Chikuzee signs with Diamond Platnumz label

The Coast-based musician has been on the radar of the Tanzanian bongo flava star, who while on tour in Kenya last year said he loved Chikuzee’s style and wanted to work with him.

The artist, who is currently in Dar es Salaam, has signed a five-year deal to work under WCB with which he will record solo singles and collaborate with fellow artists signed to the stable, including Diamond Platnumz.

He will also have his music promoted on Platnumz’s new selling service, wasafi.com. He becomes the fourth musician to join the fledgling label, after Tanzanian artists Harmonize, Ray Vanny and Rich Mavoko decamped from Kaka Empire, a label owned by Kenyan rapper King Kaka.

“We already have three singles that he is recording at WCB and are looking to record some collabos with the other musicians signed to the label, including Platnumz himself,” Chikuzee’s manager, Musa Babaz, said.

The artist has established ties in Tanzania and has worked with producers such as Maneck, T Touch and Mandugu Digital. Artists from Kenya’s Coast province, which includes Mombasa, have often found it easier to align themselves with neighbouring Tanzania’s music scene than with the capital Nairobi.

While Nairobi is a hub that monopolises the industry with Western trends, Mombasa’s music is influenced by traditional coastal music and bongo flava, which originated in Tanzania.