TOP TEN CONTESTANTS BAG ONE ALBUM UNIVERSAL RECORDING DEAL

The top ten contestants in the ongoing Tusker Project Fame 5 may see their music careers rise to a different level after Universal Music group revealed that, the ten will record an album before the end of the show.

The announcement was made on Saturday night by Gerrard Forster, the Head of New Business Development for Sub-Saharan Africa for UMG International, who is also the forth judge in Tusker project fame 5. The 10 track album will be released by the time the Tusker Project Fame's fifth season ends, on 29 July 2012.

The five contestants on probation that evening had to fight for the three slots to make it into the top ten in order to get this chance of a life time. Judge Ian Mbugua advised the contestants who made it to the top ten to prove they deserve the unique chance to see their music recorded by a top music label. His sentiments were echoed by Judge Julianna Kanyomozi who implored the lucky contestants to make the best of the opportunity.

Eunice Guttu, Allan Roy Sekiranda and Nancy Chan were the lucky contestants to be saved from eviction while Tanzanian Damian Mihayo and Fatuma Muhonza from Rwanda, did not make it and had to leave the TPF academy. They also lost the chance to be featured in the upcoming album.

JULIANI TO SCREEN HIS CONNECTIONS DOCUMENTARY

Gospel rapper Juliani will screen his Connections Documentary on July 1 at the Dandora Stadium. This documentary is a culmination of his Kama Si Sisi countrywide tours that has seen him urge the youth to believe in themselves and think about leadership.
The documentary is 30 minutes long and it features the Pulpit Kwa Streets star on a road trip with 5 of his super fans during his Kama Si Sisi tour.

SING AND BE GOOD FOR MANDELA'S 94TH BIRTHDAY

A call has been made on the world to sing a special Happy Birthday song for former President Nelson Mandela on his 94th birthday and volunteer 67 minutes of their time for community service.

The international icon celebrates his birthday on Wednesday, 18 July. The day has been declared "International Mandela Day".

Lead SA, the Department of Basic Education and the Nelson Mandela Foundation supported by the Shout Foundation, Proudly South African and Brand SA have partnered to get the world to sing the song and do 67 minutes of service.

"The countdown to International Mandela Day has started - there is one month to go. The words 'Mandela, Madiba and Tata' unite our nation and the world.

"We have been called to action by our former President, our interactional icon, our elder statesman, our hero, our leader and the father of the nation - who has given so selflessly of himself through personal sacrifice and a profound amount of heart, compassion, reconciliation and forgiveness," said Lead SA's Yusuf Abramjee, speaking at the launch of the Happy Birthday song at the Nelson Mandela Foundation in Johannesburg.

"Madiba allows us to dream. He makes us believe in possibility. He undoubtedly unites us," said Abramjee.

Last year, Lead SA and the Department of Basic Education together with the Nelson Mandela Foundation united the voices of South Africa to sing Happy Birthday to Madiba on July 18. Millions of school children and ordinary South Africans made this possible.

"This year we decided to go even bigger," said Abramjee.

On Tuesday, 29 May, people gathered in their thousands at Nelson Mandela Square in Johannesburg to record the song.

Over the next month, a number of plans have been put in place to rally the nation.

The song features a string of prominent artists and musicians. It is going viral and the video of the recording is also available on You Tube. Search for "Sing for Madiba."  The official hash-tag for the initiative is #Sing4Madiba and people are encouraged to use it from today onwards.

UK SOAP STAR BROOKE VINCENT TWEETS ABOUT KENYAN VISIT

 

 

Coronation Star Brooke Vincent was in Kenya's Bungladesh Slums for a
charity visit this month.
Brooke has revealed how much her trip to the Mombasa slum has made her
appreciate life as her visit nears its end.
The soap star, who plays teenage lesbian Sophie Webster, is among some
of the cast who are visiting to film ITV documentary Corrie Goes To
Kenya to help raise awareness about children suffering from HIV in the
country.
Brooke, 20, tweeted a picture of herself playing with school children
and said: "It's been an emotional rollercoaster for me...These
children's smiles mean a lot!!"

