Offended: Nonini immortalises fallen Gen Z in new song

U.S.-based rapper Nonini has released the much-awaited song Offended 2. Speaking exclusively to TNX, Nonini said the song was recorded when everything was aligned—the right time, the right place, the right mood, and the right feeling.

"Smallz Lethal has always wanted to do a song with me. The original song was done in 2018 when he was talking about the Kisii governor back then. He had been sending the instrumental for quite a while, but when the protests started, he sent it again, and with the emotions, the country was in, I felt it was the right time, so I did something on it and shared," he said.

The godfather of Genge intimated that when he heard the beat, it gave him the right vibes while remembering the fallen Gen Z, as he had read about the sad ordeal in the news and saw it on social media.

"I told myself that I must mention them to immortalize them because mentioning people in songs is powerful so that anyone who sings the song will remember them. When Smalls heard my work, he was surprised and got the same feeling and wrote his verse. At the same time, there was this guy (Willie Oeba) I had been seeing doing spoken word on matatus, which really impressed me, so I asked him if he would mind being part of the project. I connected him with Smallz, and he did his part. Issa Sizzo is a revolutionary artist based in Dandora Hiphop City, and that’s how I Am Offended 2 came into being. It was really easy working with these artists—they are dope guys—and then I gave Ayo Visual Pictures the video to put together. It was crazy," he told TNX.

Not one to shy away from spitting the truth, Kisii Rap Kings founder Smallz Lethal is no stranger to controversy. His original song was a diss track directed at the former Kisii Governor, James Ongwae.

In his usual manner, Smallz Lethal has taken offence with the current regime and went on to criticize the recent appointments made by President William Ruto to the cabinet, with the opposition being put on the spot, including former Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho, who was appointed to head the Ministry of Mining and Blue Economy.

"Hiyo kiti umepatia Joho ni hatari sana…" raps Smallz in his verse.

Kenyans at large were quick to react to the release, including former Cabinet Secretary for Defense Eugene Wamalwa, who posted on his X account:

"Hii ni more than just music, we are offended…" he posted.

Kisii Senator Richard Onyonka also posted the song, praising the creatives for documenting police brutality and calling out bad governance.

"So elated to see our young people document history quickly enough through creativity and art. Well done Nonini, Smallz Lethal, and the rest. This is our country; let us stand for it and fix the broken system."