How Nameless has managed to remain relevant for over a decade

Nameless has been a household name for well over a decade. We have actually known him for damn near longer than a lot of these new artists popping up have been alive. And he has served as a colossus for the Kenyan entertainment industry.

Nameless Vs Jua Cali: Who made our childhood memorable?

According to legends, Nameless got his start when he jumped on the phone to participate in a Captial FM freestyle competition. During the freestyle, he was asked for his name, fearing his boss finding out, he came up with the name Nameless.

From there going forth, Nameless became his name even as he won the opportunity to record a song with Ogopa Deejays, one of the record labels that soon became a powerhouse in Kenyan then East African entertainment.

Issa TBT: The night shift job that made Nameless whom he is today

While there, he was the beneficiary of the fact that Ogopa Deejays had gone about signing very talented artists to their stable and this alone was a huge factor in how Nameless was moulded as an artist. He got to learn from the likes of Esir and Krupt and this is one of the reasons why his career has had such longevity.

After everything is said and done, the ultimate reason why Nameless has enjoyed an almost Snoop Dogg-esque level of longevity in entertainment is the fact that he refused to lock himself into one specific genre. When everyone was complaining about Ogopa Deejaysputting out the Kapuka sound, with Bamboo even release this diss track aimed at them:

But it turns out this Kapuka genre made it such that Nameless has always had a more Kenyan sound and whenever you think of him, you almost instinctively think of Kenyan music and not, say, Kenyan hip hop or Kenyan pop. Nameless’ sound was not only unique but also lent itself to the crafting of later Kenyan genres.

Hilarious! Fans react after Nameless shares a new photo holding his wife’s booty

He never fixed his sound on the prevalent musical trends and never exactly sounded outdated either. It could also be down to the fact that he is one of the rare breed of artists who know how to craft a relevant sound without pandering to musical fads.

A case in point would be his most recent musical collaboration with Darassa, PAH:

And then compare that sound to his biggest hit to date, Nasinzia Nikukuwaza which was released over 10 years ago:

Both songs still sound fresh aye? Exactly!

For more thought-provoking opinion pieces, click here. And be sure to like our Facebook page.