Muthoni ndonga biography

Muthoni Drummer Queen

Kenyan rapper, drummer and cultural entrepreneur

Muthoni Drummer Queen or Muthoni Ndonga is a Kenyan rapper, drummer and cultural entrepreneur.[1] Her music genres include hip-hop, reggae/dancehall and soul/blues.[2] She produces alternative electro-hip-hop music and founded the festivals Africa Nouveau and Blankets & Wine in East Africa.[3]

Early Life And Education

Muthoni Ndonga was born and raised in Nairobi, Kenya. Her adolescent aspirations included becoming an artist, but she was discouraged by her parents due to their traditional values.

Growing up, she channeled her passion for music through school choirs until 2004 when, as a student, she organized her first concert with the help of her friends. In 2008, after having obtained her diploma in international relations and philosophy at the Kenya’s United States International University Africa (USIU Africa), with the intention to increase the visibility of alternative music in Kenya, she founded the festival 'Blankets & Wine'.[4]

Artist

Muthoni the Drummer Queen rules Kenya’s music scene

When Muthoni Ndonga first got into music, it wasn’t to become “the Drummer Queen,” as she’s now known, or “one of the most successful event organizers in Kenya,” or even “boss lady.”

It was to get a break from her stifling boarding school, she says. By joining the school’s drumming club, and then choir, she could go on tour with other students and get some relief from an educational system that prized test scores, uniforms, and even uniform hair styles above individuality.

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"Turn on the Lights"

But she says it still took her a while to realize it was OK to become a professional musician and not the doctor or lawyer her parents hoped she’d become. “I spent six weeks in university in Nairobi pretending I was going to become an economist,” she laughs.

Maybe some of that economics training paid off, since Muthoni is now CEO and founder a hugely successful monthly performance series called Blankets and Wine. Acts from all over Africa perform in a casual and fa

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