The year started with an interesting conversation in the Kenyan music industry after artists like Femi One and Khaligraph Jones publicly called out people constantly giving them advice online. Their message was simple — not every opinion being thrown around on the internet is helpful, and sometimes artists just want to create without the constant noise of unsolicited guidance.

Over the years, Kenyan artists have had to deal with a unique situation where almost everyone with an internet connection suddenly becomes a music strategist. From timelines on X to comment sections on Instagram and TikTok, artists are constantly being told what kind of music they should make, which collaborations they should do, how they should roll out their projects, and even how they should brand themselves. The problem is that many of the people dishing out this advice have never experienced the realities of being an artist.

That is why the pushback from artists is important. When Femi One and Khaligraph Jones spoke about it, they were essentially drawing a line between genuine industry critique and random commentary disguised as expertise. Loving Kenyan music does not automatically make someone qualified to give professional advice on how an artist should run their career.

The situation has become even more confusing because artists are now exposed to thousands of opinions every time they release music. One person says the artist should go commercial, another says they should stay underground. Someone else says they should jump on a trending sound, while another insists they should remain authentic to their roots. In the middle of all that noise, the artist is left trying to figure out which voice actually knows what they are talking about.

Of course, critique and conversation are healthy for the industry. Bloggers, media personalities, and critics have always played a role in shaping music discourse. But there is a difference between analysis and instruction. Not every fan needs to become a career advisor.

At the end of the day, artists are the ones living the journey. They understand their audiences, their creative direction, and the realities of navigating the music business. The recent call-outs simply remind everyone that while opinions are free, expertise is not something you just wake up with because you streamed a few songs.

Maybe it’s time the timeline relaxed kidogo. Let the artists cook — advice ikibidi, itoke kwa watu wanajua hii game vizuri.