“Safaricom brand ambassador Hubert Mbuku Nakitare commonly known as Nonini has recently done a super cool ad courtesy of Safaricom PLC. The ad acted by Nonini tells a story of how Safaricom affordable call rates made him do the seemingly impossible in real life. It tells a story of how his sister who was graduating on that day forgot her graduation cap at home. Nonini later called their parents to get the cap from home but later they got stuck in traffic, he went on to call a ‘boda boda’ guy who got the cap to the graduation ground just moments before his sister’s name was called out. Nonini was named Safaricom brand ambassador barely a month after he resigned from PRISK where he was the chair.”

“The Genge ‘Godfather’ Hubert Mbuku Nakitare popularly known as Nonini is set to launch a online cab service. Speaking exclusively to Niaje.com the singer who is also Safaricom’s brand ambassador said that the app will take good care care of drivers who will be earning more money. Y’all know that the customer’s safety is key in taxi business. Nonini went on promising that all the customers who would use Cab Africa will be secure and comfortable all through their ride. In a screenshot seen by Niaje.com, the app has three categories. Basic, luxury and comfort categories which has pocket friendly cost. This move comes a month or two since he stepped down as PRISK chair. Nonini was later called out as Safaricom’s brand ambassador and now he’s here launching something great. Check out the app’s features below;”

“What qualifies someone as the best? To offer sound judgement, we need to use the following indicators: impact on the culture, number of hits, work ethic, ability to entertain and the presence of natural talent. Nonini is the only one who managed to extensively push boundaries and challenge social norms while still remaining likeable. No other performer had courage like him. He enjoyed incorporating bold, shocking and hilarious thoughts in his music, at a time when our society was still very conservative. What about his work ethic? He became famous in 2002 yet he is still releasing good music up to this day. You don’t find that kind of longevity anywhere. Artistes who ruled the airwaves with him back in the day have faded into obscurity. He is still there. Then there’s the ability to entertain. I remember how kids would cram his songs. When I was a kid, Young Nation used to post lyrics to various songs. We would cut out those sections and stick them in exercise books.”

“Its always proper to give credit where its due.that said i think nonini is the most gentleman musician in Kenya.he has demonstrated his kindness in inumerous ways including going out of his way to meet the needs of other people especially the disabled who have been ignored for years and to empower them.not because he has much money,but bcz he knows his name will be able to reach out for many people thru sensitization to participate in that otherwise noble course.call it courage if you must,but i call it being a human in the most unlikely times.how many musicians do that? most of them participates in self indulgence practices that they have forgotten who they are,where they come from or at least that they are mere human beings.others have begun to see themselves as demi-gods.i think we should appreciate people who do the little things that change lives in extraordinary ways other than the vice Vassar”

“When most people think of albinism, the genetic condition in which a person is robbed of their melanin, the beautiful pigmentation element that makes Africans seem so dark and regal, comes to mind. In countries such as Tanzania, the local witchdoctors associate the condition with magical powers that has led many to source for albino body parts so as to make their powers even more potent. This demand ofcourse led to a cruel trade in albino body parts to as unscrupulous and cruel individuals hunt albinos. In some cultures, albinos are shunned for their lack of “homogeneity” to the standard of looks and thus have been ostracized from mainstream society. A couple of years ago, Nonini, the Godfather of Genge set out to do something about this. Something that will mark a lasting change in the lives of those marginalized because of this condition:”

“As far as theme nights are concerned, Nairobi is yet to have a serious African night within its precincts. Clubs tend to do a naija nite kind of setting playing way too much Nigerian music to the detriment of other countries’ music. If the news reaching us is anything to go by, that is about to change. African music just got a shot in the arm thanks to Mojo’s lounge, Nairobi. Dubbed Destination Africa Wednesday Night, the event will see big time Deejay Rickie mfalme play the best music from all over the continent. Hosted by none other than Nonini himself together with Gibbz daqchild. Make a date this and every Wednesday. Mojo’s lounge is where it’s happening.”

