We have a special episode and a first for the 30 Percent Podcast! In todays episode, Sam and Afam Interview Philip Koth. Philo is an A&R who works with the likes of Buruklyn Boyz, Big Yasa, DAVAJI and others. We talk about how he got started in the music industry, what he believes the job of an A&R is, as well as how the landscape is changing and the different ways to discover new musicians. Philo is listed as a producer on Fred Again's album "Actual Life 2', a song that features Kodak B...
May 27, 2023•1 hr 24 min•Ep. 22
In todays episode, Sam and Afam start by rehashing their weeks. Sam goes into detail about his week which saw him meet the Colombian Vice President, Francia Marquez, as well as a handful of Colombian artists who were in the country looking to collaborate with Kenyan artists and producers. The aim is to foster collaboration between Colombia and the African countries they visited by recording an album that highlights all the countries through a Pan-Africanist lens. The boys also talk about the mas...
May 23, 2023•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 21
In todays episode, Afam starts off by going on a passionate rant about his Karun x Condense experience. Spoiler alert! He couldn't get in, and was very disappointed, seeing as he was very excited about attending his first Metaverse based virtual event. Sam however, was able to connect to the servers, and gives a brief recap on his experience at the show. The boys mention the huge win for musicians all over the world after a verdict was passed on Ed Sheeran's trial against the Marvin Gaye estate....
May 09, 2023•59 min•Ep. 19
Afam and Sam catch up and talk how they’ve been, they discuss Afams' football team and how he feels about its current state in the league standings. The boys then dive into the news. Sauti Sol gives reasons why they don’t perform in national celebrations - Is the Kenyan government for Kenyan art? Who is the most streamed African artist on YouTube? the boys run down the list. Also, Apple music announces a celebration of African music for Africa month, and more! The boys also review new music that...
May 02, 2023•59 min•Ep. 18
In this episode, Sam & Afam catch up and talk about creativity (the conversation gets a little nerdy). It's raining Law Suits! Drake is being sued by an African artist for an uncleared sample on his 2022 release, Honestly, Nevermind. Tennessee rapper Glorilla also caught a lawsuit for allegedly sampling a 1994 rap song, and closer to home, Nonini wins a copyright infringement case against an online influencer, Brian Mutinda. Sam and Afam discuss what they feel should happen in light of all t...
Apr 25, 2023•57 min•Ep. 17
In this episode, Sam & Afam discuss Tedd Josiah's interview where he claims "No one will remember Sauti Sol in 20 years." The boys discuss whether this is true especially within the current digital music landscape. The guys also discuss the speculative article posted on Nairobi News about Bensoul possibly plotting an exit from Sol Generation. Would he thrive on his own, or is he still reliant on the guidance afforded to him by Sauti Sol? Finally, Afam had a DM exchange about, "sampling vs cr...
Apr 18, 2023•59 min•Ep. 16
In this episode, Afam gives a review of the Netflix documentary, "The Playlist" which details the rise of streaming giant, Spotify. This leads to a talk about gatekeeping within streaming, and the importance of playlisting. Whats the value of a stream, and how much does a Kenyan artist earn from streaming? These questions and more are answered in todays episode! The boys also review new music that dropped last week! To bring more awareness to the different genres of music within the industry we ...
Apr 11, 2023•58 min•Ep. 15
In this episode, Sam and Afam catch up and discuss the role A.I. is currently playing in the music industry and speculate on how instrumental A.I. is going to be in shaping the music industry in the future. The boys also briefly talk about their FOMO as regards the Boiler Room event that took place during the week and touch on the different perspectives they observed over Twitter. To cap off the podcast, the boys get into a passionate argument about which cover art they think is the best this ye...
Apr 04, 2023•59 min•Ep. 14
In this episode, Sam and Afam discuss the music charts and of the old vs new school artist representation. They then get into a conversation about Tik-Tok, and how it is changing the way artists create and fans consume music. Also, the recent release of the Boutross "Angela" Remix featuring 1da Banton and Konshens as well as "Soweto" by Victony featuring Don Toliver and Rema leads to a discussion about remixes and their place in music today. The boys also review new music that dropped last week!...
