Navy Kenzo: Tanzanian 'Kamatia Chini' hit artistes taking over with unique fusion of Swahili and English

The captivating melodious dancehall rhythm of this new club-banger Kamatia Chini is irresistible. Little wonder then that the track has made Nahreel and Aika overnight celebrities across East Africa.

As the DJ turns on the knob, everyone dashes onto the dance floor and joins the dancing craze, the Kamatia Chini dance move that is almost similar to the popular 2012 Gully Creeper dance.

I’m gonna call you Lolo,

Am going to be your Coco,

Na gari halifai kula Toyo,

Na tukichoka Dar Twende Moro,

Usinipe gonjwa la moyo,

Coz you dem girls ain’t loyal,

You die, You die, You feel,

You know you’re rocking with the best man,” Nahreel chimes in before the melodic bridge builds the dancehall and R&B fusion rhythm into that hypnotising chorus and refrain: “Kamatia chini...”

Before February this year when the video to this song was released, Navy Kenzo was a little-known group operating under the shadow of other big acts in their homeland Tanzanian - big names such as Diamond Platinumz and Vanessa Mdee.

It was their unique fusion of Swahili and English, a style that is used mostly by Kenyan musicians that got everyone thinking this was yet another new Kenyan group. Yet, even though the duo is only getting its regional breakthrough now, the two have been together for quite some time since they met in India in 2008 as students.

For a while, Nahreel has been operating behind the scene as a reputed producer who has worked with some of the biggest Tanzanian singers ruling the music charts today.

The two musicians, who have had passion for the arts from an early age hooked up in India and created chemistry together as they started to share their music composition and singing prowess.

In 2011, they completed their studies and returned to Tanzania where they joined an upcoming music unit Pah One, a group they later abandoned to form Navy Kenzo in 2013.

Then and now, Nahreel’s record stable The Industry Studios was behind their new sound.

New and still struggling to breakthrough in a competitive music industry, Navy Kenzo decided to carve out their own niche to make it easy for them to get noticed. Unlike many Tanzanian artistes who thrive on the Bongo beat, Nahreel and Aika decided to go versatile employing an element of rap, Rn’B and Bongo in their mixed English and Swahili lyrics.

Their official debut video Chelewa (Bokodo), produced by Kenya’s Enos Olik and released on YouTube in July 2014 was the perfect launch. The video had an element of swag, combining sexy and trendy dance moves with a club sound beat. They complemented each other embedding English rap in an African tune Swahili song that gave them a signature tune.

The successful song was immediately followed by Usinibwage, another dance track that was released the same month by Hometown Records. Even though the song did not receive much attention, their follow-up single, Hold me Back caught the attention of many.

Slowly, Navy Kenzo was becoming a household name in Tanzania with their unique Western-styled video releases that brought a new touch in the Tanzanian entertainment industry. Other releases such as Cheza Kizembe, a song themed around a local Tanzania dance helped them win more fans, who connected with the local touch.

When they joined the already established Vanessa Mdee and Barnaba to release the fans applauding WCD (Wave Clap Dance) hit single at the close of 2014, there was no doubting that Nahreel and Aika were here to stay.

“Success is built by art of mind and hard work. That is the virtue our rise is based on,” they say.

“We have been able to accomplish much in a short while but the best is yet to come. They sky is the limit,” the two added noting that they are aiming at popularising themselves in the region before they branch out to other parts of Africa and across the world.

“I grew interest in music when I was about 14 year old when my father bought me a piano and got me a music teacher to tutor me. Since, I have never looked back,” Nahreel reveals.

Their new video Kamatia Chini has now opened doors for them across East Africa and as they prepare to hit Nairobi, theirs will be nothing but putting the icing on the cake.