Earlier this month it was revealed Brooke had been reduced to tears by
some of the things she had seen in the slums.
She and co-star Ryan Thomas, who plays Jason Grimshaw performed a play
with the children they've been working with in Mombasa before they
leave.
Brooke was nominated for Best Dramatic Performance From A Young Actor
Or Actress award for her portrayal of Sophie at the British Soap
awards 2008, she was put forward by the panel but lost out to Jamie
Borthwick. At the 2008 Inside Soap Awards, Vincent was nominated in
the category "Best Young Actor".

RUTH WOWS AUDIENCES ON TPF

In an abrupt twist of events, South Sudan's songstress Nancy Chan fell out of favour with the Tusker Project Fame 5 audience after a wanting rendition of Katy Perry's "fireworks" to the stern disapproval of the
judges.

Nancy who has been on everybody's lips for her strong vocal range and electrical performances was this Sunday eclipsed by Kenya's Ruth Matete, who had the crowd in frenzy with an electrifying rendition of
Beyonce Knowles' hit song "Best thing I ever had."

Her well projected vocals overlapped those of the back-up singers and her stage performance had the usually stern Judge Ian Mbugua in a daze. The petite damsel was the night's favourite with Ian terming the
six contestants who had performed previously as curtain raisers for Ruth's sterling performance.

The Sudanese beauty, Nancy Chan was already on probation for misbehaving in the academy, and this might have affected her performance which was almost unanimously condemned by the judges. The Ugandan crooner, Julianna Kanyomozi reprimanded her saying "this was not one of your better performances."

The contestants had to up-the-ante following the eviction of South Sudan's Mer Ayang' and Tanzanian Imani Lissu the previous night. Kenya's Doreen Nyawira escaped eviction by a whisker after a prolonged
stretch on probation when the public voted for her to stay on in the Tusker Academy.

The contestants chose to save Uganda's Allan Sekiranda who unfortunately could not stay off the probation list and is once gain on the list this week after a weak performance of Chris Brown's "She ain't you". Uganda's Sharon Nahkioga was saved by the Faculty.

On Sunday, the contestants hit the Tusker Project Fame stage determined to stay off the dreaded list and performed current hit songs in line with show's theme, 'Trending' Doreen was first on stage and her performance of a song by Jessie J was praised by the judges with Hermes saying, "Whoever voted for you
last week is proud of you today." Judge Ian agreed.

Allan's performance was disappointing and got him in probation for the second week in a row, with the judges advising him to work on his diction and stay on key. Samantha's performance of the British icon,
Adele's song got the judges showering her with praises.

Kenyan Steve Holmes had the judges divided over his performance of Usher's "Without you." Asked why he sang it with such emotion, he confessed that he thought of his girlfriend while performing.

The self-effacing Kenyan girl, Eunice Gutu performed Jordan Spark's "battlefield" to a surprising approval from Judge Ian and disapproval from Judges Julianna and Hermes.

Sharon, who was saved by the faculty the previous night, performed "California king bed" by Rihanna which Judge Ian term as having "more bad parts than good ones, so it was bad." Luckily, she escaped
probation this time round.

Rwanda's Fatma Muhonza's rendition of a Jenifer Hudson's "where you at" saw her take a lot of heat from the judges for poor mic technique and her inability to control her voice. She is on this week's
probation list.

Tanzanian Damian Mihayo is also on probation after a flat delivery of Bruno Mars' track that saw Ugandan hit maker Julianna chide her concentrating too much on trying to impress the ladies and playing it
safe with his vocals.

This week, Rwandan Jackson Kalimba did not have the benefit of immunity from the faculty and he therefore had to sing his heart out for his survival in the academy. He performed popular hit "Moves like
jagger" by Maroon 5. While Ian thought it was okay Hermes thought the song made him struggle and did nothing to showcase his voice.

Joe Irankuda from Burundi was the last performer of the night with Judge Ian describing his performance as okay but "definitely not worth KSh5 million. The five contestants on probation are Kenyan Eunice
Guttu, Fatma Muhonza from Rwanda, Tanzanian Damian Minayo, Ugandan Allan Sekiranda and Nancy Chan from South Sudan.

Tusker Project Fame 5 will see 15 contestants croon their way to fame with the winner bagging a top prize of KSh5 million cash and a recording deal worth KSh10 million with Universal Music Group, a
multinational music company.

Tusker Project Fame is recognized as the largest talent search in Eastern Africa, and UMG has partnered with Tusker in the fifth edition, with Gerrard Foster, the Head of New Business Development for
Sub-Saharan Africa for Universal Music Group (UMG) International being one of the judges.

