Natty unveils exciting single ‘Mbona’ after 8 month hiatus, quenching the thirst of Kenyan drill fans who were eager for new music. Accompanied by a music video, it is the first from ‘rongrambo’ since last year’s for the collaboration track, ‘Green Kwa Kichwa ft. Sewesydaa & Mando.’ Cnotfilms, a regular collaborator with the artist, directed both music videos. ‘Mbona’ was teased on both the artist’s and director’s Instagram profiles a week ago.
Natty stands out as a unique artist, crafting his beats from scratch while maintaining an air of mystery by never revealing his face publicly, enhancing his secretive persona. He begins this single, much like his last, with a humorous spoken intro. In his previous track, “Baradhuli,” he sampled a memorable meme from an Easterntv interview, which I’m sure you’ll recall. This time, he incorporates Miguna Miguna’s confident dismissal of overthinking or seeking favors, dishing out an authoritative tone that establishes a defiant, self-reliant vibe as the instrumental kicks in.
Song Breakdown
The beat features a violin melody that pairs well with the rolling hi-hats and snares, which are typical in drill songs. A confrontational tone is set immediately as the chorus entails. The insistent “Mbona” serves as a rhythmic challenge. It questions why the subject isn’t engaging in various activities, while using allusion as a stylistic tool. Allusion is a literary device that makes an indirect reference to a person, place, thing, or idea. This allows Natty to add depth and layers of meaning to his work without being overly explicit. Not only does he cleverly employ this, but also does so while delivering stinging and humorous lines.
As always, Natty is surrounded by his clique GTA. He brags about street activities such as catching his enemies in the first lyric, “Mbona hakomii, tunamueka kwa stretcher, wadau wanashindwa mbona haponi.” A sarcastic poke at the intelligence of the subject follows, “proof kwa paper arudi shule mbona hasomi.” He goes on to showboat while holding up a silver chain, “kuround imekuwa talent, wrist ni plain, shingo ni ploti.” His control is loud and clear as he bows out in the closing line of the chorus, “huyu peng ako uchi, anapenda kelele, anashindwa mbona sigongi.”
In the verse, he doesn’t hold back and is specific about who he is talking about. “East adi wapi? maboy wamekwamia East wakichana,” he announces on the third line. This directly references Burukulyn Boys’ 2022 album ‘East Mpaka London.’ The two groups have been going back and forth since the COVID era, a time when both steadily gained prominence in the Kenyan music industry. However, Ajay and Mr. Right have barely responded, with Natty mostly instigating. He claims the group copied his style, this is despite the duo from Buruburu dropping a song before Natty’s GTA in 2019.
In an instagram story before Mbona was released, Natty can be heard subtly hinting at the beef. He says that, “the beef has traumatized someone,” adding, “how do you block me if I never talk to you?” while laughing menacingly.
A jaw dropping choice of words is felt through juxtaposition in the line “tunashikisha ma addict, mi si Yesu ma fiend wanafuata..yoh!” Juxtaposition is the artistic technique of placing two contrasting things like ideas side-by-side to emphasize their differences. The stark contrast between Christ and christians, and the portrayal of drug addicts and their dealer, gives rise to this ingenious wordplay. Such inventiveness is constantly present in Natty’s lyrics and is what has always given him an edge compared to other artists.
His poetic flair speaks for itself a few lines later as he blends the English idiom “belly of the beast” with Swahili. “Tumbo haishibi, hii ni belly of the beast,” painting a picture that he is insatiable when it comes to danger. He closes out the verse by once again mentioning a duo he doesn’t like. “Funika ma rapper wawili, bakisha mmoja, iyo score iwe triple.”
The song is an unapologetic anthem with a laid back demeanour to it. The visuals were up to standards. Audio production and mixing were also very good. Overall, the single was a success and an enjoyable listen. On the downside, Natty’s consistency especially with music videos needs to be improved especially since the music industry’s attention span is short. I rate the single 8.5/10. Share with us your thoughts and why not read another article here.
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