From Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five’s “The Message” to Public Enemy’s “Fight The Power,” hip hop has always been a powerful platform for young people of color to express themselves and speak out against the injustice around them.
That’s exactly what’s happening in Kenya right now, as young people are speaking out against the country’s 2024 proposed finance bill, which calls for higher taxes on essentials like bread and diapers in an effort to raise 2.7 billion dollars to reduce the national debt and continue to fund the government. As the resentment grew, one local rapper took inspiration from Kendrick Lamar to produce a battle cry for his generation.
“Reject Hio Bill” by Sabi Wu samples Lamar’s Drake diss track “Not Like Us” and calls out the Kenyan government for the bill which has inspired protests across the country. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Wu said although he wrote the song, its emotion is felt by other young people who have been taking their opposition to the proposed tax plan to the streets.
“The song represents the sentiments of young Kenyans like myself who are living in tough economic times,” Wu said. “Gen Z has always been disregarded, but we have shown that we have a voice through the mass protests that I have attended and supported.”
Wu adds that he was inspired by the “combative and accusatory nature” of Lamar’s track, which made it easy for him to write a protest song that other young Kenyans could relate to.
“I freestyled the chorus and first verse in under 15 minutes and put it up on social media not really expecting anything,” Wu said. “People resonated with it so much so I completed and released the song after.”
Since the protests, Kenya’s President William Ruto has said he will not sign the controversial bill, which was passed by Parliament, into law. According to the BBC, he has promised to meet with young people in the country to hear their concerns, a move Wu believes makes his efforts worthwhile.
“In Kenya, politics has always been tribal,” he said. “That was what always used to rally people, but us young people have chosen to be united and tribeless. This is what has empowered us. This is really for the people by the people. All this has caused a real change and has cemented a new era in Kenyan politics.”