Nokia Announces “Don’t Break the Beat” Auditions

By Eric Akasa

Nokia Tuesday announced the first round of auditions for the upcoming “Don’t Break the Beat” competition. This campaign, linked to the Nokia Asha range of mobile phones, centres on an East African wide search to find the definitive rapper, also known as a “cypher”, amongst the youth.

Aspiring rappers in Nairobi get to impress the judges first, when auditions are hosted on Saturday, 14^th July from 09:00 – 17:00 at the Nairobi National Museums. Successful contestants from these auditions go on to battle it out at club nights and national finals, competing with rappers from across Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania for the coveted East Africa title, and a whopping 250,000 KES in prize money, as well as a brand New Nokia Asha mobile phone.

A panel of expert judges has been rounded up to assess the best cypher talent East Africa has to offer. They include: Nazizi; Point Blank Evumbi; Eric Musyoka; Joey Muthengi; Frasha (Francis Amisi) and DJ Joe Mfalme. Their votes carry 70% weight in the final judging. The other 30% will be consumer driven, with voting open at each round on the You Tube channel so everyone gets the opportunity to support their favourite!

“The youth in East Africa are all about self-expression and music is an important part of our culture,” says Angela Githuthu, Marketing Activation Manager for Nokia East Africa. “The Nokia Asha range of mobile phones is designed specifically for these vibrant, young consumers, offering freedom of choice across the range which now offers two new models - the Nokia Asha 202 and Nokia Asha 305. We are bringing these devices to market through the Don’t Break the Beat campaign which marries the youth’s desire for individuality expressed through music, and the wish to have phones that are socially connected and super cool.”Adds Githuthu.