KB: First of all, is Kamau your actual name?
Haha, I get this question every single day. If you mean 'actual' as in by birth, then no. But if you mean 'actual' as in what everyone calls me these days, how I introduce myself, and what I will turn around to if I hear as I walk through town, then yes.
KB: How long have you been in Kenya?
My first time in Kenya was during the summer of 2017 and I've been on Kenyan soil for a total of 4.5 months, through four different trips
KB: So how old are you and what do you do?
24. I jam to and promote African music through short, creative videos. Most recently, I've been venturing into music video recreations/parodies with the help of talented friends in my community of Mathare, Nairobi.
KB: Oh Nice! When did you start producing this kind of content?
@afrobeatswithkamau was born October 4, 2017, but I took several breaks because content-creator burnout is real!
KB: How did you come up with the idea?    
In June 2017, my little sister shared with me the videos of viral sensations @babyariel and @lizakoshy on the musically app (now called TikTok). These young women pioneered promoting music and creativity through short music videos with DOPE styles and amassed a HUGE following while at it.
I was incredibly intimidated by their work, but also inspired by the possibility of using short videos to promote African music (which I had fallen in love with in college at Harvard University in Boston, USA).
KB: You didn't start out with the 'Afrobeats with Kamau' username, tell us about that
The platform was born as @thatlitmzungu before one follower called me out through a passionate DM on the problematic, colonial, and 'outsider' implications of the word 'mzungu'.
Moral of the story, be in tune with your audience and can we please stop using the word mzungu? I'm not even white; I'm a brown Latino born in Colombia. We too were colonized, so every time I am called 'mzungu' or 'mlami' and I'm associated with being part of the colonizer - I cringe.
KB:Your parodies are majorly focused on Instagram,why not start a YouTube channel?
First, Instagram is the platform I am working on mastering for now and of course there's beauty I find in short videos.
KB: Any plans and projects for 2019 you can share?
More dope videos with increased creativity and production value to keep the platform fresh!
Partnerships with dope brands because our engagement recently has been insane and brands are looking to reach the young East African demographic therefore can benefit from our creative approach to promotions.
Dope collabos as well. Kamau has always been about highlighting amazing African artists at all levels of fame and Kamau looks forward to continuing collaborations.
View this post on Instagram

A post shared by ? Afrobeats with Kamau (@afrobeatswithkamau) on

About The Author

Author
Oliver

Subscribe to our newsletters

  • Events
  • Movies
  • KenyaBuzz Kids
  • Whatsapp/Telegram

    The latest buzz and hottest trends in a bite-size daily message