Here we are again with the latest list of the top 10 richest rappers in Kenya.
Rappers have demonstrated significant talent and expertise in the Kenyan music business over time.
E-Sir (dead), Chris Kantai (deceased), Taio Tripper, Muthoni, Xtatic, Steph Kapela, Bamboo, and others are some of Kenya’s most well-known rappers.
These well-known figures in the industry have grown in prominence and piqued the interest of music fans.
Have you seen our most current list of the top 10 best rappers in Nigeria? You really should!
Rappers in Kenya have amassed a fortune from album sales, record companies, concerts, music tours, and endorsement deals. Would you like to know the 10 richest rappers in Kenya?
The Top 10 Richest Rappers In Kenya
This article focuses not on the musicians generally in Kenya but those that rap among them.
This is a list of the top 10 richest rappers in the Kenya music industry and their estimated net worth.
10. Nyashinski $500 Thousand – 1 million
Kenyan artist Nyashinski, whose real name is Nyamari Ongegu, is among the multi-talented rappers in the country with a successful comeback to the music industry.
He was a former member of Kleptomaniax music group of 3, Nyashinski, Collo (Collins Majale), and Roba (Robert Manyasa).
Kleptomaniax was formed in 1999, when they were still high school students at the Nairobi School.
The group joined the Ogopa DJ’s label and released their first single, “Freak It” in 2002 and was followed by “Maniax Anthem” and “Haree.” They were picked by Ogopa DJ’s while still in school.
Nyashinski is the 10th on the list of richest rappers in Kenya. He is known to be one of the best rappers and lyricists in East Africa.
Their debut album M4E (an abbreviation for Maniax Forever) was released in 2005. Later that year the group received a MTV Europe Music Awards nomination for the Best African Act, a category awarded for the first time, but won by Nigerian recording artist 2Face Idibia.
Nyashinski has a long list of fans and admirers in Kenya and beyond.
Related: Top 10 Richest musicians in Ghana
9. Femi One $1 Million – $2 Million
She was born on April 25, 1994, in Kasarani, Nairobi. Her real name is Wanjiku Kimani. She’s 9th on the list of richest rappers in Kenya.
Femi has been talented and blessed enough to be able to release a good number of both local and international hit songs. She sings mostly in Swahili and sheng’.
Some of her major songs include Lukuluku, Tippytoe remix, Usiku mchana, Pilau Njeri, Baddest, D- Day, Nyokonyoko, Hiyo one and Utawezana.
She is one of the successful female rappers in Kenya. She has been able to make money mostly through her music and brand endorsements.
8. Jua Cali $1 Million – $3 Million
Paul Julius Nunda is a Kenyan hip hop artist born on 12th of September 1979.
His stage name is Jua Cali. In 2000, together with record producer Clemo, he founded Calif Records where he has been ever since.
Jua Cali was born in Eastlands, Nairobi. His parents, Doreen Onditi and Evans Onditi (deceased) were both schoolteachers.
He began rapping at age 10, encouraged by his elder brother Christopher Sati. He was known as an introverted teenager who was often quiet, hardly ever socialising.
His earlier foray into music included singing in a band called ‘Sita Futi’. Sita Futi disbanded almost as soon as it was started leaving behind Jua Caliand his close friend Jemmoh. The departing group members left to pursue careers outside music.
Calif Records came into being after Jua Cali teamed up with childhood friend Clemo to form the record label that quickly became a hit factory, gaining prominence in the East Africa music scene with chart topping artists and music.
7. STL $2 million – $3 Million
Stella Nyambura Mwangi who is popularly known as STL, is number 7 on this list of top 10 richest rappers in Kenya. She is also a female rapper who is popular in Kenya and Norway where she resides.
She was born on September 1, 1986. She has released a ton of songs and albums. She has also collaborated with a couple of other artists in the industry.
Much of her music concerns the situation in her home country Kenya, and the discrimination she and her family had to endure after moving to Norway in 1991.
Her work has been used in films such as American Pie Presents: The Naked Mile and Save the Last Dance 2, and also in TV-series such as CSI: NY and Scrubs.
In Norway, she won the Melodi Grand Prix 2011, and in that same year represented Norway at The Eurovision Song Contest 2011 in Düsseldorf, Germany.
Related: Top 10 Richest Nigerian Musicians
6. Jimwat $2 Million – $3 Million
James “Jim” Wathigo Mburu was born on May 21, 1985 and is better known by his stage names Jimwat (stylized Jimw@t) and Jimweezy. He is a Kenyan genge rapper.
The name Jimwat is coined from his names, James Wathigo. He started rapping while he was in Class 7. He sits at the 6th postion of the top ten richest rappers in Kenya.
While still in Form 4, Jimwat went to Calif Records and recorded his first song, Sema Nami Sweetie (Sheng for talk to me sweetie). It was not released until he completed his O levels.
On clearing high school, Jimwat released it and he was shocked to hear it on 98.4 Capital FM a few days after its release. Later, other stations followed suit.