Tusker Project Fame, East Africa's first ever locally produced reality show, has been described as a hybrid of Big Brother and musical phenomenon Idols, with a thrilling dose of survivor-style voting.

MODEL'S NITE.

The third edition of the Model's Nite will be held with on 21st June 2012 at the Casablanca /Osteria restaurant from 6.30pm* this time round the theme being Jungle Green that will be aim at communicating
about environmental care.

"Models, Designers and everybody involved are truly excited about the jungle green theme, and we hope to communicate to people about the importance taking care of our environment especially maintaining the
tree cover. After the event we plan to extend the effort by organizing planting tree activities," Dorothy Oliech the founder of Mochez models who are the organizer of the event said during the unveiling of the
event at the Casablanca restaurant.

The 3rd edition of Model's nite is aiming to be a platform to show the fashion and modeling industry commitment in environment care going in line with the world environmental day (June 5th) theme of a Green
economy which the shows and speeches will address.

Models nite will still keep its tradition of creating a night where the models network and exchange ideas with other stakeholders in the industry. There will be fashion shows where various designers will showcase various designs based on the theme of day. Among the models will be Starsmodels from other sectors, there will be a lot surprise appearances of celebrities (sports and entertainment) and other public figures. Photo shoots demos will be one of the highlight of the day and one will have photos taken by renowned fashion and
celebrity photographers.

ROKI AND MANETA DISQUALIFIED FROM STARGAME

Is it an ego thing?
Well another double disqualification took place today evening in the Big Brother StarGame's Upville house.
Zimbabwean housemates, Maneta (a 21 year old student) and Roki (a 27 year old musician) have been disqualified from the hit reality TV show after breaking the Big Brother StarGame rule which doesn't condone any two housemates engaging in a violent act.

The two housemates were bickering all day and despite Big Brother intervening and advising them directly that they needed to amend their behavior immediately, in line with the clearly stated house rules
forbidding violence and provocation, the housemates chose to disregard the instruction and their bickering continued and escalated into violence.

Maneta threw bleach at Roki's face which ended up burning his left eye and he retaliated by throwing liquids at her. Both, Roki and Maneta will be provided with psychological and medical treatment and counseling to assist them with conflict and anger management.

UTI, ICE PRINCE, MO'CHEDDAH OTHERS STORM MTV MEETS WITH MTN SEASON 2 LAUNCH

MTV launched a new season of the hit show MTV Meets with MTN at a special media event on Sunday June 17, 2012.

With guests including Ice Prince, Mocheddah, Kola Oyeyemi, Uti, Jerrilyn, Bobo Omotayo, Lala Akindoju and Alex Okosi, the event featured highlights from the last season as well as some footage from
the forthcoming season.

The audience - made up of reporters, media executives, opinion influencers, celebrities, business leaders and government officials, had a fun evening, with drinks, and canapés, spiced with the kind of
conversations that MTV Meets is all about...

JAZZ UNDER THE STARS WITH ISAIAH KATUMWA

The "Jazz Under the Stars" concert is an evening, starry, outdoor Jazz experience under the open skies at Windsor Golf Hotel & Country Club's stunning and perfectly manicured golf course. Featured artists are: Isaiah Katumwa (Uganda) – East Africa's Leading Smooth Jazz Artist, Different Faces Jazz Band (Kenya) and Christine Kamau "The Jazzist" (Kenya). The emcee will be the popular Capital Jazz Club presenter Mr. Jack Ojiambo.

The large number of Diaspora returnees and expatriates in Kenya has created a new and unique niche market for companies that provide high end products and services that will cater to this hard to please but
ready to spend clientele. It is with this clientele in mind that KenyanDiasporaLink.com and AudioVisual Concepts have collaborated to bring the popular "Jazz Under the Stars" concept to Kenya on Saturday,
June 30th 2012, 5pm at the Windsor Golf Hotel and Country Club.

The goal for the event is to create a relaxed yet classy environment where the VIP and special guests, the Diaspora returnees, international and diplomatic community, Kenyan professionals and Jazz enthusiasts can network together and generously exchange business cards.

This event is sponsored by Windsor Golf Hotel and Country Club, Capital FM, PHAT! Productions, CIO Magazine, AfricaAlumni.com among other corporations.

