Sammy Boy calls out Amapiano event over repetitive performances, says there was language barrier
By Katemarthason Okudo, August 30, 2026Kenyan forex trader and content creator Sammy Boy has criticised a major Amapiano event held in Nairobi, saying the performances became repetitive and left him wanting a wider mix of music.
In a video shared on his Instagram page on Sunday, August 30, 2026, Sammy acknowledged that the event was well organised but questioned the decision to have Amapiano dominate the programme for most of the night.
His comments came a day after The Most Wanted & Friends Africa Live Tour opened at Uhuru Gardens in Nairobi on Saturday, August 29, 2026.
Sammy Boy praises event organisation
Despite his criticism of the performances, Sammy said the event itself was well planned, praising the security, stage and general organisation. He, however, drew a line between an artist simply appearing on stage and giving the audience a full performance.
“The event was okay, security was top-notch, there was no chaos, the stage was perfect, but there is a difference between a performance and an appearance. I think most of them just made an appearance,” he said.
The festival featured South African and regional Amapiano and 3-Step acts, including Scotts Maphuma, Dlala Thukzin, Nkosazana Daughter, Thukuthela, GL_CEEJAY and Jazzwrld.
‘You cannot have Amapiano the whole night’
According to Sammy, the biggest problem was the lack of variety during the event.
He argued that even though Amapiano has a large following in Kenya, the audience could have enjoyed the genre more if it had been mixed with other types of music and performances from Kenyan artistes.
“You cannot have a whole 50,000 people listening to Amapiano the whole night,” Sammy said.
He also questioned why visiting South African artistes could not work with Kenyan musicians during such events. Sammy suggested that collaborations between the two sides could give audiences a chance to enjoy Amapiano while also creating room for Kenyan music.
Language barrier raises concern
The content creator also raised concerns about the language used in many Amapiano songs. He noted that several popular songs are performed in South African languages, which can make it difficult for some Kenyan fans to understand the lyrics.
“Most of their songs are not in English or Swahili. Some are in Zulu or other South African languages, so people may not understand what they are singing,” he said.
Sammy stressed that he enjoys Amapiano music but felt that having too much of it in one event affected the experience. “I love Amapiano beats, I love Amapiano songs, but not extreme, not extra. Just a few of them, we are okay with that,” he said.
Sammy praises selected performances
While criticising much of the show, Sammy singled out Jazzwrld, Tugudela and GL_CEEJAY for praise. He said their performances stood out and gave the audience something different from the repeated format he had observed elsewhere during the event.
He also suggested that future events could benefit from more Kenyan artistes and collaborations rather than relying almost entirely on one genre.