WHEN THE STARS SHONE IN NAIROBI

 

The stars got to shine at the Tusker All Stars Concert held at the Carnivore grounds on Saturday 1, October. Dubbed East Africa’s Biggest Concert, it saw a turn out of over 10,000 fans.

The Tusker All Stars Concert was a culmination of the reality show that saw East African talent Alpha Rwirangira, Davis Ntare and Peter Msechu win the chance to share the stage with Pan African star Cabo Snoop from Angola, American hip hop act Eve and Jamaican heartthrob Shaggy.

The show kicked off with a performance from all female rock band Murfy’s Flaw who then backed Amani as she hit the stage with her popular singles Tonight, Mimi Na Wewe and Missing My Baby. Rapper Jaguar was next. He paid tribute to the late legend Wangari Maathai with his hit song Kigeugeu.

Kenyan dance champions, FBI then took the stage and performed their piece, they later backed Msechu during his performance. The Tanzanian reality show star, cemented his own brand and identity as a solo act infront of the attending audience by performing his own compositions Hasira Hasara and Relax.

Ugandan Davis then took the stage backed by the Eclipse Dancers where he performed his hit Sheka Sheka. He incorporated a Ugandan traditional dancer to accentuate his dance tune.

The final Tusker All Stars winner Alpha also showcased to his fans his musical growth since his win in Season 3 of the reality show. He performed his single Songa Mbele that features Tanzanian rapper AY and his latest release No Money No Love.

As promised the Tusker All Stars winners represented a return to their African roots and the mega concert provided a good platform to launch their careers in the East African entertainment scene.

 Like clockwork, the stage was open to the visiting international stars. Cabo was first on stage. He demonstrated that language is never a barrier when it comes to music. His singles Prakatatumba and Windeck did not need translation as he entertained with his dance moves which were insync with the beats.

The second last performer of the night was Grammy award winner rapper Eve. The first lady of Ruff Ryders performed her hits from her past albums like Gangsta Love,  Got What You Need, Let Me Blow Ya Mind (feat. Gwen Stefani), Love is Blind, Satisfaction, Who’s That Girl and finished off with Tamborine. She invited Cabo Snoop on stage to dance to the popular dance hit.

The final performer of the night was Shaggy. Despite the rain, Shaggy’s fans stood their ground to watch his performance. To show his solidarity with the wet crowd, he poured water on himself and said, “We are now even”.

The ragga star still has the cheeky, disarming charm he is known for. The Mr Lover Lover hitmaker churned out hit after hit from his chart topping albums. Rayvon joined Shaggy on stage as they performed singles like Angel, It Wasn’t Me, What is Love, Luv Me, Luv Me among others.

The Tusker All Stars Concert prided itself in the high security measures taken to ensure safety to all the music enthusiast and advocated for responsible drinking.

WHO'S THAT GIRL? EVE LANDS IN NAIROBI

Rapper and actress E.V.E landed in Nairobi today morning ahead of the the Tusker All Stars Concert, due to be held at the Carnivore grounds on Saturday.
E-V-E is a Grammy Award-winning American rapper, songwriter, record producer and actress. Her first three albums have reached a total of over 8 million albums sold worldwide. She has also achieved success in fashion as she started a clothing line titled "Fetish."
Described as East Africa’s Biggest Concert, EABL Marketing Director, Kenya, Caroline Ndungu said that East Africa Breweries Ltd and the Tusker Brand Team had put together a show to remember.

 “The Tusker All Stars Concert, will feature a blend of local, regional and international artistes. Our very own Amani, Jaguar and the HotRod Band will be in action at the Concert and from the region, Alpha, from Rwanda, Msechu from Tanzania and Davies from Uganda will be showcasing some of their new work at the Concert. These Tusker Project Fame graduates have come a long way and we at EABL are proud to be part of their growth,” Ndungu said. “Shaggy, one of the biggest names in dance-hall and reggae music, needs no introduction; his music has entertained fans around the world since his 1995 single Bombastic.  Earlier this year, Shaggy launched the album “Summer in Kingston” which contains his hit single Sugarcane. To hear Sugarcane live, the Tusker All Stars Concert is the place to be.