NAKAAYA'S NEW LOOK. A HIT OR A MISS?

KENYA OLYMPIC ANTHEM SONG WINNERS

Collins Okoth from Kisumu and Juliet Karanja from Nairobi are the lucky two that were selected out of twelve finalists to feature on the Coca-Cola Kenya Olympic Anthem yesterday. The two were chosen by the public through a voting process that ended last Friday on NTV's "The Beat".

"I think Kenya has made a good choice with Juliet and Collins," said Madtraxx who is producing the track. "I look forward to the magic we will be able to produce in studio in the coming weeks. It's my hope
the fans will continue to give us their input on Facebook and Twitter so that we can collectively make a real Kenyan Olympic anthem," he added.

Collins, who is a rap artist and Juliet, who is a singer will start recording with the producer and musician this week after which they will shoot the music video the following week.

"I would like to thank Coca-Cola for giving me the opportunity to be involved in the search for new talent. It is not over though, as we are really looking forward to the recording of the song", said Dj
Pinye.

The competition which started with auditions on 2nd June 2012 came to a close on 15th June 2012 with over 300 participants from Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu taking part. Twelve finalists were then picked by
the judges, and fans countrywide voted for the final two.

"This is a very exciting competition that provides a once in a lifetime opportunity for the two talented winners to kick start their music careers by being a part of something truly great," said
Catherine Mudachi, Senior Marketing Manager for Coca-Cola Kenya. "We are confident that the anthem will spread the spirit of Olympics amongst Kenyan youth."

The Coca-Cola Kenya Olympic Anthem is set to be released in early July.

AKON, RUSSELL SIMMONS, ALEK WEK, CHIEF OLUSEGUN OBASANJO, EMMANUEL ADEBAYOR FOR MTV MEETS WITH MTN SEASON 2

MTV Base Meets...with MTN returns to television screens across Africa on 1 August 2012 on the back of a highly successful first season that saw African youth make positive life-changing decisions after meeting
their heroes on the show.

First initiated in 2011, MTV Base Meets…with MTN is a motivational youth empowerment and mentorship initiative and multimedia campaign that connects African youth with the thought leaders, opinion formers, decisionmakers and role models who shape their world.

Sponsored by Africa's leading mobile operator, MTN, Season 2 of MTV Base Meets…With MTN features an exciting and varied line-up of interviewees, including leading figures from the realms of entertainment, politics, fashion and sport,hand-picked to inspire African youth to fulfil their full potential. Among the opinion formers and thought leaders taking part in the series is Senegalese-American R&B and Hip-Hop artist Akon,alongside other world-famous personalities including Hip-Hop pioneer and entrepreneur, Russell
Simmons, South Sudanese supermodel Alek Wek, His Excellency Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, former President & Head of State, Nigeria, and Togolese international soccer star and Manchester City striker, Emmanuel Adebayor.

In each episode of MTV Base Meets…with MTN, ambitious young Africans from all walks-of-life pose hard questionstohigh-profile "thought leaders" about issues close to their hearts – in an intimate and
informal environment, with no questions off-limits. Topics on the agenda include entrepreneurship, education, youth culture, politics, sport, racism, gender issues and the African Renaissance.

Youth panellists who asked the questions in Season 1 of *MTV Base Meets...with MTN *included students, journalists, bloggers, models, comedians, actors, musicians, humanitarian campaigners and poets. The
series inspired young entrepreneurs from around the African continent to change their lives after meeting with their heroes.

Liberian-born singer Jerrilyn Mulbah was inspired by Nigerian businessman Aliko Dangote to echo his 18-hour a day work ethic. Subsequently, Jerrilyn saw her career take off, with three successful
singles getting great traction on radio in Nigeria and Liberia, and a new music videodue for release at the end of June. Jerrilyn's first album release follows soon, and her first national tour of Nigeria is
due to be announced in the coming months.

South African event organiser* SizieModise*was one of a group of young people who met with *Ben Murray-Bruce* ofthe Silverbird Group. She made such an impression on Murray-Bruce during the interview that the media mogul offered her a job.

Ghanaian *Arnold Sarfo-Kantanka* met with British entrepreneur and humanitarian*Sir Richard Branson*as part of the series and afterwards decided to concentrate full-time on helping young Ghanaians achieve
their full potential through his role as the Operations Director of youth outreach project, *WAM Campaign*, and fashion line, *Ma FIRI Ghana*.

