Kenyan quartet Just A Band is, well, more than just a band. Daniel, "Blinky Bill", Jim and Mbithi are four artistic visionaries that combine electronica, jazz, hip-hop, and disco, to form their own eclectic sound. In an effortless fashion, Just A Band is able to sing sweet slow-tempo songs, such as "If I Could" , and transition to the more electro-dance sounding songs, "BoogieDeeBweet", without missing a beat.
The band's unique sound is equally matched by their exceptionally innovative, artistic, and fun music videos. Their first video, "Iwinyo Piny", shows a young man on the animated Nairobi streets having the worst day ever, while a DJ on a flying turtle in the sky plays music. Following the release of the video, Just A Band received their first Kora Award nomination for Best African Video Clip.
To date, the video for "Ha-He" the second single from their second album, 82, has garnered the most attention. "Ha-He" is a spoof on early blaxploitation films and features the character, Makmende. Makmende, meaning hero in Swahili, and the video became the first meme and viral video generated from Kenya.
Americans, especially, were so enamored with Makmende that CNN did a special feature on the video and Just A Band; subsequently, this led to more opportunities for Just A Band to perform in the States. Earlier this year, the band performed at South By Southwest Music Festival in Austin, Texas and more recently shared the stage with Theophilus London, and Malian group Amadou and Mariam, in New York City.
Check out the video that made Just A Band go viral. Remember: Makmende doesn't watch videos, videos watch him. Enjoy!
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