“SELF-PROCLAIMED genge Godfather, Nonini, is still the highest earning Kenyan music artiste according to the Music Copyright Society of Kenya. The genge maestro bagged the award for the highest earning artiste at the second annual StarTimes-MCSK Gala Awards held on Saturday at the Safari Park Hotel. The awards attracted the who-is-who in the broad music entertainment industry and feted the industry's key players who lit the entertainment stage throughout last year. Kigeugeu hit-maker, Jaguar bagged five awards and gospel songstress Sarah K was another big recipient with three awards. Among other artistes feted were Collo, Madtraxx, Ringtone, Uncle Konias, Alice Kamande, Marion Shako, Paul Mwai, Kidum, Habida, Ousmane and John Junior. - See more at: http://the-star.co.ke/news/article-129179/nonini-still-mcsks-top-earning-artiste#sthash.OX3QtiQA.dpuf”

“http://www.hipipo.com/music/news/2041/Nonini-Is-Most-Popular-East-African-Artist-On-Facebook--Bebe-Cool-Is-4th”

“Nonini tops highest earners list, again! Singer Nonini has topped the list of the highest earners again. The Godfather of Genge was the highest earning artiste during the recently declared interim distribution of royalties for performances in public places covering the period July 1, 2012 to October 31, 2013. Nonini topped the list of broadcasting royalties covering the period between July 1, 2011 and June 30, 2012. The royalties included amounts paid out as license fees during the period. Nonini told Word Is, “People think that I’m being paid for one song but it is for my three albums and getting the royalties is humbling for me, more so because it shows wagenge are requesting for my music.” He added, “I’m encouraged that artistes are getting paid even up to a million shillings in royalties; it shows these copyright bodies are working on behalf of artistes.””

“Nonini has offered to donate each and every coin that is generated from the viewing of his music video titled Colour Kwa Face featuring Christine Apondi, on YouTube. The proceeds from the viewing and likes will go to his Colour Kwa Face Sunscreen Campaign that donates sunscreen to help children with albinism counter the harmful effects of the sun's ultra-violet rays. He wrote on his Google Plus page, “For every view the Colour Kwa Face video gets on Youtube, the money generated goes towards the Colour Kwa Face Campaign to buy sunscreen lotions for persons living with albinism who cannot afford them.””

“Rapper Hubert Nakitare or Nonini to his legion of fans, is the artiste whose music is the most played in Kenyan TV and Radio according to Music Copyright Society of Kenya. The announcement was made today when MCSK announced the royalty distribution for Performance in Public Places royalties for July 2012 to September 2012 and unveiled the top ten earners in the category. Nonini topped the list of artistes whose music was the most played based on the MCSK collections. They did not provide the numbers though. The process of determining the top earner was by use of log sheets obtained from radio and television stations to make these distributions and also use statistics obtained from sales of music. Closely following Nonini was Maji Maji’s company, Ivory Music, Jaguar who took position three, the late Angela Chibalonza was the highest earning gospel artiste coming at fourth place, Wyre took fifth followed by Habida. David Makali’s company Sound Africa settled at 7th.”

“Kenya’s crème de la crème of the music scene scooped prestigious accolades as the who’s who in the industry, from different generations, graced the inaugural Music Copyright Society of Kenya (MCSK) gala awards, last Saturday. The best in the music industry graced the exclusive dinner ceremony with classy attire. It was a black-tie event after-all and whenever you put celebs, there’s always that inherent need for one to stand out. With the cool ambiance, crisp lighting, and superb sound wafting throughout the Laico Regency, the event got underway shortly after 8pm. MCSK took this opportune moment to recognise and honour individual artistes for their toil and efforts in composing, producing and playing music. The MCSK Chief Executive Officer, Maurice Okoth, was at hand to award the accolades to the top earners across various media. With over ten artistes receiving awards from different media houses, top plaudits went to Hubert Nakitare aka Nonini for the artiste featuring in most”

“Owusu and Nonini have started a campaign, Colour kwa Face (drawn from Nonini’s Colour kwa Face song), to buy sunscreens and then distribute to albinos all over Kenya. Nonini is the face of the campaign. The learners received him with joy and enthusiasm. He performed for them. At one point during his performance, Nonini paused, and pointing to the words on the front of his T-shirt shouted, "We are all one!". "Be sure to apply the sunscreen," Munyere advised the overjoyed pupils before pensively adding that Kenya has lost five albinos to skin cancer this year. The campaign has already bought 500 sunscreens, the bulk of which is from Kenyans in the Diaspora. Nonini says they are not accepting money and donations are in kind.”

