CABU GAH DIARIES: What Makes A Song A Hit?? Is It The Fact That It Has Been Overplayed Or The Fact That It Has Hit Ingredients??

Jaguar’s songs are heralded as hits even before they are released. Sauti Sol’s too could be fall in that category. And as for,say,Kenrazzy,Or G-Kon,no matter what hot a track they do,It never really climbs the hit ladder. Or generates rave reviews.

In a country like Kenya,where the entertainment industry is controlled by an imperative clique,and chances of Your music getting played(Leave alone overplayed) depend on the whims of vainglorious Deejays,the term “Hit Song” really depends on who applies it,who sang the song and why it is a Hit.

There are Kenyan songs which ended up in the annals of HITS when,in all fairness,they weren’t anything close to seismic or phenomenal. The songs’ only ticket to ‘Hitdom’ was the fact that the guy who sang them was a well-heeled fellow…Or the DJ who blew them up was a prejudiced turntablist with vested interests in the artist or his/her career.

While a song like ‘Kigeugeu” had real Hit ingredients,many of the songs that King Jaguar(God,I have to call him that) did afterwards wouldn’t exactly earn that title. But,still,given that they were done by someone whose wallets were fat and who had enviable associations with State House,they immediately became hits. Barely 3 minutes after release.

Wyre too is another artist with an uncanny ability to ‘churn out hits’ as it is said in media circles. And while we agree that Wyre has done some quite phenomenal songs in the past,some of his songs have been a bland,flat joke that do not deserve even a mention on radio. Leave alone airplay. But still,given that it is Wyre,the good boy turned International fameboy,his songs have been treated as outright hits…By bloggers and radio DJs and pretty much anyone else who matters.

Juacali,however,hasn’t been that lucky. After releasing MEGA HITS in the early 2000s,which included ‘Kiasi’,’Kamata Dem’,’Nyundo’,’Kwaheri’ etc,his subsequent releases haven’t received as much reception and love as had his earlier jams.

I cannot even remember what song Juacali has released in the last 4 Years. A clear indication of just how flat they fell. And poorly they performed.

But here,I have seen songs promoted to super stardom even when they didn’t quite deserve the blitz and attention. Songs like ‘Fimbo Chapa” by Grandpa Family and many others by the same family come to mind.

‘Fimbo Chapa’ was absolute scum.

Many songs done by ‘Rapper’ Jay A (How did he even become a rapper??) have received mad airplay. And christened as HITS even when they were absolute balderdash. But we all know Jay A has tight networks in the DJ fraternity. Very tight….

This article does not mean to attack music done or artists who did it. And I am trying as much as possible to avoid naming songs and artists. Or zeroing in on a single artist. But still,how did some of the biggest Kenyan songs end up as his?? What was the criteria?? Who decided they were hits??

This brings to mind the story that Rapper DNA shared about how he approached DJ Pinye with his song ‘Banjuka’ hoping that Pinye would ‘make it a hit’ on his interminable TV show The Beat. Pinye,being the diva he is touted as,turned down the song. And led DNA away. Dejected,DNA left with his neglected song…A song that,after much deserved airplay on Nairobi Matatus,would end up becoming a Kenyan Classic party track, A hit of hits.

And while ELANI is my favorite Kenyan Band,alongside the astounding Sauti Sol,I watched in dismay as DJs tried forcing their song ‘Zuzu’ down on us. Elani,who have a history of churning out mega mega hits,didn’t quite hit the right notes on Zuzu. It was a fail,honestly speaking. But still,it was almost made a hit. With inexhaustible rewinds on Radio,TV and ummm,where else?? Yet it wasn’t hit material. Never will be.

And while rappers like Kenrazy and G-KON have managed to somehow,churn out very catchy songs…with thumping beats,masterful songwriting,witty lyrics and ingenious punchlines,they’ve never really made it to the very top of the Hit Category. Their songs,and many of such artists,are almost always treated as third-rate trash. And have always received minimal airplay. Very minimal.

Most a times,we’ve been forced to dance and jam along to songs that we have absolutely no idea how they even deserved this much airplay. We went along with it. And believed these songs were hits…Even when they totally lacked the ingredients. Or the elements.

But what makes a song a hit? Well, It all boils down to a number of not-so-difficult factors,including melody,beats,theme,lyricism,rhyme,wittiness,relatability and sometimes,humor. This article right here will also help You understand more on what makes a song a hit. And it will also help explain why people like DJ Khaleed are said to have hit songs even when they are not even musicians in the first place.

While we appreciate that DJs maketh a song,we must also hope that the same DJ will need to stretch their necks further and listen out to the next big hit instead of sitting idly and waiting for their favorite musician to drop their new song in a bid to madly popularize and overplay it even when the new song really is pure crap. But the artist behind it is a god.

And while WE DO not make songs hits,we must also learn to follow the Western pattern where amazing music spreads organically via word-of-mouth,social media and social gatherings hence ending up at the very top of the charts even if the artist behind them is unknown or unrespected by the Music Industry potentates.

Any song can be a hit. But NOT any Artist can be a hit. And that explains the origin of the word ‘One Hit Wonder’. Google that up,kid. And go make an unknown song a hit today! You  heard???!!?