Ty Dolla Sign and Nasty C Shut It Down At Jameson Connects Kenya

Ty Dolla Sign at Jameson Connects Kenya

The weekend was a pretty good one with one of the biggest concerts of the year going down on Saturday night. Jameson Connects Kenya, obviously by Jameson, was headlined by American musician Ty Dolla Sign with support from South African superstar, Nasty C and some of Kenya’s finest acts, Khaligraph, Octopizzo, The Kansoul, Fena and Kagwe Mungai.

Tickets were sold out to Jameson Connects Kenya a few days to the concert, which was not surprising as there was a lot of buzz around the event. Jameson had put on a couple of pre parties around the country with the DJs and some of the Kenyan artistes slated for the main event, which definitely hyped revellers for the main concert. I attended 2 pre parties in Nairobi: K1 and Brew Bistro Westlands and they were both amazing nights. DJ Mellow and DJ Jack Rooster proved why they are the best at the pre parties.

Revellers at Jameson Connects Kenya

On concert day, I opted to get there around 9pm as I was a little tired from moving house. Jameson Connects Kenya had however, kicked off at 3pm with Thrift Social, which I was sad to have missed out on. One of the things I really appreciated about the conceptualization of the event was the various activities you could experience including a sports bar featuring the Dubai 7s and Man U vs Arsenal game, body art by Michael Soi, a barbershop offering free haircuts and beard loving from Mandevu and a gaming zone featuring a foosball tournament which saw the winner walk away with a Jameson branded foosball table.

Getting in was a bit of a hassle as the line outside wasn’t very well organized. Thankfully, this lasted about 10 minutes and my friends and I were able to make our way in. The set up was impressive with a modern barn theme and with good use of space for the various experiences. The VIP was really nice, with a separate food area set up by KIZA and a great Jameson bar and reliable wait staff which was convenient as I didn’t want to keep going out to get a refill on drinks or food. Mama Rocks, J’s Fresh Bar and Brew Bistro were present at the venue as well. I also really appreciated that the VIP directly faced the stage as compared to other concerts where it’s usually to the side, totally missing the point of what VIP should be. Telkom provided WiFi that actually worked so I was able to Instagram and tweet with no data issues.

The concert started on time and I actually got there just as Kagwe Mungai took the stage. His performance was good and it was obvious that he has the ladies as fans from all the screaming during his performance. I’m not a big fan but I appreicate his growth as an artiste.

The Fenamenal Fena was next on stage and I absolutely lost it. I have been a fan of Fena for almost a decade. It’s been amazing to see her star rise and I know she is headed for even bigger things. Her set was great and she brought out Kagwe and Muthoni DQ for ‘Kama Kawaida’. From the audience’s reception, she’s definitely doing her thing though.

Octopizzo at Jameson Connects Kenya

Octopizzo came up next on stage and I have to say that he has the X factor. There’s just something about him that makes it impossible to take your eyes off him when he is on stage. He’s got a laidback arrogance about him that coupled with his swaggerific music, makes for a superstar. He performed all the hits including my favourite, ‘Bank Otuch’.

The Kansoul were good but I think because I have seen them a couple of times this year, they should consider switching up their set. I hope they’ll also be putting out more music in the coming year. Still, ‘Bablas’ is a mega hit and the audience, myself included, absolutely got down to it.

Khaligraph Jones at Jameson Connects Kenya

There is a reason Khaligraph is the best in the game. His performance kicked off when pallbearers dressed in all black emerged carrying a white casket, before he jumped out of it as he performed his hit, ‘Gaza’ followed by ‘Mazishi’. His set was memorable and fantastic.

Nasty C at Jameson Connects Kenya

I had no idea that Nasty C was this big in Kenya until he got on stage. I am a fan of his music and was pleasantly surprised to find I was not the only one. He put on an electric perfomance and from the look on his face, he was taken aback by the audience singing along word for word to every song. It was a treat to hear my favourites, ‘Hell Naw’ and ‘UOK’ live.

Ty Dolla Sign gets on stage at Jameson Connects Kenya

Ty Dolla Sign’s set was such good fun! Other than him taking off his shirt at some point and the deafening screaming, his performance was quite the party. He performed pretty much every song he’s done including some new music. It’s difficult to zero in on my favourite moments off of his set but if I must, I really enjoyed ‘Or Nah’, ‘Zaddy’ and of course ‘Blasé’.

There was a DJ set after that kept the party going. Only thing I didn’t like was the MC Amina talking over the DJ mix. Would have been better with just the DJ and music with no unnecessary interruptions.

All in all, Jameson Connects Kenya was one of the best concerts I’ve been to this year and other than a few hiccups at the entrance, it was well-organized and worth every penny. The energy at the concert was mindblowing and infectious and I’m looking forward to next year’s party. This one kicked off December in style; a great way to end 2017.