Summary

Bongo Flava is a popular Tanzanian music. It is a fusion of American Hip-Hop and traditional Tanzanian music styles like Taarab and Dansi. Also, Modern Bongo Flava has heavy Afrobeats influences.

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HistoryThe word “Bongo Flava” is an adaptation of “Bongo Flavour”.  “Bongo” seemingly refers to the plural form of the Swahili word Ubongo which literally means brain and is also a sobriquet used to describe Dar es Salaam, the city where the sound originated from.To survive in Dar es Salaam or Tanzania, one needs intelligence; hence the nickname.
Bongo Flava’s inception can be traced to the 80s when an underground music movement inspired by the United States’s Hip-hop/Rap culture swept across Tanzania.
In those early days, Tanzanian artists from middle-class homes across Dar es Salaam such as Oyster Bay and Masaki, who were exposed to American Hip-hop/Rap songs, began to make music that borrowed heavily from Hiphop. However, things started to change towards the late 80s and Rap began to develop in Tanzania as people from all walks of life now had access to Hip-Hop culture which meant they could express themselves through Rap.
A defining moment for Bongo Flava occurred in 1991 when Saleh Jabeh a.k.a, Saleh J rapped over the instrumental of Vanilla Ice’s hit record “Ice Ice Baby”. He recorded the track in 1991, and sold it to distributors throughout the city; shortly after, his name gained recognition in Dar es Salaam.
The song became very popular and inspired early Bongo Flava superstars like Hard Blasterz, Kwanza Unit, Professor Jay, Marlaw, Dully Syke, Nakaaya Sumari, Stara Thomas, Daz Baba, Lady Jaydee, and Mr. Puaz, to follow the formula. The most remarkable thing about this track was that Saleh J rapped in Swahili, and at the time no other Tanzanian artiste had ever done that, so a movement of artists who were unafraid to express themselves in their mother tongue was born. 
 Bongo Flava artists expressed their outrage and commented on important subjects through their music. “Kiswascentricism” was the name given to the trend in which artists made songs about happenings in their country.
Over the years, Bongo Flava has evolved from its default Hip-Hop style with a focus on rapping about politically charged topics to embracing other musical styles like R&b, Dancehall, Reggae, and Afrobeats while staying true to its traditional Tanzanian music roots.
Today, Bongo Flava has massive support from other East African countries like Uganda and Kenya and globally with global superstars such as Diamond Platnumz, Rayvanny, Alikiba, Zuchu, among others.
Elements 
Form and Style

Modern Bongo Flava music have heavy Afrobeats influences, hence the introduction of electronic keyboard, catchy chords and other brass instruments. There is also prevalent use of melodic instruments. The melodic instruments used in Bongo Flava are majorly synths and guitar

Singing Style

Aside the melodic singing style in this genre, the major languages used in Bongo Flava are Swahili and English. Bongo Flava vocal style is influenced by the traditional tanzanian music. In recent times, due to the increased influence from Afrobeats and features from Nigerian artists, Nigerian slangs and words are used in Bongo Flava songs.

Theme

Bongo Flava explores themes of love, social issues, and daily life. Artists often address cultural identity, relationships, and celebrate the diverse Tanzanian experience through their music

Culture

In more recent times, Afrobeats from Nigeria has influenced Bongo flava heavily, including the rhythmic patterns and the slangs used in the genre.

Timbre

Arrangement