Wagosi wa Kaya

This Tanga-based group has two artists at its core: Frederick Mariki (aka Mkoloni) and John Simba (aka Dr John). Wagosi wa Kaya comes from the Sambaa language, meaning 'home boys'. The group was formed in 1996 and started to perform in concerts around Tanga. Their popularity grew and they soon became a household name all over Tanzania.

Their fresh style of music falls under the broad umbrella of 'Swahili hiphop bongo flava'. Wagosi wa Kaya touched the hearts of their fans, many of them poor people, because of their potent and critical lyrics, and the amusing way in which they deliver. They sing mostly about problems facing Tanzanian society like hospital conditions, corruption in the police and other areas as well as the poor performance of Tanzania's national soccer team.

Their song 'Tanga Kunani?' (What's going on in Tanga?) was banned by Tanga's regional commissioner saying that it degraded the image of his region. The group represents a creative and positive face of Swahili hiphop, singing in an accent that is funny and deliberately with a broad dialect of the Tanga region.

The group has released three albums such as 'Ukweli Mtupu' (2001), 'Ripoti Kamili' (2003) and 'Nyeti' (2005). In 2014 they released 'Uamsho' featuring the track 'Gahawa'.