Season 2 of *MTV Base Meets…with MTN, *hosted by MTV VJs Sizwe Dhlomoand Vanessa Mdee, will air across Africa from 1 August on MTV Base (DSTV Channel 322) and on terrestrial stations across the continent, including STV and NTA (Nigeria), Spectrum TV (Cameroon), Viasat (Ghana), Rwanda TV
(Rwanda), Swazi TV (Swaziland), Muvi TV (Zambia) and NTV and WBS(Uganda).

The first of nine episodes of *MTV Base Meets…with MTN*will be a 22-minute 'Best Of' episode, featuring highlights from Season 1, that will broadcast on MTV Base (DStv Channel 322) on Wednesday 1 August at 20:30 CAT. Season 2 will then get into full swing with the premiere of *MTV Base Meets Russell Simmons with MTN*at 19:30 WAT/20:30 CAT on Wednesday 8 August.

Starting 18 June 2012, MTV Base and MTN will run a pan-African competition offering young African viewers the chance to appear in the final episode of *MTV Base Meets…with MTN*. Eight young people will win an all-expenses paid trip to meet with*Akon*in the USA in September 2012.

The first season of *MTV Base Meets…with MTN* saw Nobel Prize laureate and President of Liberia, *Madame Ellen Johnson Sirleaf,*go head-to-head with the continent's youthin Monrovia, while
Rwanda's*President Paul Kagame*faced a youth panel in Kigali. The other six opinion formers who laid themselves open for the probing questions of their young questioners include Grammy-winning R&B
artist* Alicia Keys*, controversial South African politician *Julius Malema* and legendary musician and activist *Hugh Masekela*.

Speaking on behalf of MTV Base, Alex Okosi, Senior Vice President & Managing Director, Viacom International Media Networks Africa, commented, "In today's competitive business and economic environment, it is vitally important to provide strong role models, heroes and mentors to help young people achieve their goals. *MTV Base Meets…with MTN *aims to inspire and motivate young Africans to understand that they are key drivers in ensuring a brighter future for our continent."

Commented Jennifer Roberti, Executive for Group Marketing, MTN, "MTN got involved with this initiative last year at a time when there was a real need to bring youth and leaders together in open dialogue and
debate. We still believe in the transformative power of giving young people on the continent this kind of forum. As the leaders of tomorrow,it's not always about finding agreement. Sometimes questioning and challenging can be just as educational and inspiring. As MTN, we believe that when we connect people and ideas, we are creating platforms for better understanding and a common ground."

According to Kola Oyeyemi, GM, Consumer Marketing, MTN Nigeria, the initiative will serve as a bridge for a growing segment of Africa's population to connect with decision-makers through dialogue: "MTN is
investing in this initiative with the hope of empowering African youth by bringing them together with notable leaders both within and outside the continent. This is another way that MTN is enriching lives, this
time around by linking the youth with key influencers who will inspire them to reach for greater heights. It is also important for big brands to co-operate in forging leadership," he said.

Commentingon her participation in the Meets campaign, Alek Wek said, "It was such a great day, meeting a group of young people who are both inspirationaland working hard to make positive changes."

SAUTI SOL RELEASE THEIR SELF TITLED EP

Sauti Sol under Penya Africa  have released online the self titled EP by the Kenyan award winning group that is produced by multi-talented South African rapper/ producer Spoek Mathambo.

Celebrated for blending warm resonant pop sounds with traditional Kenyan influences, Sauti Sol's mélange of energetic rhythms have endorsed the quartet to become one of East Africa's most celebrated bands.
With two extremely successful albums, Mwanzo (2008) and Sol Filosofia (2011), Sauti Sol has embarked on an exciting mission--to embrace their artistic versatility and blend their signature harmonies with the futuristic sounds of avant-garde South African rapper/producer Spoek Mathambo.
For months in between Johannesburg and Nairobi, in studios and through emails / Skype, Sauti Sol worked tirelessly with Spoek and his team. The end result is the much-anticipated edgy EP, whose diverse sounds / up-beat tempo reflects on the band's mission to break musical stereotypes and borders.
Set for a physical launch this August in Nairobi, Sauti Sol couldn't wait any longer to share the EP with you. Starting June 18th you can listen/download 'Sauti Sol' via http://penya.bandcamp.com/. In preparation for the big launch in Nairobi, Sauti Sol is organizing a special trial EP launch at the MC theatre in Amsterdam.