“Tuesday,10th April 2012 - Nonini, the ‘manzi wa nairobi’ singer has been on a helpful project that aims at helping children with albino counter the sun’s ultra violet rays that sometimes leads to skin cancer. The operation dubbed, ‘colour kwa face sunscreen campaign’ recently took to the Thika school of the Blind. The artist performed together with the kids and gave a motivational talk. He was joined by Big Ideas’ Willie Owusu and his Prohabo team and film director Aleks Kamau. What did the ‘Keroro’ singer have to say about the campaign? Why did he start the initiative? Nonini said, “I started a campaign for albinism to urge people to donate sunscreen lotion .I have identified schools that will benefit from the campaign .These will assist in hindering the risk of getting skin cancer if they play in the sun.” We hope to comprehend Nonini’s motivation behind this insightful campaign. Albino have been isolated from the public for a long time. Kudos Nonini!”

“Nonini’s 74,000 strong fan base on Facebook is without a doubt a distinguished achievement for any Kenyan entertainer. But it doesn’t end there. He tops it off with another 9,400 followers on Twitter not to mention his customised iPhone and Android mobile phone application, The Godfather, which sets him miles apart from his peers in the industry. The King of Genge’s impressive social media track record is further decorated by the successful launch of the video to his latest single, Hahe Remix, a redone version of the original song by Just-A-Band. The video which made its exclusive debut on Youtube and popularised through Facebook and Twitter is slowly making its way into local TV stations. SHUKRAN SANA WAGENGE TUKO PAMOJA KWA HII GENGE MSAFARA!”

“Rapper Nonini last week had a Facebook post reminiscing about the “good old days” when “Kenyan Music had the hype and flare that was back in the late 1990’s na (sic) Early 2000’s”. Nonini took his “Friends” back to a time when “We used to record music on Dat tape CDs... back then we didn’t have music videos so NTV sponsored a show where artistes would be picked up @ Nation centre & taken to a Warehouse to perform the song while they shoot the video 4 TV being paid 5k LOL).” Back then, everybody was stick thin, just look at Nonini’s pictures and laugh yourself to a comma, the industry didn’t have a cartel, it was first come, first served. Then stars started emerging. And the race stopped. No, there was no finishing line but once two or three people pulled further ahead, those behind took a break, others gave up. They thought the race to the top was done. What this did was that when corporates started spending, they took the few who were ahead and made them rich”

“Nonini and Lady Bee Another of Nonini’s protÈgÈs is relative and Mrembo singer Lady Bee. When she decided to come back to Kenya in 2007 after a stint in Dubai, Nonini practically took he under his wing and flew with her. Says she: "If you leave the industry for a few months, let alone years, you find a totally different scene". I wanted to re-establish myself as a musician. It was hard. Gladly, I hooked up with Nonini who was doing well then, to help me re-launch my career here. I gave him my album and he liked it; we then decided to work together." The two have collaborated on a number of songs like Kumbuka, Kila Mmoja and Genge Love. "Nonz believed in me and pushed me, and I’m forever grateful to him," added the musician who won the Teeniez Brand New Artiste award last year.”

“Nonini and P-Unit P-Unit’s involvement and collaborations with the much-known Genge artiste Nonini worked well in introducing the boy band to fans. Unlike many who release tons of songs before finally being recognised, P-Unit had paparazzi following them and journalists’ microphones being thrust on their faces at events right from the release of their first song, that Nonini helped publicise. ”

“1 – Nonini – He has been criticised for singing about sex in the past. But he defends that he was only singing about what was important to him at the time. What is crucial to him now, is the segregation and ill-treatment of albinos. Colour kwa face is his latest project. How can the birth of an albino lion or elephant be more joyous and wondrous than an albino human being? Help him buy and donate sunscreen…”

“But the act which made great stride in showbiz was Nonini with many hit singles under his belt and debut movie, Killa Moja. Nonini, for example, has been on the lead, having garnered massive international following through his website. He is the first Kenyan artiste to have a customised Apple Music application.”

“1.Utilization of resources-Nonini has an account on every single website I know of.This basically helps him reach out to his fans more. 2.Bond with his fans-When Nonini was in his tour in the US and I think *Dubai last year, you could tell every single thing he was doing. I mean he was up on facebook, twitter… fans back home are always eager to know what goes on out there. Nonini was a live news broadcast of his own tour. 3.Versatility- Nonini is giving his fans everything he has to offer and at the right price. He is not holding back anything. I mean movies, collaborations with international artistes. The musician basically unleashes every single weapon in his arsenal when he is out there. 4.Entrepreneurship- Nonini has a fast paced mind. He knows that Kenyans are living in other places of the world. These Kenyans, probably have a stronger purchasing power than Kenyans back home. So he goes all out and invests in technology.”