Mar 28, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 13
In this episode, Sam and Afam talk about the polarizing drama that ensued surrounding Brandy Maina's twitter. The boys argue that artists are allowed to curate the people they collaborate with and question KOT's need to criticize every single thing artists do. They also address radio station's involvement in this whole saga, and theorize on the reasons why radio and mainstream media tend to only gravitate toward drama as opposed to more meaningful stories/topics that can push the culture forward...
Mar 21, 2023•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 12
In this episode, Sam and Afam talk about what they have been up to in the recent week. They then get into a conversation about artist development. This aspect does not seem to be as present in the Kenyan Music Industry as it is in other music industries, and they attempt to detail their reasons as to why that may be. The boys talk about Artists such as Drake and Rema among others who have gone through some form of artist development and the benefits that they have received from that. In the mids...
Mar 14, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 11
In this episode, Sam and Afam share their unsuccessful experiences trying to work with artists. They give their take on how upcoming producers can deal with having their beats rejected, receiving minimal to no feedback from artists among many challenges budding producers face while starting out. They also talk about how producers can assert themselves more in the production process as opposed to the current trend of producer "beat-makers" who have little to no involvement in the recording, mixin...
Mar 07, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 10
In this episode, Sam and Afam talk about some recent squabbles on twitter. Drill Digest tweeted out a song with their opinion on its genre and that didn't sit well with many. Also, a tweet about who can and can't speak sheng in their music evolves into a conversation about classism in the Kenyan music industry. Meanwhile, Bien and Ayra Starr's "My Baby" went offline mid week and The boys speculate as to why this happened. Afam then goes on a passionate rant talking about on what we could be doin...
Feb 28, 2023•54 min•Ep. 9
In this episode, Sam and Afam discuss the 2023 Grammy Awards. They talk about the winners, as well as the politics of of the award show. They then tackle an important question on the categorizing of African music, its pros, and cons. This week, the boys also review new music that dropped last week! To bring more awareness to the different genres of music within the industry we hope to see the artists & songs discussed in the podcast receive the recognition they deserve. Join us for weekly ep...
Feb 14, 2023•47 min•Ep. 7
In this episode, Sam and Afam read out questions sent in by an anonymous listener. The questions tackle whether Kenyan artists are doing anything wrong (contributing to low local and international play) as well as how and if people within the music industry make sustainable income. The boys also review the new music that dropped last week! To bring more awareness to the different genres of music within the industry we hope to see the artists & songs discussed in the podcast receive the recog...
Feb 07, 2023•46 min•Ep. 6
In this episode, Sam and Afam talk about the recent workshop that the streaming service Boomplay held, and highlight Afams participation in it. That conversation leads to a discussion about the importance of artists gaining knowledge about the industry, and the passing of information to the younger generation of artists from the older generation. They talk about new the music that dropped, and give their favorite picks of the week. Afam also takes us back to his rapper days with an exclusive ver...
Jan 31, 2023•35 min•Ep. 5
In this episode, Sam and Afam discuss new music. They dissect the new releases from their perspective as music producers/engineers and also briefly discuss what streaming platforms they prefer. To bring more awareness to the different genres of music within the industry we hope to see the artists & songs discussed in the podcast receive the recognition they deserve. Join us for weekly episodes! Song Pick: KYRIL & Idd Aziz - "Mbona Ni Hivi"
Jan 24, 2023•35 min•Ep. 4
In this episode, Sam and Afam discuss western influences in the Kenyan music industry. They also talk about the importance of culture in art and review new music that dropped this past week. To bring more awareness to the different genres of music within the industry we hope to see the artists & songs discussed in the podcast receive the recognition they deserve. Join us for weekly episodes!
Jan 17, 2023•37 min•Ep. 3
In this episode, Sam and Afam usher in 2023 by talking about Boutross' hit single "Angela." They also discuss his album "Mawingu" from a producers view-point and speculate on what Boutross should do, now that he has a hit on his hands. To bring more awareness to the different genres of music within the industry we hope to see the artists & songs discussed in the podcast receive the recognition they deserve. Join us for weekly episodes!
Jan 10, 2023•37 min•Ep. 2
In this episode, Sam and Afam introduce the 30 Percent Podcast which will explore the emerging Kenyan music industry through the lens of two music producers. Astonishingly, only 30% of the music played within Kenyan radio stations is Kenyan. To bring more awareness to the different genres of music within the industry we hope to see the artists & songs discussed in the podcast receive the recognition they deserve. Join us for weekly episodes!
Jan 03, 2023•34 min•Ep. 1
