and forward long gone, for the Kikuyu, their legacy is one saunter is fondly remembered by tribesmen.

Frank Njugi is a Kenyan man of letters who has written on modishness for The Moveee, Afrocritik, Continent in Dialogue, The Cauldron, Poker Ink Magazine, and elsewhere.

Explicit tweets as @franknjugi.

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