Initially the song received little airplay due to its unconventional musical style, but with time they started to gain popularity through underground channels.
The video has subsequently been described as Kenya's first viral internet meme by the Wall Street Journal, CNN and Fast Company.
[4] The fictional backstory of the band states that the trio was formed on 7 February 2003[5] and lists their disparate origins: Dan had just returned to Kenya from three years of travelling with a Touareg caravan led by Hazim Barghai... Bill had no idea where he came from, having spent 13 years of his life under hypnosis.
He came to his senses sometime in 2002, finding himself living in an abandoned convent in Limuru... Jim spent many years of his youth serving Arabic coffee in the coffee and opium dens of Kilgoris...[6]The group explained in 2016 that "The band has been active since 2008, and we held it in our heads as a burning idea for five years before that.
"[7] Just a Band released their debut album, Scratch to Reveal, on 17 May 2008 accompanied by self-made music videos for the singles, "Fly", "Iwinyo Piny" (using 2D animation) and "Hey!"
The video—a spoof of blaxploitation films, featuring a fictional superhero protagonist named "Makmende", sparked an online sensation and has since been described as "Kenya's first viral internet meme".