How did Diamond Platnumz become the biggest artist in Kenya?

There is no denying that Diamond Platnumz is the biggest artist in and from East Africa.

To say that Diamond is the biggest artist in Tanzania or Kenya would be an understatement. You can play or book Diamond Platnumz at an event in any part of Kenya, and you are guaranteed that people will be willing to pay money to see him perform and know the lyrics to his songs word for word. Diamond is not a superstar; he is a Mega Star. Diamond Platnumz is one of the few artists who can boast of having collaborations with Alicia Keys, Burna Boy, Davido, YG, Rick Ross, and Jason Derulo, not to mention countless other collaborations with legendary artists like Awilo Longomba.

Whether you are walking in the streets of Nairobi, Paris, Miami, Ghana, or Cape Verde, it is not uncommon to hear Diamond’s music being played. He has become a global superstar, and his voice and style are now unmistakable from anyone else’s, even those he has influenced or tried to imitate. In Kenya, many artists have created a lane for themselves for sounding like Diamond, but there can only be one Diamond. Beyond music, Diamond is a businessman with interests in the media industry, being the founder of his Radio and TV station, Wasafi Media. Diamond is also the owner of a record label, WCB Wasafi, that is responsible for introducing into the music industry Rayvanny, Harmonize, and Mbosso, to mention just a few. It would be impossible to mention the number of brand ambassadorships that Diamond has, but some long-term partnerships Diamond has continued over the years are his deals with PEPSI and Belaire.

Yes, Kenya has Bien, but Bien is not Diamond. The dream is for Kenya to one day have several artists on Diamonds level. We cannot disrespect the OG, and it is incredible to see the empire that Khaligraph Jones is building through music. It is truly inspiring, but even Khaligraph knows that Diamond is King. Diamond is not Kenyan, but his music is the most popular in the country. In 2022, when UDA went with Hatupangwingwi, ODM flew in Diamond to up the stakes. No Kenyan artist can quote or charge what Diamond does, not even Nyashinski. Not currently. As we celebrate 20 years of the legendary P Unit, we remember when P Unit was bigger than Diamond, and now Diamond is the “neighbor” who blew up, and we all remember the few times we got to hang out. We don’t just want to hang out with Diamond or see Diamond headline another Kenyan event. Kenyans will forever love Diamonds music and they should because the music is damn good, and the man is a marketing genius. We will never play it over here unless it is a feature or collaboration with a Kenyan artist, but what we would love for is for a Kenyan artist out there looking to make it in music to study the journey and approach that Diamond used to become not an African superstar but a Global artist.

As a Kenyan, would you attend a masterclass hosted by Diamond Platnumz? Limited access.

What questions would you ask him? Would you be willing to pay for this? We are not talking about some reality TV show. We are talking about cameras off real-life discussions with Naseeb Abdul Juma Isaack. For 2 hours, you are in a room with Diamond. What are you trying to learn?

How did Diamond Platnumz become the biggest artist in Kenya?