Mejja’s story and what other musicians can learn about self-reinvention

A lot has been said about Major Nameye Khadija, popularly known as Mejja and it’s the truth is that we’ve not seen the end of it.

Also read: We want the old Mejja back and we are not joking

Many people, including myself, often criticize him for getting worse as a musician after he joined The Kansoul but I think other musicians can learn a thing or two from him about self re-invention.

You see, the Mejja that many of us grew up listening to was a great story teller. His jams were not only infectious but you could also laugh while listening to them because he had a good sense of humor.

He later teamed up with Kid Kora and Madtraxx to form The Kansoul and many people often say that he lost taste after that since his lyrics were not as catchy as they used to be. Notably, he had also lost his sense of wit.

You know, I don’t blame Mejja for joining the group. I feel like if he had tried to go it alone, we would have forgotten about him by now. He would be just another Jimwat.

The truth is that people, especially Kenyans, get tired of things very fast. Also there’s the fact that times change, what people loved in the early 2000s can’t be relevant right now. That’s the plain truth.

In my opinion, time and time again Mejja has had to change tack time and time again because the Kenyan industry is fast-paced, it’s either you shape up or shape out.

Sometimes an artist might take a direction that does not sit well with their fans and it’s okay but as they say, the end justifies the means.

Self-reinvention is critical for musicians if they want to remain relevant. There are no two ways about it. Sometimes an artist has to make hard decisions – for instance when Mejja jumped on the Gengetone wave.

As fans we might not understand some of this things but they just have to be done or else we will have artists who are relevant for two years or less before they disappear into oblivion.