If memory serves me, I remember rhumba did tackle social issues in our Kenyan society much as it is considered music for good times.
When hip hop gained a footing Kalamashaka were heavy with the socially conscious themes, but with the splinter of Ukoo Flani Mau Mau it seems serious interrogation of our society ceased to show up in mainstream music.
Not that people do not like that type of music because a lot of us speak of that era with nostalgia and are excited whenever any of those guys puts out something new.
Where is the disconnect? Is it the media not giving us the airtime or is it that the charismatic artistes are ignoring the need for our music to be diverse?
Everything that we sing about is somehow linked to what’s happening in our society or in our minds. With a rotten society comes rotten music. Garbage In and Garbage Out. It takes a hardworking artists to create golden content that will resonate with people’s reality while still being entertaining and creative. That’s alot of skill.