DAY 24 of 70 -🎵 Biceps - Juliani ft. MC L.C 💿 Album: Mtaa Mentality (lead single) 📅 Released: December 18, 2008 ✍️ Written by: Julius Owino (Juliani) 🎚️ Produced by: Eric Musyoka ✅ 🎥 Video directed by: Edu Gee 🎶 Genre: Hip-Hop | Swahili, Sheng 🎵 THE BACKSTORY: Juliani has described "Biceps" as the official single off Mtaa Mentality — provocative, creative lyrics designed to spark real conversation, wrapped in a groovy beat that made it an instant favorite among hip-hop heads. Genius.com has noted that few Kenyan rappers matched this song's lyrical depth at the time, and it played a major role in establishing Juliani's reputation early in his career. 🎵 WHAT THE SONG IS ABOUT: The central message is simple but powerful: manhood isn't defined by physical strength, and beauty isn't defined by outward appearance — the chorus repeats that even the toughest person cries in crisis, and worth runs deeper than biceps or nail polish. From there, Juliani unpacks a series of sharp observations about appearances versus reality — people performing toughness, faith, or wealth while masking who they really are underneath. He touches on double standards around money, religion, and image, weaving in Kenyan cultural references, biblical allusions, and even a nod to American civil rights history along the way. The song closes reflecting on intimacy, commitment, and the idea that some boundaries — like marriage — exist for good reason. 🪞 THE WRITING STYLE — UKOO FLANI MAU MAU INFLUENCE: Juliani has spoken about how his time with Ukoo Flani Mau Mau shaped his approach to lyricism. He credits Kama of Kalamashaka as a major influence — describing him as less a rapper and more a philosopher and historian, someone whose deep knowledge of world history and events pushed Juliani to read widely and write with more depth. In that collective, complexity wasn't a flaw — it was the standard. Verses weren't meant to just fill 16 bars; they were meant to tell a story worth sitting with. Juliani took that principle and refined it into his own style: simple, punchy lines that still carried weight and made listeners think from a different angle. 🪞 MY PERSONAL LAYER: This song rewards patience — the writing is dense enough that I've had to sit with it more than once to catch everything Juliani is doing. One line in particular took me nearly two decades to fully understand: his reference comparing wearing white to potentially hiding something sinister. It wasn't until I watched a mid-90s courtroom drama exploring racial injustice in the American South that the reference finally clicked for me. Once I understood the historical weight behind it, I heard the entire song differently.❤️ 🎯 46 more to go 💫 #Biceps #Juliani #EricMusyoka #MtaaMentality #70DaysOfDecimal - @ayotadhiambo