How Kendrick Lamar is Soundtracking Kenya’s Anti-Finance Bill Protests

The country came to a standstill on Tuesday as protestors breached parliament, after MPs adopted the bill with 195 members from President William Ruto’s majority party voting for the bill and 106 others voting against it.

As of Wednesday, June 26, President Ruto has reportedly withdrawn the bill after deadly protests.

Dozens of casualties have been recorded after the police fired live rounds on protesters who surrounded the parliament building as MPs debated on the bill.

Amidst this upheaval, new art and music have become integral to the movement, and Kendrick Lamar's music, particularly "Not Like Us," is emerging as a key soundtrack for the protests.

"Kendrick’s music creates social awareness. One is able to be deeply aware of people and the society that we live in and also not to forget political criticism,” says Patrick Ng’ang’a, popularly known as Patohvin, via WhatsApp to OkayAfrica.

He is one-third of Nairobi-based group Movaz Warombosaji Nation, who have reworked Lamar's "Not Like Us" into Kiswahili, creating a powerful and localized protest anthem. Alongside group members Faisal Karanja (Just_mystiq), and Hillary Kamande (Car_monday), they took only two days to lay down the new lyrics and finish the song.

Another artist, Sabi Wu, also released his own version of the song: “Reject Hio Bill” (Reject This Bill”).

Lamar’s body of work has always had a political tinge with songs like, “Alright,” becoming a key anthem during the Black Lives Matter movement.

Dozens of new music, art and poetry have poured out of creatives around the country. Songs with titles like, “Wewe Ni Ng’ombe Tu” (“You are just a cow!”) by MC Njagi and “Voice of Kenya” by Blinky Bill, speak to the struggles of the protest.

“Euphoria,” another song from the Kendrick-Drake beef, went viral last week, when its lyrics were adjusted to speak of Kenya’s disgust of President Ruto and his political tactics.

Since the protest started last week, for example, there have been politically motivated abductions of at least 12 people, according to Amnesty International. Some of the activists who spoke to OkayAfrica have pointed out that they’re being tracked by the government.

“Music has a unique power to unite people and amplify their voices,” Patohvin tells OkayAfrica. “Music can be a rallying cry that turns passive discontent into active resistance.”