Swahili music

It is from the eastern coast of Africa where the Swahili civilization sprang up and grew in to what is today Kenya’s offering of a vast variety and diversity of popular music forms. Popular forms of music besides Swahili include Benga, hip hop, reggae, soul, soukous, rock and roll, funk and Europop. The guitar is considered to be the soul of musical instruments across all genres in continental African music; however they also use bass and percussions.
With the emergence of radio and television broadcasters Swahili music artists’ performances began to be aired live. The lyrics of various music artists would vary between Swahili and Lingala, but other tribal languages were not given much importance and hence there was no scope for development. Many night clubs in Nairobi started playing rumba music which was very trendy and was a the rage at that time. By the end of 1977, with the East African community splitting, the continuous flow of Tanzanian Swahili performers entering Kenya to record and perform began to recede.
Even though the Swahili civilization came to a decline, Swahili sound continued to dominate the music scene along with another genre known as the Congolese sound. Both these sounds are centered on the rumba which has come from the Republic of Congo. Swahili music is noted for its slower rhythm although both genres have an affinity towards each other currently. Lyrics to Swahili pop are usually in Swahili or the Taiti language.
With Congolese performers gaining popularity during the 1970s and '80s in Kenya, Swahili musicians emerging mostly from Tanzania had to work hard to gain acceptance in the music field. During their rivalry with each other, a Tanzanian group named Arusha Jazz later known as Simba Wanyika Band became very well known throughout Kenya. However at the peak of their popularity they split with some of the band members forming the Les Wanyika.
Other Kenyan groups such as the Maroon Commandos and Nairobi Matata emerged later on with their own "Swahili" styles, taking a lead from the Simba Wanyika Band.
Swahili rumba continued to remain the rage throughout the mid-nineties and the Maroon Commandos and Les Wanyika continued to perform. Even though other Swahili bands have experimented with various styles, musical instruments and rhythm, they still remain closely rooted to their rumba origins.
Kenyan pop sounds are not only one of the most diverse and well known sounds within Africa but are also one of Africa’s best kept secrets. This is due to the lack of international exposure of Swahili and other genres of music. The core of Swahili society and traditions is their music. Tarabu is the accepted type of music that the Swahilis usually listen to. Since Swahili has everything to do with Rhythm, it incorporates Arabic and even Indian melodies. Another reason why Swahili language is usually in the lyrics of most songs even from people coming from different parts of Kenya is because without one main regional language, Swahili has sort of been singled out by these artists and musicians to present their work to the people.