Out of all the African countries, Kenya has perhaps the most diverse assortment of popular music forms, in addition to multiple types of folk music. Zanzibaran taarab music has also become popular, as has imported hip hop, reggae, soul, soukous, rock and roll, funk and Europop. There is also a minority western classical music scene and Kenya is home to a number of music colleges and schools. A world map showing the continent of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. ... Popular music is music belonging to any of a number of musical styles that are accessible to the general public and are disseminated by one or more of the mass media. ... Folk music can have a number of different meanings, including: Traditional music: The original meaning of the term folk music was synonymous with the term Traditional music; the term Traditional music was given its more specific meaning to distinguish it from the other definitions that Folk music is now considered... Map of Zanzibars main island Zanzibar is situated off mainland Tanzania Coordinates: Country Tanzania Islands Unguja and Pemba Capital Zanzibar City Settled AD 1000 Government  - Type semi-autonomous part of Tanzania  - President Amani Abeid Karume Area  - Both Islands  637 sq mi (1,651 km²) Population (2004)  - Both Islands 1... Taarab is a kind of East African music, most popular in Tanzania and Kenya. ... Hip hop music is a style of music which came into existence in the United States during the mid-1970s, and became a large part of modern pop culture during the 1980s. ... This article needs additional references or sources to facilitate its verification. ... For other uses, see Soul music (disambiguation). ... // Soukous is a musical genre that originated in the Congos during the 1930s and early 1940s, and which has gained popularity throughout Africa. ... Rock and roll (also spelled Rock n Roll, especially in its first decade), also called rock, is a form of popular music, usually featuring vocals (often with vocal harmony), electric guitars and a strong back beat; other instruments, such as the saxophone, are common in some styles. ... Funk is an African American musical style. ... Europop refers to a style of pop music that developed in Europe throughout the 1970s which emphasized catchy beats, slick songs and frothy lyrics. ...

Popular music

The guitar is the most dominant instrument in Kenyan popular music. Guitar rhythms are very complex and include both native beats and imported ones, especially the Congolese cavacha rhythm; music usually involves the interplay of multiple parts and, more recently, showy guitar solos. This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified with the purpose of making music. ... Cavacha is a type of rhythm found in the popular music of Zaire and Kenya. ...

Lyrics are most often in Swahili or Lingala, but are also sometimes in one of the indigenous languages, though radio will generally not play music in one of the "tribal" languages. Swahili (also called Kiswahili; see Kiswahili for a discussion of the nomenclature) is an agglutinative Bantu language widely spoken in East Africa. ... Lingala is a Bantu language spoken throughout the northwestern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Congo-Kinshasa) and a large part of the Republic of the Congo (Congo-Brazzaville), as well as to some degree in Angola and the Central African Republic. ...

Early 20th century

The guitar was popular in Kenya even before the 20th century, well before it penetrated other African countries. Fundi Konde was the best-known early guitarist, alongside Paul Mwachupa and Lukas Tututu. By the middle of the 1920s, dance clubs had appeared in Mombasa, playing music for Christians to dance in a European style. Fundi Konde was a Kenyan musician, one of the first popular performers from that country, and said to be the first electric guitarist from East Africa. ... The 1920s is a decade that is sometimes referred to as the Jazz Age or the Roaring Twenties, usually applied to America. ...

Swahili and Congolese pop

Hotel pop

Tourist-oriented pop covers are popular, and employ more live bands than more authentic Kenyan folk and pop genres. Them Mushrooms, who began playing the Nairobi hotel circuit in 1987, are probably the most popular of these bands. Lately, hotel bands like Them Mushrooms and Safari Sound have begun playing reggae. 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article needs additional references or sources to facilitate its verification. ...

Regional pop

Traditional music

Kenya's diverse ethnic groups each have their own folk music traditions, though most have declined in popularity in recent years as gospel music became more popular. Folk music can have a number of different meanings, including: Traditional music: The original meaning of the term folk music was synonymous with the term Traditional music; the term Traditional music was given its more specific meaning to distinguish it from the other definitions that Folk music is now considered... Gospel music is a musical genre characterized by dominant vocals (often with strong use of harmony) referencing lyrics of a religious nature, particularly Christian. ...

Taraab

Taarab is a mixture of influences from Arabic, Indian & Mijikenda music. Very popular at the Coastal regions Kenya, Zanzibar, Pemba & the islands off East Africa. Singing is often accompanied by musical instruments which oten mimic popular Bollywood music tracks. Some of the most popular Kenyan taarab artists are Zein l'Abdin and Zuhura Swaleh. Taarab is a kind of East African music, most popular in Tanzania and Kenya. ... The Mijikenda (literally the nine, also called the Nyika or Nika) are the nine tribes along the coast of Kenya, Somalia and Tanzania. ... Bollywood (Hindi: , Urdu: ) is the informal name given to the popular Mumbai-based Hindi language film industry in India. ...