Genge

As Kenyan urban music became more popular, Kenyan artists and music fans wanted to have a common name for their music, and many names were suggested. Among them were Boomba music, kapuka, and gemba. Around this time, Nonini started a campaign to popularize the term "genge" to refer to Kenyan urban music and also specifically music by artists on Calif Records.

Calif-style genge was originated by Clement "Clemo" Rapudo of Calif Records and was located in California Estate, Nairobi. It was popularized by rappers Nonini with his song Manzi wa Nairobi and Jua Cali with the songs Ngeli ya Genge, Nipe Asali, and Ruka. Due to a disagreement on the definition of Kenyan urban music, the name genge is now more commonly used to describe music from Calif Records. However, genge is easily identified by its rapping style and conversational rhythm format which make a song sound like a casual discussion in sheng.

The most notable genge artists are Nonini, P-Unit, Jua Cali, Influx Swagga, Flexx, Jimw@t, Rat-a-Tat, Alpha Msanii, Lady S (deceased), Kleptomaniax, and Pili Pili, among others. Nonini was continuously the most popular artist on Calif Records between the years 2002 and 2004 when he left for Homeboyz Productions. Nonini is the self-titled Godfather of Genge.

Genge has given rise to other subgenres, such as the Ghipuka, popularized by Kenrazy and Gengetone. However, it remains a formidable force, as America-based producer Keggah has added a fresh flavor to give genge a new sound that has proved popular among Kenyans.

After years of silence from genge artists, in June 2018, an Umoja-based boy band called Ethic Entertainment came out with their debut song "Lamba Lolo," a song that garnered over 4 million views on YouTube. Other boy bands like Boondocks Gang, Ochungulo Family, Sailors Gang, Wakali Wao, Angry Panda, Wakadinali, Vintage Clan, and Rico Gang came out and produced songs that created the subgenre Gengetone which has significant influence from Genge music.

These songs generally talk about their struggles in the ghetto, with most songs usually taking on a storytelling format where the main singer is reliving or sharing an event they witnessed with their friends and the lesson the event has taught them. These events often, but not always, revolve around sex, drugs, women, or interactions with people in positions of power over them.

Some of the most popular genge tracks include:

• Kenyan hip hop
• Boomba, another form of Kenyan hip-hop