YVONNE CHAKA CHAKA TO LAUNCH KENYAN MUSIC CENTRE

South African singer Yvonne Chaka Chaka will be in Nairobi for the launch of the Maisha Mapya Music Centre for children set for August 24 at the Carnivore grounds.

Yvonne was invited by a group of young entrepreneurs who come under the umbrella of Maisha Mapya organization to launch the centre that will be open to children from the ages of 6 to 12.

Speaking to Hot Secrets about the launch, Wilfred Opiyo said, "This will be a pilot project that will be based in Nairobi Primary School where we will have 50 or so music instruments which the students will be introduced to. The y will identify and instrument they would like to learn and join the program to master it. The centre will provide useful activities outside class."

The reason why they chose Yvonne for the launch is because, "for years Chaka Chaka has used her voice to draw attention to the causes that will change the lives of millions, from ending apartheid to improving maternal and child health. She was the natural person to ask to join our initiative."

In a statement about on her involvement with the initiative, Yvonne said: "When I started singing, I thought, how can I best articulate what I want to say, how can I air my views, and I did it through my music. With my music and the platform that I have, I will continue to show those things, to air my views about those."

Kenya's Suzanna Owiyo and Sauti Sol will also lend their support to the initiative.

REDSAN SIGNS ONLINE DEAL WITH MUSIC DISTRIBUTOR

Kenya's dancehall King Redsan signed a deal with UrFilez, the leading digital music app, to stream his music 24/7 from a library of music in partnership with Rapid Communications.

The Step On It, hitmaker will be one of the African artistes signed to the deal where fans will be able to access his music from an unlimited database.

Hassan Miah, the co-founder and CEO of Urfilez, said in a statement, "With the UrFilez Music App, not only can Kenyan music lovers stream music 24/7 without having to compromise their budget, but they can access unlimited music anywhere they go. In addition to all the major artists and songs, Kenyan users can also access their favorite local artists."

"UrFilez is the ideal partner for Rapid Communications to rollout the first music app in multiple African countries since UrFilez allows users to access a library of millions of songs in a personalized music experience," says Mr Anwar Hussein CEO of Rapid Communications "The UrFilez -- Rapid Communications partnership is perfect blend of access with technology."

UrFilez will rollout first in Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda,Nigeria, Tanzania, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo. UrFilez is committed to staying at the forefront of digital music technology to make sure that users can easily tap into a rich variety of regional and international music by all major record labels.

STL DENIES FIGHTING AT NICKI MINAJ CONCERT

Kenyan rapper based in Norway, Stella Mwangi, jetted into Kenya yesterday to shoot the music video for her latest sing Bad As I Wanna Be set for a June 29 release.

This comes in the wake of online reports that Stella has been a bad girl. According to Norway site Kjendis.no, Stella and her friends were reportedly involved in a brawl on Saturday night at a Nicki Minaj concert that took place in Oslo.

The site quotes a source: "After half a minute or so, the girls started fighting again and that's when things got out of hand and several others became involved. Punches were thrown, hair was pulled and they said some pretty nasty things to each other."

However, Stella denies the reports through her press manager at EMI music, Ida Lyxzen who told Kjendis.no: "During the concert there was some pushing and shoving involving Stella's friends. Stella was not involved and did not perceive the situation as dramatic at all. As a matter of fact, she later returned to talk to the security guards and to watch the rest of the show."

Tim Adeka who is Stella's press contact in Nairobi told Hot Scerets, "It is highly unlikely for Stella to behave in that manner. That is not like her at all."

Anyhow, the Lookie Lookie star is in the country to shoot the video for the new single produced by Big City. She tweeted: "I'm really excited about it! I'm taking it back to where I came from: Hip-hop!"

I’M NOT DEAD- NYOTA NDOGO

Mombasa singer Nyota Ndogo has had to assuage the fears of family, friends and fans after rumours of her death made rounds this week.

Nyota told Word Is, "I did not know how the rumours started, because at the time I was at the Sawa Sawa festival in Nairobi where I was performing. I got a call from Ali Manzu who sounded concerned. He then told me that he has read on Facebook that I'm dead. I told him to comment on the post and say he has just talked to me and that it is all false.

