RABBIT'S 'ORUTU YA MASUDI' ALBUM REVIEW

                                                                                                                    By Nasta 

According to The Chinese Zodiac, the period 3^rd February 2011 to 22^nd January 2012 has been referred to as the year of the Rabbit. Bring it home and you find a rapper named Rabbit, who has experienced a tremendous rise since getting into the game two years back.

Early in the year Rabbit released a critically acclaimed mixtape titled ‘King’, but as it has come to pass, this rapper wasn’t going to let the year of the Rabbit pass by with just mixtape as the only offering (bearing in mind that the next year of the Rabbit will be in 2023), hence he dropped a sophomore album Orutu Ya Masudi.

Having been around during much of the production of this album, my anticipation of the final product wouldn’t have been overemphasized. But then again, I needed someone else’s perception before finalizing my review. Chris Prodigy a seasonal Hip-hop enthusiast states that “One thing which is conspicuously noted; in Orutu ya masudi, Rabbit tends to overly utilize his prowess when it comes to storytelling and he appears to be more confident and complacent” he also adds that, “Orutu is more of an introspective album, compared to Tales (Rabbit’s first album) which is more lyrical”

This album opens up with the intro track “Masudi” in which we hear an old man’s voice calling on the village people in Dholuo (Luo language), asking them to come and listen to him (the old man) play Orutu(a traditional musical instrument amongst the Luo community) . Rabbit then steps in saying that the old man is Masudi, his grandfather and states that it is from his grandfather where his musical journey started. The intro, Masudi is a careful balance between lyrical punchilines and poetic consciousness that unveils a very reflective and sensitive side of Rabbit.

Better days featuring Aziza the band, is the second track-a definite favorite to any female listener. The track is a sad relationship saga, where one partner travels for overseas studies, only to return and find that the once upon time love has faded off and no longer as strong as it once was. The live instrumentation is something very refreshing and soothing to the ear.

Punguza is a witty feel good song in which Rabbit aka Kaka Sungura narrates about his conversion with a girl at a bar in Kisumu, the wittiness in the song comes when Rabbit can’t understand the girl who only communicates in Dholuo, and the girl can’t understand the rapper who only speaks Swahili. Rabbit calls his friend Nebulaz (A Kisumu based rapper) to help him out, only for him to get sliced by Nebulaz. Though not a totally new concept, as it follows on Noorah's Lugha Gongana hit, it is still a track that one wishes to listen to, and would receive a favorable DJ play from your favourite pub.

 

Now, if you are into the deep meditative kind of Hip-hop, here is where you get enjoy music. "Najikataza nisi iangalie juu hio uni haunt kila mara/ lakini jana yetu ndio ufanya kesho imara" these are the opening lines to, Yesterdays;  a very deep and introspective song where Rabbit incorporates three different personal stories with respect to personal conflicts, family relations, love and loyalty friendship. Equally deep and Personal is Mama, a song dedicated to his mother Queen Liz.

Twisti is a definite big tune that when released promises to take  Kenyan party scene  by Tsunami as the official party anthem. Sampling the tune and voice of the late twisty legend mzee Daudi Kabaka, the track is good bridge between the our fathers’ zilizopendwa kind of music, and the new age rap music.  As much as it is a party anthem, the rapper still does good with flickers of wordplay every so often throughout the song.

Both Bangaiza and  Lazima kuhappen follow the party theme that is in Twsti, and if your life revolves around clubbing in the big city, then you need to add these two tracks on your favorite track list. While Bangaiza proves that when done right, the crunk beat is still relevant and very danceable, lazima kuhappen is on some grimy beats that would work well with a lyrical slaughter track.

Taxi driver featuring Poet cum obakano player & singer, Grandmaster Masese has a great movie like story line, only that the bumpy beat that fuses the Obakano string, tends to overshadow this one hell of a story.

 

Following in the story telling trail is a tragic Hiphop ballad titled ‘Kiwewe’ in which Rabbit introduces the coastal based vocalist Bwenyenye. Kiwewe is a type of song that every beautiful girl would wish to hate, but still play it over and over again.

Bwenyenye whose style of singing can easily be mistaken to Bongo music, proves that he too can get conscious. On  Kaza Moyo he is incorporated by Rabbit alongside a very conscious and lyrical Dann Dan of the 125 crew, to present a socio-political conscious rap. Kaza moyo is a testimony enough that Rabbit is far from abandoning his Hip-hop roots, and that revolution mindset that Kshaka set rolling years back is far from waning off.

Rabbit alongside Bwenyenye(left), with a fan during a recent concert.

Staki Kukuona has been around for quite sometime now, and if you haven’t listened to it, then “nani tembea, na staki kuku ona”

Both Takeova ft. Qritikal and Kata na Shoka ft. Kijana Masha and Ordinary, exposes Rabbits's lyrical side that was exposed in his debut album and his King Mixtape. On the former track produced by Sniper, Rabbit steps to stamp his authority amongst his industry peers. The song opens up with the lines;

"Wakikazana na ma omena, mi nina bigger fish to fry"  

then proceeds 

"Nina mimba ya mistari na mi uzaa kila siku/

ninapendwa na umati, we ni nani unionie wivu/

hii crown nimevaasio rahisi vile una kiche"

While on the former Ordinary proves to match Rabbits's lyricism thus far , Kijana Masha of Kalahari tends to come-through abit off-key with his rhymes.

Salam Aleikum featuring Ngallah of the group Yunasi is a calm concept track, narrating a marriage ceremony between a coastal lady (Rehema) and Luo lad (Otieno). The instrumentation of the song is purely acoustic and a good one for any wedding. It is amazing how Rabbit’s style blend well with Ngallah’s, as they give you a feeling that they’ve been a musical pair for eons.

Freedom is Orutu’s second track from the bottom, and it heavily uses the silky voice of Christine Apondi-the only idol we get to see, since the last edition of Mnet’s Realty TV. This highly intellectual song is yet another well crafted concept track, highlighting different meanings of what freedom is to the rapper.

Christine Apondi

Unlike in Tales of Kaka Sungura, which finishes with a vote of thanks outro, Orutu ya Masudi is closed on a rather aggressive note. Kredo ya mkopo the album’s final track is a subliminal diss to a wide array of artistes, most notably those who are in the habbit of bad mouthing  rappers who receive airplay as being ‘commercial’. With lines like “Heshimu miaka/ unafanya nini kwa playground na watoi" and "Ati US tour na uko club ndogo Alaska/so ile doh unakanjwa uko ndio na kanjwa hapa" the song comes as an indirect retaliation to Collo's Kuwa Mpole, which was widely viewed as a diss to Rabbit. The two rappers are both claiming the 'King Wa Rap' title. 

All said and done, this album shows growth and progression of Rabbit as an artiste.  He has come off-age to understand the dynamics of music, and more than ever before, he shows just how comfortable he is working with different producers (who include Sniper of G'ganji, Provoke and Dice amongst others). Overally out of a 60 minute rating Dakika gives this album which retails at Ksh.250/= and comes with a 2 hour Documentary DVD, a 45 Mins.