“In one of Nonini’s songs, ‘Ngoma Yako’, he says; ‘Sitaki kukumbukwa kama walio vuma, nataka mnikumbuke kama anaye vuma.’ In simple language, Nonini wants his music to hit even long after he’s gone, as he explains in the song. In Kenya’s music industry, there are quite a good number of artistes who kicked off their careers around the same time as Nonini, are either already in the ‘Waliovuma’ list, or headed there. However, there are still many artistes who have maintained their relevance in the industry. Such artistes include Redsan, Nameless, Wahu, Amani, Nonini, Jua Cali, just to mention but a few. ”

“Even more established stars like Nonini aren’t sitting back waiting for concerts, shows and endorsement deals to come their way. Brand Nonini has a team of ten people, permanently employed. "I am hungry, so I work harder. I am the first local artiste to have an Apple Nonini Music application available to my fans through their phones. It is now even on Android. I sat down with my software developers, worked on the concept, then approached Apple. They agreed. I’m sure they wouldn’t have come looking for me," explains the Kataa Hio singer.”

“THE DEAD BANKABILITY OF THE KENYAN ACTOR ENGAGEMENT WITH MEDIA. Zero engagement with media. Here I mean not just appearing in a newspaper article, but finding creative ways of being in the media without having been sought by the media to be in the media. Tweets, Facebook, online podcasts, directly related to you as a brand not you as an ego. This takes a few lessons from PR people, but few actors have PR people to advice them. I said advice, not employees (coz the monies aren’t that huge for actors here.). But hey, a coffee discussion with a PR person can reveal to an actor so much on how to tie in YOU+PRESS+SOCIAL INVOLVMENT/CAUSE that will lead to people buying not just your acting talent, but You as a brand. Ask Nonini, he even has a downloadable web application for the tech savy, and an interactive facebook for his target group of the young at heart.”

“Last sunday July 24th 2011 Kenyas Nonini graced the Big Brother Amplified stage in South Africa….This is a glimpse of how the rehearsals went down before the live show which was broadcasted to an approximate audience of 50 Million viewers in 58 countries!”

“Kenyan music star Nonini aka Hubert Nakitare treated the Big Brother Amplified contestants by performing live at the house this past sunday. Brought the house down by perfoming all his hits and made sure the performance was one to remember. Performing for close to an hour, the star thanked Big Brother for letting him showcase his stuff to the rest of Africa. Getting signed to Decimal Records Nonini released his first album titled the ‘Hanyaring Game’ in 2005, which was then followed up by his second album’ Mwisho ya Mawazo’ (Swahili for ‘End of Thoughts’) in 2007 and his most recent one titled The Godfather of Genge. Despite his recent altercation with a member of press the king of genge is defentley proving to many that he’s here to stay no matter what. Goodstuff is all we can say. Tune into DStv Channel 198 for all the latest in the Big Brother House.”

“Advancement in technology has led to new ways of marketing music. Over a decade ago, artists did not need to create a rapport with their fans through a social networking platform. Now this is essential for an artist whose craves commercial success. Although many African artists these days use social networks to promote their work, they have not fully utilised technology to their advantage.Godfather of Genge, Nonini is using the advancement in technology to his full advantage. He has collaborated with Apple Inc to release a free "Nonini The Godfather" application for IPhone, IPod and IPad. The artist has pioneered thisin the East and Central African region creating a marketing solution for many African artists. The application is now available in App store”

“Still on management, Nonini’s business approach to the showbiz industry sets him miles apart from other artistes. Nonini not only embraced it, but he got into it head first, lived by its rules, and is undeniably successful. His company, Pro-Habo, records music, shoots videos and organises for shows.”

“ A lot of artists come to the US for show and tours but normally the entertainment value is just the same – its the same set up.However when an artists gives 110% by himself it’s always a refreshing break from the monotony. In fact the only thing that sucked about the Nonini show was the fact that by the time Nonini got on stage the bar had closed (do the math go figure). Either way DJ Slim out did himself this time round I have to admit – coz the Show was on point from start to finish – so big up to you and your crew – I hope you can maintain the responsibility that comes with successful shows! I cant say enough about Nonini I respect the man and love him not only as an artist but as a person… Tumetoka mbali – keep doing your thing.”