And who doesn’t know Cabo Snoop? Cabo, our neighbour from Angola, is a kuduro artist from Luanda, Angola. Cabo's breakthrough song Windek is probably one of the most popular songs in Kenya! At the Tusker All Stars Concert, we will all get to hear songs from Cabo’s first album, Bluetooth.

Commenting on the mix of artistes selected to perform at Concert, Ndungu said the selection process was guided by Tuskers key brand benefits. “The brand Tusker is firmly rooted, it reflects our African Spirit and it is legendary,” Ndungu added. “The artistes you see here today have African roots, they are legendary, and perhaps I should say, Davies, Msechu and Alpha are on their way to becoming legends. Amani and Jaguar continue to set the pace in Kenya, and we are proud to have them on board.

CABO, SHAGGY, ALPHA, MSECHU AND DAVIS PLANT TREES AT KARURA

The Tusker All Stars prime guests Shaggy and Cabo Snoop and icons Msechu, Alpha and Davies, today joined the East African Breweries Ltd E-Green Team at the Karura Forest for a tree planting session as part of Karura Forest Conservation efforts. The Stars, who are in Kenya for East Africa’s biggest musical fete, the Tusker All Stars Concert, planted a selection of various indigenous trees and took time off to enjoy serenity and bond with nature at one of the country’s most famous conservation names. Speaking during the tree planting event, EABL’s Marketing Director, Kenya, Caroline Ndungu said, “Environmental conservation, as one of the EABL Foundation key pillars, is not only an initiative that we invest a lot of resources into but also a calling that is deeply embedded in our corporate social responsibility mission,” “Bringing the Tusker All Stars to Karura Forest, one of our country’s greatest environmental assets, therefore gives them the crucial and memorable opportunity in lending a hand in its conservation.” She added. Adding his voice during the exercise, American musician, Shaggy said he was excited to be part of the initiative.”Sustaining the environment is an obvious concern across the world and as responsible global citizens, each one of us has a responsibility to play in ensuring that we do all it takes to conserve the planet for future generations,” Shaggy said. “I thank EABL for giving us the opportunity to join them in this very symbolic and historical initiative,”

Shaggy

On his part, Angolan musician, Cabo Snoop in his native Portuguese noted that trees are one of the planet and humanity’s most valuable assets and whose conservation calls for genuine commitment from all. “As plantas sao importantes para o ser humano, por isso vamos manter a nossa missao em conserva-las (trees are important to mankind, let us make it our mission to conserve them.” Said Snoop.

Cabo Snoop

Uganda’s Davies Ntare, winner of Tusker Project Fame IV and Tanzania’s Peter Msechu were both making a second trip to Karura, having engaged in a similar initiative during Tusker Project Fame IV. “This tree-planting exercise is something we take seriously, it is not just for the show, but as artistes we are also personally committed to this cause and we will use our talent and position in the society to positively promote the conservation of the environment,” Ntare commented.

Alpha

Davis

The Tusker All Stars will be in action at the Tusker All Stars Concert to be held at the Carnivore Grounds on the 1st of October 2011.

WHEN STARS DESCENDED ON NAIROBI

Ladysmith Black Mambazo at the press conference

Starting Tuesday this week, top panafrican stars and international stars jetted into Nairobi for various shows scheduled for this weekend.
South African Grammy Award winners Ladysmith Blck Mambazo were first to arrive in the afternoon. Later that day, Angolan rapper Cabbo Snoop followed suit.

Then today morning, Mr Lover Lover, Shaggy jetted in. Enjoy the snap shots. More dets on the way...