The same year, he was featured by Rhaptaz, (a group composed of Gabu of P-Unit) in Paulina which became a club hit and was used in the Close-Up Dance-o-Mania competition. He also did videos for the songs that same year.
5. Wangechi $1 Million – $5 Million
Number 5 on this list of richest rappers in Kenya is Wangechi, a Kenyan-based rapper, singer and songwriter whose full name is Wangechi Waweru.
She was born January 19, 1994. Her passion for music began at the tender age of ten.
She began her music career back in 2013 and released her debut mixtape “Consume – Chakula ya soul” in July 2013, and On December 2, 2016 she released her 10-track EP “Dont Consume if Seal is Broken” Which included Tusker’s theme song for the Here’s to us Campaign launched on 30 November 2016.
Wangechi rose to great popularity through her feature on the Ligi Soo remix in 2013 that featured a variety of female rappers. This gave her a platform to create a name and release various projects after.
4. Khaligraph Jones $2 million – 4 million
Jones was born on 12 June 1990 in Kayole, Kenya. His real name is Brian Ouko Robert. Jones is also known to many as Baba Yao. He’s 4th on this list of top 10 richest rappers in Kenya.
He started his music career in 2009 after winning the Channel O Emcee (MC) Africa competition at the age of 19.
Since then he has worked with the Kenyan music A-listers including Xtatic, Stella Mwangi, Rabbit, Kristoff, Abbas Kubaff, among others.
Jones is arguably considered to be the face of Kenyan Hip Hop and has been through all the obstacles that one can go through when you are surviving in the ghetto.
It is through all this that he chose music over everything else that ghetto has to offer. His free-styling style has been described as “different, unique and admirable”.
Related: Top 10 Richest men in Kenya and their net worth
3. King Kaka $2 Million – $5 Million
His real name is Kennedy Ombima and was born on May 7, 1987. He is better known by his stage names King Kaka and Rabbit.
In November 2012, he released a music video for his song “Adisia” and launched his own clothing line dubbed NikoKwa Jam Nakam
Apart from his successful music career, Kaka is also a businessman and in early September 2015 he launched his purified water company known as Kaka Empire’s Majik Water using his music brand name as the official name of the product.
He currently sits at the position of the 3rd richest rapper in Kenya.
2. Abass Kubaff $2 Million – $5 Million
Abbas Kubaff was born on 8 January, 1978 in Nairobi, Kenya. His real name is Andrew KabiruKaruku and he has been a rapper for a long time.
He is popular for his famous hit songs like Tokelezea and Chapaa. He has been a music producer since 1995 and has won a couple of awards. Abass Kubaff is number 2 on the list of richest rappers in Kenya.
As a member of the rap group K-South, and later as a solo artist, Abbas has shaped and pioneered rap music in East Africa. K-South was a trio formed by Abbas, his brother KC and neighborhood friend Bamboo. The group split in 2005 after KC went missing and Bamboo move to the United States,
He won a Chaguo La Teeniez Awards award in 2008 and a Golden Mic award in 2011. In 2006, Kubaff released his debut album Angabanga.
He has toured extensively in Europe and has performed in Nairobi as the opening act for Coolio, Lost Boyz, Maxi Priest and Akon. He is the 2nd richest on our list of richest Kenyan rappers
1. Nonini $6M- $8 Million
The richest rapper in Kenya is Hubert Mbuku Nakitare, born 2 October 1982, commonly known by his stage name Nonini. He is a Kenyan hip-hop recording artist, entertainer, radio presenter, businessman and philanthropist.
Nonini originally signed to Calif Records, but later joined Homeboyz Productions. He was introduced to the Kenyan urban music scene through his debut single “Nonini ni Nani?”
He achieved national and regional recognition with his 2002 track “Manzi wa Nairobi,” a song which praised the beauty of Kenyan women and a follow-up single “Weh Kamu”.
He went on to release his debut album Hanyaring Game in late 2004 which included the hit “Keroro” a Kenyan slang (sheng) term for beer. Since then, he had made it to the list of the richest musicians in Kenya.
Nonini is famed for releasing the first Genge hit early in his career. He runs a video production company named “Pro Habo” which successfully gave rise to P Unit.
In August 2007, Nonini was selected as one of the 100 most influential Kenyans by The Standard newspaper.In 2009 he was named International Lifestyle Ambassador by the Limkokwing University in Malaysia.
He won several awards, a few which are Best Male Artist(2004), 2007 Chaguo La Teeniez Awards – Best Song (“Si Lazima”) & Best Collaboration (“Si Lazima”) & Best Group (P-Unit), 2007 Kisima Music Awards Boomba Group (P-Unit), 2008 Chaguo La Teeniez Awards – Best Music Video (“Mtoto Mzuri”) & Best Group (P-Unit)among others. He is number 1 on our list of richest Kenyan rapper.
Conclusion Notes on the Richest Rappers In Kenya
Here’s a quick summary of the top 10 richest rappers in Kenya below:
- Nonini
- Abass Kubaff
- King kaka
- Khaligraph Jones
- Wagenchi
- Jimwat
- STL
- Jua Cali
- Femi One
- Nyashinski
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