1. Groovy Jo
Groovy Jo is a Kenyan rapper and singer, 3 time nominee at the Unkut hip hop awards since 2018. Drawing her inspiration to her elder sister – Metabell -, Groovy Jo growing up she was inspired much by Tupac, Biggie, Jay Z and Kanye. As time passed she grew fond of the new age rappers of that time – Nicki Minaj, Kendrick and Eminem – and in Kenya Nyashinski. She started off her career by doing Instagram freestyle videos, and through these videos she caught eyes of different people in the Kenyan Hip hop industry. She went on to appear on different solo singles and collaborations but in 2021 March she released “The Groovy way” which was her debut mixtape. She followed up with the release of “Groovy way” deluxe album in 2022 which had 13 tracks.
2. Dyana Cods
2. Dyana CodsDyana Cods is a rapper, songwriter and performer from Kenya. The Rap queen as many refer to her lives to that name. Her unique lyrics and style puts her amongst the best when it comes to rappers in Africa. Her projects have been pulling up big numbers on streaming platforms and her collaborations has left many yawning for more. Dyana Cods is signed under Zoza Nation.
3. Maandy
Amanda Wambui, Maandy is a kenyan hip hop artist, singer and songwriter born and raised in Dagoretti. She started off her journey as a DJ till 2018. Her breakthrough came during “yes bana challenge”. Her style of music is different as she blends English, Swahili and sheng in her pen game. Many compare her to the late E-sir (the female version of E-sir). In 2019 she released her debut album called “Kabaya”. The success of the project was very visible as it was a all hits album. The name of the album stuck with her fans so now she is popularly known as Maandy Kabaya.
4. Ssaru
Born Sylvia Saru on 19th May 2002 in the coastal region – later raised in Nairobi (Kayole) – Ssaru is a multi talented artist, Rapper, singer & song writer. After completion of her secondary education Ssaru opted not to pursue college education but rather focus on her dream of becoming a rapper. In 2019, Ssaru released a freestyle that went on to trend and to date many pinpoints that as her big breakthrough. She went on to release more singles, freestyles and collaborations and in 2020 she won Female Artist of the year Unkut hip hop award. Since then Ssaru’s commitment is to entertain and educate her fans through music. This is attributed to the fact her style, lyrics and message has grown deeper.
5. SilverStone Barz
Her nickname Punchline Queen is enough to introduce the talent she got. As the first born, born and raised in Nakuru, she overcame all odds and became the biggest hip hop artist not only in Kenya but Africa at large. At the age of 16 she discovered that rap is in her blood, at this moment Nick Minaj was her biggest influence. With the little that she had at her disposal, she started doing freestyles that built her confidence and growth. Her biggest breakthrough came when she was featured in Khali Cartel 3 which is the biggest hip hop cypher in Africa. In 2019 she was featured on Round 3 track by the living Kenyan hip hop legend King Kaka amongst other female rappers. Her lyrical prowess is unmatched and in 2021 she won Female Artist of the Year at Unkut Hip Hop Awards and mixtape of the Year for “Don Bother”.
6. Monski
Sarah Mukethe Kiatine, known to many as Monski is a Kenyan Rapper, singer and songwriter who was born and raised in Nairobi. She kickstarted her musical career in 2014 after finishing secondary education. In 2017 she was listed amongst the artists to look out for by Pulse Magazine (Standard media). In 2019 she won Best Female Artist during Unkut Africa Hip-Hop Awards. In 2020 she released Gold her debut album.
7. Steph the Rapper
Steph is a Kenyan rapper, she was born in Nairobi but has a UK connection and Mauritius reflection. Her style of blending afro-swing, dancehall, drill and hip-hop makes her stand out in any sub genre of hip hop. Her style delivers clever punchlines which has a full representation of all forms of life settings. Whether on a cypher, a feature or a full-length track, Steph goes bar for bar against any MC and is poised to bring a lot of flavor to the Kenyan and African music scene at large. Her hard work has been noticed on major platforms as she has been nominated on several occasion as Female artist of the year Unkut hip hop awards
8. Tulia KE
TULIA is a Kenyan Hip Hop artist, whose music takes you through the motions that life brings – fun, sad and mixed emotional expression. In 2021, she was nominated for breathrough Artist of the year during Unkut Hip Hop awards and to many this was her cementing her legacy in the industry. She draws her inspiration from her real life experiences and tells her story through her music.
9. Shekina Karen
Born an raised in Nairobi – Kayole-, Shekina Karen real name Shekina Karen Mwangi is a Kenyan rapper who is taking the industry by storm. Her talent is evident from the success of her songs across different streaming platforms. In 2021 she broke out as one of the best during the famously renowned Odinare Challenge (OdiBet) and this was the first step of her conquering the hip hop world. Her raw talent is unmatched as she is able to go bar on bar on any beat. She went on to appear on kali Cartel 4.
10. Shanty Bobo
Born and raised in Kibera, Shanty Bobo is being considered as the revolutionizer of new age female rap as her flow, lyrics, rhymes and passion are from another dimension. She continues to showcase her talent – and to many she is being considered as the next Kenyan biggest rapper – through releasing of several freestyles, collaborations and singles.