Kenyan rapper Nyashinski treated an exclusive gathering of entertainment industry heavyweights to a private listening party for his upcoming album “Yariasu.”
The invite-only event included high-profile attendees such as Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja and the Ambassador of France to Kenya and Somalia, Arnaud Suquet.
The musical fraternity was well represented, with legendary artists such as Collo from Kleptomaniax, Nameless, Mejja, Maureen Kunga, Ndegz, Madtraxx and veteran producer Musyoka gracing the occasion.
Comedy royalty, including Njugush, Butita and Abel Mutua, were also in attendance, alongside content creators, actors, talent managers, publicists and music label executives. The event was powered by premium whisky brand Johnnie Walker.
When Nyashinski finally stepped on the stage, he was accompanied by industry veteran Collo, Hubert Amenya and other notable figures. The artist then performed all tracks from his forthcoming album, giving attendees an exclusive preview of what promises to be his most ambitious project yet.
Among the standout tracks from the listening session were “M.I.A (Missing in Action)” and “Becoming,” with the latter particularly resonating due to its lyrics about personal growth and transformation.
Speaking exclusively after the performance, Nyashinski described his creative process and vision for “Yariasu.”
“I would describe my new album, Yariasu as a pan-African album. At the same time, I know where I come from; I know the fans that made me who I am, so there’s music in there for them too. It’s a lot of risks, a lot of risk-taking, different sounds but at the same time cohesive. I worked on it for eight months and I’m excited for the world to hear it,” the artist revealed.
The conversation got even more personal when he discussed ‘Becoming,’ the album’s closing track.
“The last song in my album is called ‘Becoming.’ It’s a very honest album because it talks about how people love you some days but may fortune love you forever. I’m just a product of my parents’ prayers, being surrounded by people who love me and care about me. I can’t really take the credit for being around in the music industry for this long. It’s not just me and things I’ve done, it’s also people who have surrounded me and sacrifices they’ve made, things they’ve done that I didn’t even see them doing. I’m just grateful. But it’s definitely not a one-man job, it’s teamwork.”
The listening party comes as Nyashinski recently signed with Sony Music Africa, marking a significant milestone in his career and providing international distribution muscle for his latest work.
“Yariasu” is set for official release on Friday, September 19th and is expected to showcase the artist’s evolution while maintaining the authentic storytelling that has earned him fans across East Africa and beyond.
