East Mpaka London

For decades there has been a strong rap scene in Kenya, starting from the boom-bap of the 1990s to the more recent Gengetone. Nairobi’s Buruklyn Boyz though were among the first to make drill with lyrics in Swahili and sheng slang, with their banger “Nairobi” blowing up across the country. Their debut album East Mpaka London surprised many fans with its soft, melodic undertones, like on the r&b track “Niskize” or the smooth “Nothing But Love,” but a lot of those harder sounds are still there, like on the heavy bass of “Confession” or the ominous atmosphere of “Pree.” Wherever Buruklyn Boyz go after this, they’ve already earned their place in Kenya’s rap history as the pioneers of Kenyan drill.