Alikiba talks about his long-awaited album as he recommends 50% airplay for Kenyan musicians

Alikiba has been working on his album for the last ten years, however, with good reason, he says.

Speaking in a media interview, he said he feels the long preparation of the album was worth the wait as he needed it to have a Pan-African feel.

According to Alikiba, his fans wanted a different taste of music other than what the artist is used to, which is Bongo Flava, hence collaborating with African artists such as Khaligraph, Patoranking, and Sarkodie among others.

"I had been receiving many complaints from fans outside Tanzania, who felt like all I did was Bongo Flava music.

"I felt I need to address that by collaborating with different African musicians like Khaligraph Jones, Patoranking from Nigeria, Sarkodie from Ghana among others to create a pan-African album. Definitely, such an ambitious project takes a while to complete but I am glad we are here now," said Alikiba.

The title of Alikiba's third album 'Only one King' reflects his eighteen-year-old music career as a reigning singer.

"I have been doing music at the topmost level for the last 18 years... I took a three-year hiatus and when I came back I still reclaimed my spot...tell me how many artists have you witnessed taking a long sabbatical and still manage to come back and reign?" he posed.

Alikiba also weighed in on the ongoing debate in regards to the state of Kenyan music, a topic fueled by comedian Eric Omondi.

According to Alikiba, airplay and performances for Kenyan musicians should be fifty per cent while all international artists should compete for the rest of the fifty per cent.

"Here is what I think. Kenyans should have 50 per cent of their content on airplay as well as performances. The other 50 should be left to be scrambled for by foreigners," he said.