Cheche Review: No money no love

Thirty years ago a young man called Freshley Mwamburi fell in love with a young girl in Taita Taveta, the coastal part of Kenya. After a few years she moved to Nairobi to further her studies, he sold some of his valuables to ensure that she travelled and had a little pocket money. However, on reaching the capital Stella fell in Love and married another man. Mwamburi got the shock of his life, heartbroken, he went to the studio and, together with his Everest Kings bandmate Abdul Muyonga, recorded the hit song ‘Stella’ in 1995.

Ommy Dimpoz is heartbroken too however, the only difference is that it is not a real life story. ‘Cheche’ is a song based on a common life situation where a woman leaves his true love for a man with money and trying to fit in the world of what she considers "high end".

The song begins with the singer contemplating a long-ago relationship that was cut short after she became a super model, the funky beat makes you want to dance forgetting that he is a heart broken man.

The lyrics work best to bring out his emotions when he zooms in on personal details of their affair prior to her becoming a successful model in the uptown. Nayakumbuka yale mapele, nakukuna umejisweka kwenye shuka, unaona aibu (I rem scratching the rashes on your back while you covered yourself because of shame)

Seeing her for the first time in a long time, Ommy Dimpoz is confused on the woman's attitude as she ignores him. Labda ushamba wangu ndo uloniponza, ningeomba appointment ndo ungeongea (Perhaps I was wrong to have come without getting an appointment from you, forgive my rural nature).

‘Cheche’ raises a few social issues that everyone can relate to, you may even know someone who has experienced it.

The first issue is skin bleaching, most African women have resulted to skin bleaching, skin whitening or skin lightening with the belief that true beauty is being light skinned. Marembo ya china unayovaa, kwa huo mkorogo ulivyongaaa, Umejichubua chubu (I can see you have bleached your skin using Chinese products you even dress in fancy clothes and jewelry)

Umebadilisha unaitwa, queen wa mapenzi, na pia ulaghai umezoea, kuwabadilisha wenye fedha me mshenzi (I am told that you now go by the name Queen of love, you now see me as a useless man because of the many lovers you keep) he sings. This brings us to the second issue which is, young girls dating sugar daddies or multiple lovers in exchange for money.

The video was well executed and in sync with

At the end of the song Ommy Dimpoz goes ahead to wish her well with the realization that if you love something, let it go. If it comes back to you, it’s yours forever.

Artist: Ommy Dimpoz

Song: Cheche

Label, Year: Rockstar 4000 record label and Rockstar Television Media, 2017