Lowkey is the first single released by UnKut Hip Hop Awards 2025 Male Artist of the Year, Toxic Lyrikali. Lowkey describes something that is quiet or restrained. In this context, however, Toxic means acting discreetly or inconspicuously to avoid drawing attention while pursuing his goals. It is about being low profile. The song was first previewed as a snippet on Instagram on January 24th, followed by the official audio release on January 29th and the music video premiere on January 30th. Its music video was shot and directed by @onlyomoke at Uhuru Park, while the track’s aggressive beat was crafted by artist and producer @r.s.sixtysix. The track is currently #2 on Kenya’s Trending Music Videos List on Youtube.
Lowkey Lyrical Breakdown
Toxic opens the song with a chorus asserting that his movements are beyond comprehension: “Vile nacheza lowkey, huwezi mezo nikona loki nazisafirisha, nasimamisha maploti na ni cha lazima / Marima nasimamisha mapira na napin machogi, make sure ndae, zote nimetint dirisha, huwezi ng’am nikipita, nimekiwasha waras wakilisha chini ya maji, lowkey.” He continues by declaring that he is self-sufficient, confident, and uninterested in external accolades. Lyrikali reminds us he is not nice and will involve himself in anything of monetary value: “Kinena hakuna kitu haikosi, nimejitambua si hitaji izo trophies, man-a-bad nimezoea mikosi, not nice, sijui kama umenotice? / Najihusisha kama ikona manoti, nachomoa kadhaa msupa ashageuka naughty, lowkey, kidosi, lowkey ni za kidosi.“
The first verse opens with multilingual wordplay: “Behind bars naweza wai line na punch, kinda white tena ficha white ukiwa mtaa, nugu nugu business zimiwa mataa, in fact tukipatana hakuna impact, utamake.” Ficha white is Sheng for “cover your tracks.” It acts as a double entendre, meaning both to conceal the contraband from guards and to maintain clean profile to avoid detection while at home. He continues by portraying his entourage as ‘exterminators’: “Kidungi tall kama Brad, white precipitate ndani ya lab, sumu kama kawa kama dawa kwa ma rat, tukiwasafishia rada ni clean huwezi investigate.”
“Mawhite na maziwa, dirty biz, sidai uchafu kwa maziwa, ndio maana beef za udu na nyamazia, wananiuzia uwoga sijatenga iyo maziwa, lowkey mi dosi na nachoma hadi nyongi.” Maziwa means milk in Swahili but money in Sheng. Toxic uses a clever pun to tell us doesn’t want dirt in his ‘milk’, so he stays quiet about irrelevant beef (meat). This addresses numerous artists who have recently dissed him, for example, Fathermoh, who recently released a diss track directed towards him. He closes the verse questioning why anyone would think he’s a thief, yet he’s a musician: “Sunda irori full tank kila moti, nisa we unaona nani gondi? Hepa ukiniona na Omondi.”
Toxic’s second verse begins energetically as he ups his tempo slightly: “Full buda si mjunior nachapana kwa sinia, lowkey, dereva nimejifanya abiria, daily, wanafikiria vile watanifikia, kimbiza mali kwa milima nikimedi idhaa, deals, napiga ndio ujue ukona gills.” He asserts his maturity, fully aware that he’s the blueprint others are desperately trying to replicate. He closes comparing his flow to that of a river: “Lowkey, anakuanga amejipin si kiprop, naskia kinawork properly, na arif msom tusafirishe mto, na shagla zetu ziflow, vile naflow ka mto, usilete za uso, sipatikani ukipost mali tuko hizo reba zisifike uko post in case uko nje iyo ni case, nishangasha nmepandisia Bape, sina za Ferrari na DM imajaa, ‘hey,’ true colours hawaezi mezo nimepaint.”
Conclusion
Toxic Lyrikali stands out through his strong pen game, using layered wordplay among other literary devices to engage listeners. His career is noted by a characteristic deep-toned delivery combined with good beat selection, consistent releases and numerous collaborations. His latest release, Lowkey was a huge success with currently over 350,000 views on YouTube. The track highlights Toxic’s ability to pair intricate verses with a catchy, melodic chorus, further cementing his current standing in the industry. Read another article here.
- Toxic Lyrikali Releases First Single of 2026, Lowkey - February 3, 2026
- Album Review: 44 Affair EP By 4Mr Frank White - January 27, 2026
- Wakadinali Become Second Artists To Reach I Million Followers On Spotify After Sauti Sol - January 26, 2026