Daudi Kabaka (1939–November 2001) was a pioneering Kenyan singer popularly dubbed the “King of the African Twist.” In the 1960s he cut defining hits of the independence era: “Harambee Harambee,” released in 1964 and embraced as a near–second national anthem; “Helule Helule,” first issued with George Agade in 1966 on Equator Records and later a UK Top-20 hit for The Tremeloes in 1968; and the dance-floor staples “African Twist” and “Western Shilo.” His work sat at the heart of the Equator Sounds scene and helped shape Kenya’s urban popular sound. Kabaka’s records became part of Kenya’s cultural soundtrack and the wider zilizopendwa canon, with frequent reissues keeping the catalogue in circulation decades later. He died in late November 2001 in Nairobi, with contemporary reports and later retrospectives affirming his status as a foundational figure of the post-independence music scene.