Photos/ Chris Wekesa

BRACE YOURSELVES FOR EVE, CABO AND SHAGGY

It is official, top international acts will be in Nairobi for the much publicized Tusker All Stars concert that will feature three of the winners from the reality show.
The winners, Davis Ntare, Alpha Rwirangira and Peter Msechu are gearing up for the finale concert.
Ugandan winner in the just concluded Tusker All Star competition; Davis is “excited” at the chance of sharing the stage with three top international acts at the finale concert in Nairobi.
Davis together with Rwandese Alpha and Tanzanian Msechu won the chance to share a stage with American rapper Eve, Angolan sensation Cabo Snoop and Jamaican ragga heartthrob Shaggy at a concert to be hosted at the Carnivore on October 1.
“I’m happy and humbled that I got the opportunity to feature in the same show as the three acts. And I wouldn’t have made it if the fans hadn’t voted for me,” Davis spoke to Word Is over a telephone interview from Uganda.



Davis like Cabo Snoop failed to bag a win on his first try at the fame and a music career at the Tusker Project Fame reality show but on his second try, he emerged the winner.
On this similarity Davis said, “I would love to do something with Cabo Snoop. I love his style of dance and music.”
Cabo who is famed for his continental hit Windeck, rose from obscurity to make a name for himself. From the kid who was known as ‘Nobody’ Cabo has proved that he is more than that, he is a Pan African brand.



Eve on the other hand is working on her new solo album after a hiatus from music and taking up acting. The new album is titled Lip Lock.



Shaggy who is literary a Kenyan now will also join the star studded headliner list at the concert that will culminate the 8-weeks show where selected former Tusker Project Fame contestants sought to demonstrate the level of their growth as entertainers and the next generation of East African super stars.

ALPHA, DAVIS AND MSECHU TO JAM WITH CABO, SHAGGY AND EVE ARE COMING

So word on the street is that the promoters who have been contracted to sign up acts for the Tusker All Stars finale concert are from Tanzania. Crying shame. After Kenyan promoters, Homeboyz failed in their bid to get Usher and Keri Hilson to sign on the dotted line, Clouds FM people have been contracted to get acts for the Tusker All Star concert.



Though it has not been confirmed by EABL, the acts signed for the October concert are American rapper Eve, ragga star Shaggy and Angolan Cabo Snoop – famed for his hit Windek.



This means that the winner for the Tusker All Stars reality television show will be jamming the stage with the three international stars. The winners of the concluded show were Alpha, Davis and Msechu.



Meet the all-star finalists

Alpha Rwirangira
Alpha has been on a roll and busy with music and performances since he won the 3rd edition of Tusker Project Fame.
The soft spoken but charismatic young man recently won the Pan African Music awards for best male artist with his song featuring Bebe Cool, Come To Me. He was also nominated for a Kilimanjaro Award in the best male artist category, for his song, Songa Mbele featuring AY.
Alpha has toured the region giving live musical performances and most notably he had the chance to represent Rwanda in the 2010 football World Cup in South Africa at the Fan Fests that were set up for fan entertainment.
The talented performer has also managed to catch his President’s eye and is feted by many Rwandese as a role model for the youth. He has obtained the President’s scholarship to study Music and Business at Fulbright University in Ohio, in the United States.



Peter Msechu
The Tanzanian who is known to be a bag of laughs has definitely been busy since he left at the end of the third season as first runner up.
Msechu has recorded songs with a number of producers back home in Tanzania. He has recorded Unaniumiza Roho with renowned music producer and Tusker Project Fame judge Hermes Bariki at his B Hits Studio and Majaribu with renowned producer Marco Chali of MJ Records.
He cites Tusker Project Fame 3’s Ngangalito as his favorite contestant since the inception of Tusker Project Fame. He says that he admires his fellow musician due to his humorous streak and his superb stage performances.
Msechu has had the opportunity to meet the president of Tanzania, Jakaya Kikwete and other notable leaders in Tanzania because of his new found fame.



Davis Ntare
Tusker Project Fame Four’s golden boy, winner of Season 4 and energetic performer, has relocated to Kenya and has been in studio with R Kay working on his debut album.
He recently released his first single Sheka Sheka on Sound Cloud and the video is currently doing the rounds on You Tube as well.
He writes his own music and therefore promises to deliver fresh and original content in his album debut.