Kleptomaniax
| Kleptomaniax | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Nairobi, Kenya |
| Genres | Kenyan hip hop, Kapuka rap, pop |
| Occupation(s) | Rapper, vocalist, record producer, DJ |
| Years active | 1999-2010 |
| Labels | Ogopa DJ's |
| Past members |
Roba Collo Nyashinski |
Kleptomaniax is a pop group from Nairobi, Kenya. The group consists of three members: Roba (Robert Manyasa), Collo (Collins Majale) and Nyashinski (Nyamari Ongegu).
Kleptomaniax were 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."[1] In 2004 the group released another single "Tuendelee", which became their biggest hit so far. The song was written as a response for the "Diss track" by various hip hop musician (including Bamboo), who criticised the commercial Kapuka music style performed by Kleptomaniax among others.[2]
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. In 2007 Kleptomaniax toured the USA.[3]
After 2007 the group had a break while their members engaged in solo projects. The group has since made comeback, but have left Ogopa DJ's. The group released their second album NITT (Now Is The Time) in 2009.[4] The group was believed to have disbanded after the release of their second album to pursue solo careers.
Awards
- 2002 Chat Awards - Favourite Male Group[5]
- 2003 Chat Awards - Favourite Male Group[5]
- 2005 Kisima Music Awards - Best Group
Nominations
- 2005 MTV Europe Music Awards - Best African Act
- 2005 Kora Awards - Best Group from Eastern Africa[6]
- 2006 Tanzania Music Awards - Best East African Album ("M4E")[7]
- 2008 Kisima Music Awards - Video of the Year ("Magnetic")[8]
- 2008 Pearl of Africa Music Awards - Best Kenyan Group[9]
References
- ↑ Daily Nation, Lifestyle Magazine, June 1, 2003: Kleptomaniax, the trio behind the hit songs
- ↑ The Standard, Pulse Magazine, April 25, 2005: Klepto’s beef with Pulse
- ↑ "Sambaza Entertainment". Sambazainc.com. 2007-02-24. Retrieved 2012-05-28.
- ↑ The Standard, Pulse Magazine, January 30, 2009: Kleptomaniacs back to steal the show
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "True Blaq Entertainment profile". Trueblaq.com. Retrieved 2012-05-28.
- ↑ "Kora Awards 2005 nominees". Francomix.com. Retrieved 2012-05-28.
- ↑ "Tanzania Music Awards - Nominees 2006". Web.archive.org. Retrieved 2012-05-28.
- ↑ Kisima Awards nominees 2008
- ↑ "PAM Awards". PAM Awards. Retrieved 2012-05-28.