“Hate him or loathe him, Nonini is making huge strides. He’s making quantum leaps. Call him a great thinker, call him a businessman, whatever the case, he’s one person who’s never satisfied with the cliché., the norm. Elevation and progression are probably what make him tick, giving him the propulsion he needs to stay ahead of the pack. He introduced Kenya to Genge music hence the name “ The Godfather “ Most recently, Nonini entered the digital world of film production by teaming up with veteran director Willie Owusu to make a movie called “ Killer Mmoja”. The movie tells the story of Genge music and how it gets 3 musicians into conflict with a wealthy family because of their daughters’ affiliation and association with the genre. It has a great cast to make the story flow. Kenyan movie production taking a leap for the better!”

“Nonini has added another feather to his cap - acting. He is set to appear in a new movie, "Killer Mmoja" a 2011 African Genge drama film, directed by Willie Owusu and Produced by Hubert Nakitare and Aleks Kamau. The movie stars Nonini (The Godfather), Lady Bee (The Queen), Chege Chigunda (TMK Wanaume), Introducing Hanako, Jaymz Kiama, Mustapha, Sandra, Stephanie and Danny. A movie about Genge and how it gets 3 musicians in trouble with a very wealthy family because of there daughters association to the style of music and the Artists. "Coming from a hood back ground genge and the musicians dont sit well with an upper class family! Dropping IN 2011..." read a statement sent to us by the rapper. From what we can see, this will be one brilliant movie, at least production wise since we can't judge on the script until we watch the film. We love the strides Nonini is making in his career. The movie's soundtrack will be released soon! ”

“Remember the little Zebra carving Nonini and P-Unit carried to their concerts throughout last year? Well, many were fooled to believe that the little Zebra had a ritual significance. "Contrary to what people may think, the truth is, and we were just doing it for fun and to get people talking." Nonini explains that he likes to be left alone in a bid to meditate and say a word of prayer before bringing the roof down. "The moment I get on stage things always seem to work out well for me," he notes”

“Nonini is the Godfather of Genge and, from his facebook page, the King of Facebook too. With over 50,000 fans on this page, Nonini is using social media effectively to pormote his music and sell tracks... He gave a presentation on how to use social media effevtively to market your brand and build your fan base using Reverbnation,Facebook and Twitter,iTunes,Youtube etc The TandaaKenya Symposium was organised by the Kenya ICT board and Google!”

“Master strategist Hubert Nakitare still impresses many with his transformation from a scrawny testosterone-filled teenager to a burly, business savvy man. His music seems to have grown with him too - it is visible in this album? Let's find out. "Colour kwa Face" featuring Christine Apondi is a brilliant track that challenges us to celebrate our differences as human beings. Nonini sure surprises us all when he starts by addressing albinism and how albinos are butchered in Tanzania. "Genge Love" featuring Lady Bee is a romantic track which Nonini creatively handles. You have seen the video and it is as classy as they come, only rivaled by “Kadhaa”. He has mastered the art of storytelling so well.You will love how he tried to portray his love for his girl with his material things. It does not come off as tacky, it's very tasty and you will smile a lot. The flow and vocals are to die for.”

“About Nonini? (noninimusic.com): Get The Godfather of Genge Today! Check out Nonini's Official website for all the latest Nonini News, Music, Videos and more! The Godfather of Genge in stores today! Noninimusic.com is ranked #596,258 in the world according to the three-month Alexa traffic rankings. Approximately 95% of the site's visitors are in Kenya, where it has attained a traffic rank of 1,194. The site's visitors view an average of 4.0 unique pages per day. Visitors to Noninimusic.com spend about six minutes per visit to the site and 71 seconds per pageview. About 10% of visits to the site are referred by search engines.”

“He is all grown up now and we loved the growth exhibited in this album. His physical growth can only matched by that of his talent. His music is well thought out, the writing is commendable and so is the new style. We were impressed with songs like "Colour kwa face," "Kadhaa" and "Genge Love." Few artistes have had the kind of versatility that Nonini has. He would have disappeared into oblivion when the fans rejected the over-sexed songs that he was so well known for like "Manzi wa Nairobi" and "We Kamu".”

“www.noninimusic.com”