TikToker Gloria Ntazola In Murky Waters Over Attack On Kenyan Musicians
Ntazola criticised the nature of Kenya's current music as one that lacks substance and fails to draw interest among its listeners.
Marvin Chege 
TikToker Gloria Ntazola who went viral in 2023 following her confrontation with a Nairobi County enforcement officer (kanjo) who entered her car without her permission, gave her no-holds-barred take on Kenyan musicians.
Taking to her Instagram stories on Tuesday, January 2, Ntazola criticised the nature of Kenya's current music as one that lacks substance and fails to draw interest among its listeners.
She specifically expressed her dissatisfaction with Gengetone music, saying it lacks meaningful content thus she finds it hard to appreciate it and Kenyan music as a whole.
Ntazola thought it was better for the country to focus on other important matters such as raising the profile of its current athletes in the global space instead of using its music to market itself.
Collage image of Ntazola Gloria confronting a Kanjo officer who entered her car without her permission. /TIKTOK
She also didn’t hold back in her criticism of Gengetone artists, claiming that they fail to invest adequately in their craft.
“I don’t listen to Kenyan music because there is nothing to listen to. With my beautiful face, I should listen to gengetone? Noo hell no," she affirmed.
"Very lazy musicians can’t invest in their art. Let’s stick to running. Heri niskize nyimbo za Waluhya kuliko gengetone. (I’d rather listen to Luhya songs than Gengetone any day).”
Her comments however sparked debate online, with most netizens accusing her in response of failing to appreciate local talent and giving foreign music a greater pedestal.
"It’s disheartening to hear someone working in Kenya dismiss local art as trash. She mentioned having a shop in town, but imagine if people refused to buy Kenyan products, claiming they are inferior and opting for imports instead.
"It’s fair not to consume, listen to Drake or Nigerian music or Amapiano, but avoid speaking negatively about Kenyan music and art just as you wouldn’t want anyone undermining your business," one user commented.
"The attention she received seems to have gone to her head, and now she’s acting like the next Nicki Minaj."
"I’m left hanging on the “beautiful face” comment. Not all light-skinned individuals are automatically beautiful," other comments read.
Ntazola in 2023 lost her TikTok account for violating restrictive community guidelines on the social media app after her altercation with the kanjo officer, whom she accused of illegally entering her car in response to an alleged parking offence.
While Gengetone has enjoyed massive popularity, particularly among the youth, criticisms about its lyrical content have persisted, raising important considerations about the financial and creative investments artists make in their work.
Singer Nikita Kering notably raised a fault with Kenyan music, revealing on January 19, 2023, that the country lacks a unique identity in terms of music.
Kering criticised Kenyan music for lacking its genre compared to other countries in Africa. According to her, Kenya is reeling from the effects of colonial rule by the British, thus its lack of identity shows in terms of its music, among other things in showbiz.
“I think the one thing that's definitely confusing is the fact that there's so much going on. So even if Kenyan music was to hit we still don't know what Kenyan music is.
"I think we were heavily colonised and our identity doesn't even show in our music. Our identity lacks in very many things,” Kering stated.
Nikita Kering posing for a photo. /INSTAGRAM.NIKITA KERING
Despite Gengetone enjoying mixed trends as of now, many believe that one of the most popular local genres can be traced back to the 2000s when the Calif Records label completely changed the atmosphere of Kenyan music.
Stars such as Nonini, Pilipili, Flexx, Lady S, Jimwat, Mejja and many more had some of their music successes attributed to Calif Records which was co-founded by celebrated music producer Clement Rapudo Sijenyi, alias Clemo.