From that Sunday phone call, the Watu na Viatu singer received a series of calls from DJ's, friends, family even my brother Juma asking if she is okay.

"The sad part about all this, is that my mother lives far away from me, when this kind of rumours get to her they worry her a lot. They cause a lot of harm. I would like to ask that people verify the news before spreading it," She said, "Yes, death is a must for everyone, I'm not afraid to die but since I'm not dead stop killing me."

COLLO GIVES VOICE TO AIRTEL’S NEW CAMPAIGN

Over the weekend, Airtel launched a new campaign dubbed Mi Ni 254 aimed at reconnecting the brand with the Kenyan youth and their country, offering them an authentic and refreshingly connected Club 254.

Club 254 will offer an open platform for the Kenyan youth to express their leadership, share their exciting Ideas and experiences, talk, laugh, and express their values and aspirations leaving them with a strong sense of belonging.

To go with the campaign, a theme song was also launched by the same name and was written by rapper Collo whose real name is Collins Majale.

Speaking to Word Is Collo said, "They looked for the best person and they contacted me. I have worked with brands. I wrote the rap and the music," addin that this will show how, "there is a thin line between collo the artiste and collo the composer."

While writing the theme song, Colla kept in mind the "urban youth in the whole of Kenya who have something in common and that is their lifestyle. We're living it, feeling it and loving it. We're proud to be 254."

The campaign will culminate in a series of concerts in various cities around the country.

The launch held at the Hilton Hotel was attended by various entertainment personalities.

WHAT TO MAKE SH100,000?

The Make it or make it campaign is giving away 100k plus more goodies to the dance group that comes up with the best routine for the next biggest gospel song in Africa, OLE, by Jimmy Gait ft Holy Dave and Chuchu.

The video shot by the biggest video director in Africa, Clarence Peters is already gaining massive airplay and response all over the stations, just before it premiers Africa in a matter of days.
So far, over 50 dance groups have already registered and already rehearsing for the competition! This is with the purpose to support, motivate and empower the youth who have talent as the main mission for the Make it or Make it Campaign.
This is going to be conducted online and other platforms, where their fans will be able to vote for their favorite dance group through sms, but there will also be judges.
More details will be released but people can find out more about the dance on the website Makeitormakeit.org.

STELLA ON SET OF BAD AS I WANNA BE VIDEO SHOOT

Photo credit: Michael Ray Vera Cruz Angeles /

EME SCORES A HAT TRICK

…..presents all-star album, Wizkid scores endorsement deal as Banky W lifts Olympics torch.

Empire Mates Entertainment, Nigeria's premier music label has announced the launch of its highly anticipated all star album titled Empire Mates State of Mind.

The 22 tracked LP, which boasts of some of Nigeria's finest artists such as BankyW, WizKid, Skales,Niyola and more, promises to be the album to beat in 2012 and beyond.

Speaking at a media event in Lagos on Friday June 15, CEO of EME, Banky Wellington, reiterated the music label's commitment to providing only the hottest and the best music to its teeming fans. "We consider it a privilege for us to do this for our fans and we've worked with some of the finest artists, DJ's, producers, directors in Nigeria and beyond on this album. Wiz, Skales, our first lady, Niyola, Basketmouth, Masterkraft, Legendary Beats, Spellz, Sarz, Shizzy,  KidConnect with special guest appearances from award winning comedian Basketmouth, Shaydee, Ghana based rapper, XO Senavoe and US based singing sensation, Rotimi and so many others. Throughout the entire process, it's been totally 'team EME', we're proud of our efforts and really hope our fans will be also." 

Meanwhile, Banky W has also been announced as an Olympic torch bearer to herald the forthcoming Olympic games in London alongside some other outstanding Nigerian celebrities:KanuNwankwo, FunkeAkindele and Steve "Yaw" Onu. He will be the first Nigerian singer to be honoured in this way and will be carrying the torch at the Olympic Torch Relay holding at Coventry on July 1^st 2012.

Banky's protégé and label mate, Wizkid, has also been having a superlative year. Not only has he scored an exclusive one year endorsement deal with popular drinks giant, Pepsi, he is also a nominee in this year's BET Awards (Best African Act) which will hold at the Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles USA.

The EME all-star album is available, for free, from Monday June 18^th, on Spinlet, Nigeria's premier digital distribution and promotion platform.