Girwa Ni: Why Prince Indah May Not (Now) Please the Whole World He Once Successfully Pleased

The young Prince Indah

This post is not about Prince Indah or Odongo Swagg. I hope so. But I have noticed with a lot of scholarly interest, that as the "economics" of an (Ohangla) artist changes, so does the "style". Or there is always an attempt to transform the whole thing, different from its original elements, such that it communicates the evident (socioeconomic) changes in the artist. It proceeds from the humility that is a real reflection of the life of the artist as they begin-and the people tend to love it there- to a whole different thing. I will be accused of standing in the way of change, of experiments that have birthed nwe genres. Far be it away from me. 

But the reality this side of the town is that at that early stage, an artist's (and I have a strong case for Ohangla) message gets the attention of many because majority of people relate with that (poor) life. And then as the efforts begin to bear the fruits and resources at disposal become more sophisticated, the style too goes with it. It is not only Ohangla though. I was one of the foremost fan of Diamond, the Diamond at the start of the line. You may know the Diamond of the Kwetu Mbagala or Ukilala, lala salama. I could sing every song in that album word for word when it was all it took to take a lady from some Hostel J to D Houses huko chini (some customized illustration but fine. If you don't get it, forget about it).

Diamond of "Kwetu Mbagala"

In short, that Diamond was real and sisi being sisi those days, he was speaking for many of us. His videos too, reflected our socioeconomics. He was ours. But then money started pouring and everything changed. The camera changed. The settings of the videos changed. Then lyrics changed. The real lifestyle changed. And with it changed the style of doing the style.

Diamond of "Fine" 

That is Diamond, then there is our own Prince Indah. I think I have been his fan for the longest time. Of course being a great follower of his Maker, Opijah, I was always going to know when a new member of the team has come. When Prince Indah began performing Jalamo's (and mostly Opijah's second album) I was already a man with some small money for the gateman and whenever they came near me ( I was in Siaya, their home county), I went.

Indah's first album had a song called Cinderella and it introduced him as a promising recruitment. Man had nothing bwana. And he sang things most of us could relate. He cried for women and mostly, those who were leaving him for men with. Actually, Cinderella was that kind of a story. A lady who left him (the persona) and went to the city. He would later release a single, Nyakisumo Part II (popularly known for its line kinyuolo nyako to ichak minwa). It sold him.

Next is that "something" started coming and I must acknowledge that he tried to sustain the "style" for some time and sure, that must have been the time you came to know him. When something was enoughing him, a few things started changing. First, it was the wear-with-all (man was always in a jeans, t-shirt and some rubber shoes. He loved them). Then came the designer suits, caps.

Next, the lyrics. Somehow with success came some imagined or real "wenye wivu" who needed be told off in music. And then women too, beautiful ones, had to be told that there was now money enough to start stating their wishes. The videos began to come out more and they were now "classic". Perhaps too bright for the local hoof-eater. Of course the age of Owallo had gone but even then, I thought a video vixen, red with makeups and thin (not slim) was not what the typical ohangla man expected would be the change. On and on, even the style changed and fusions came. Before Adhiambo that we know, there was Te Amo and some that no one talks about these days. It was launched during one of his greatest virtual shows in the middle of pandemic. 

Today, Indah who had rightfully shown extra energy and enthusiasm as the new ohangla man on stage, is singing to some other audience that is not entirely those who built him. Local man in Omabei, Siaya, Mogori and Kisumo. You can say that the poor typical ohangla man built him and now they've lost him to the middle class pot-bellied, bearded and short-wearing Luo man in Nairobi.


But not all stories are like these. I have known many artists whose "style" have not changed even as they get better statuses. Mostly, they are people who begin this trade with something small in their hand or from some "urbanized informed" hands. I didn't want to get too complex in this observation because I don't want to be same people I am calling out. Most of the people who do not change are not from this poor side of life. 

I can decide to get them in Benga but there, some of the rigidities are extreme. Best Benga examples are Odhiambo Tusker and Osito Kale. Recently, I watched Simy Kenya interview Tusker in his home in Malela and I was shocked that the man had a fantastic home. Shocked because if you listen to his Milly Nyar gi Aluso Part 1 that I loved in 2007 and Milly Nyar gi Aluso Part 4 that is just trending now, it is still the Benga, the Benga man's love for local wisdom and Odhiambo Tusker bado ni yule yule tu. Rich, Benga. Poor, Benga. Actually he mentioned it.

Benga Artist, Odhiambo Tusker and Simy Kenya 

Well in Ohangla, you can look at these guys who begin their career with "quality" videos and swagg (not the name). They may be hard to find in the Ohangla field but Tony Ndiema could serve as a example. He began in and with some class and his changes may not be very conspicous. Koffi McAdorry too can be graded here. Or the Kangudo Road boxer cum artist, Okoth Jarapogi. Now, all these illustrations are nothing but they were good for what I wanted to say. I was saying that somehow, every time this "modernity" comes for the main Ohangla artist and the organic tune and elements are fast-fading, there always arises someone with the true elements of the original. And the people will not fail to reset. 

Odongo Swagg is currently the name to look for in Ohangla and having observed his style, he is where Prince Indah was those days I was in Siaya. He sings, talks, dances and lives the local man. He was interviewed on Ramogi TV on Friday and he was the real definition of a local man, with the dreams and visions of and for a local man. Somehow they managed to convince him not to wear his normal suits. They gave him some simple "Luku" but of course a little unlike him. A sporty t-shirt, some black jeans and these sneaker shoes of today made him look "well" for the judgmental first time viewers who were eager to see the Ohangla man of the moment. He shaved just normal. You know how free and civilized people keep their hair today. 

Odongo Swagg on Ramogi Tv

I don't want to judge him because he has maintained that he does not want to come to Nairobi, does not want to Collabo (collabos are strange things for local man and the beginning of the end) and says he admires the Ohangla of Ouma Basemen. But when one day he removes a song and he is singing with his nose, sitting in a 3-D office table yelling orders here and there, walking with a clean wealth of a video vixen and he is telling Nyambita to "enter a private jet they go to Mombasa Nam Chumbi", the local man will stop, listen and find another man to take him back to Omabei.


Just like they have done to Prince Indah.