Music is not only an art of expressive combinations of tones with melody and what have you, but also a medium through which artistes convey their emotions, views, perceptions, ideas among other things, that oftenly depict the prevailing status quo in their own lives or the societies they live in.
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| The late Kikuyu Benga maestro John Dematthew during a past performance. |
In other words, no musician goes to the studio to sing of things that are neither way. As such, there will always be a motivation behind what any song that an artiste comes up with.
And speaking of motivations, they could range from personal fears, worries, expectations to desires just to name but a few. Be that the case, then we can almost certainly conclude that there are some things Kikuyu male secular musicians fear most, if the themes around which many of their songs revolve, is anything to go by.
Unfortunately, some of them still end up being decimated by the very evils they so fear and musically warn their audiences about.
Below are FOUR of such fears that many Kikuyu male artistes have composed countless songs about.
1. Alcohol
It is evident that Kikuyu male musicians fear alcohol like the devil himself. There are several Kikuyu secular songs that you may already know to have alcohol as their central theme.
For instance, the late Mureithi John Walker in his once hit song 'Ihoya' asks God to protect him from alcohol and women. The late John De'Matthew in his song 'Nengereria Kane' also decries the destruction alcohol has meted on Kikuyu youths.
2. Prostitutes & Concubines
Some Kikuyu secular musicians who were once household names are known to have ended up as vagabonds, thanks to, prostitutes and concubines who infiltrated their lives at the peak of their fame and musical careers.
That is why you will hear many songs warning of how a woman can bring down a billion-dollar empire within no time. The late legendary musician Jimmy Wayuni's "Airitu a Ruiru", Kajohn Kariuki's "Muico wa reri" and many more others are just examples of the renowned songs focusing on this theme.
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3. Fame without money
Apparently, many Kikuyu male secular artists fear to have a big name and have nothing to show for it. And surely no one would want such a situation.
That is why many artistes loathe piracy because it implies that they become famous but remain poverty-stricken wretches. Veteran musician Kahiga Stone expresses this well in his song 'Big name, no money'. Yet still, save for a few, there are still those who die or end their musical careers as paupers.
4. HIV/AIDS
While the once dreaded pandemic does not evoke as much fear as it used to some few years ago which saw many Kikuyu secular songs composed in its name, the fear it evokes among Kikuyu artistes is still rife.
And it is understandable. A sizeable number of these artistes have succumbed to it after they lowered their guard and loosened their belts giving way for lust to control them.
Many like the late Maina Wa Nyaguthie in his song 'Wari Wakwa', warns against the deadly scourge that has sent many of his counterparts to early grave.