THESE ARE OUR HEROES

Story by Chris Prodigy
Photos: Courtesy

October   is here with us once again, with it comes a great significance to us as a Kenyan people. Even of greater significance is its 20^th day, a day that has been set aside to accord our heroes the respect they deserve. when I  talk  about  our heroes I’m referring  to  Dedan Kimathi, Tom Mboya  and other heroes on the same spectrum. I consent  the above mentioned  played an imperative  role in liberating  Kenya, but  I also think  iconz like  K-shaka  also deserve to   be accorded the same respect   as our heroes.  I also think they (Kalamashaka) deserve more than footnote coverage in the history book.  I am not being disrespectful  to our founding fathers, but ask  a  person who has grown up in the 80’s  and 90’s , who he can identify more easily with; K-shaka  or our founding father? Don’t get me wrong I’m not undermining  what our heroes  did, some went to the extent of sacrificing their lives , in order for our country to be liberated and I  applaud them  for that- no sarcasm or pan intended, seriously I applaud them straight from the heart.

After gaining independence  we thought  that  our country will be the land of milk and honey,  bt the harsh reality begun to seep in,  the justice system became  the mockery of freedom, poverty begun to bite, people were judged according to class, being a youth was a crime, if you were from the ghetto that made it worse, you were eligible to catch a bullet, We lacked the medium to express ourselves, being poor was seen as a kind of  Nemesis and we were contended  with that state,  mental liberation was a mirage.  

However, in 1995 something happened; a Swahili rap trio was formed consisting of Johny Vigeti, Kama and Roba Oteraw. This marked an era, an era of revolution. The group boldly addressed police brutality, the issue of poverty , and classism; Before Kalamashaka  mere mentioning of the  poor man’s  pain and  fighting for justice was synonymous to  welcoming the grim reaper, being in the ghetto was like serving  a life sentence behind mental bars , hope  never existed in our dictionary, but thanks to K-shaka  for substituting the word despair with hope. There lyrics were not only captivating, but  the lyrics were also enlightening , impossible was substituted  with we can, breaking free from the mental bondage  was  likened to wishful thinking  , but through their lyrics they made it a tangible reality, their lyrics were beyond mundane, the knowledge they kicked  could be equated to the mind behind the pyramids. They moved the crowd not with the “kapuka” oriented themes, but with kinetic wisdom, everything they kicked was bereft of ignorance. I can safely say that K-shaka paved way for other hiphop artists  and I find it preposterous when some rappers who are lyrically breathing, because of K-shaka  acting rather impertinent, it’s like trying to bite the hand that feeds you. Yep, I agree that K-shaka should be the epitome of morality that the youth should adhere to, but it should also be noted that nobody is perfect, everyone has his flaws.

Jay-z once said, “How does it feel assessing something from the outside looking in, most of the times you might be wrong”.  I know it’s debatable if Kalamashaka have lived up to the legendary status, bt someone once said, “Before you judge, walk a mile in my shoes and you will get the clear view”.

Next time the nation will be glued on TV immortalizing our founding fathers, I will be bumping Ni wakati, Nairrobery, Dandora Burning and other legends who befit the honors. Before I sign out   I would like to big up the meager section of the media, true hiphop fans and other like-minded individuals for showing love to the legends.

L-ness: Queen of The Jungle Roars

Interviewer: V.O
Editor: Nasta
Photos are artiste's own, unless otherwise

Saturday aftay am on my way to meet and endeavor in life experiences plus with what it has to offer, an expedition into my journey with hip-hop.
Am meeting up with a lady whose roots in this music genre, in Kenya per say run deep. So deep, her DNA pattern traces RAP, KICKS & SNARES, PUNCH LINES, as part of its composition you know the ingredients with this music.

LIONESS AKA L-NESS a trip into her relationship with hip-hop. We get into the holistic approach of hip-hop embodying the body, mind and spirit of this discipline. Yes believe that, we go that deep.

Subtle is how I depict the mind of this lady. Gentle, but with insight revealing she’s more than a woman, more so the reason as to why neither hip hop nor her can do without either one.

With L-NESS the feeling is nostalgic with words as she maneuvers in Swahili and English then Sheng AMAZING is what she exposed. (Am not kissing a** but this girl can box a man ‘yaani akuingize Box’).

DM: Why hip-hop?

L-NESS: Hip-hop is a lyrical revelation of real life experiences, this is a sentiment shared all around the world, it’s more of a culture you know a way of living it is what is real. Viewed from a worldwide perspective it’s not a facade or a trend meaning it’s never going away.

DM: First hip-hop experience on stage?

L-NESS: I remember Kenyatta University Culture Week; flippin 32 bars on stage, it was amazing that was the most fascinating experience ever I think they were not prepared for a female Spitta, neither did I, I was to do 16 or 20 bars then leave the stage but the audience kept me going it was amazing, one of my first connections with a crowd.

DM: At a studio?

L-NESS: It was at Samawati studios. I think I remember k-south flava was there, ABBAS alikuwa anaitwa Jerry Dobeez 'doobeezism' yeah........ Hahahahahahaha…Wow nakumbuka they used to say I sounded like 'lady of rage'............. man memories......

DM. Wow you go that back, cool….

DM. Hip- hop influences?

L-NESS: KRS-1 & Kalamashaka.

DM: When did you know this is what I want to do?

L-NESS: While in high school. I listened to a lot of international hip hop, I never staged at all but I used to right lot lyrics sometimes day dreaming rocking a stage, a lot of times I did a lyrical review of tracks I was into music....

DM: Other music affairs that is interest in other genres?

L-NESS: I grew up listening to a lot of music, from reggae to soul, Abba music with cords jazz until I started secretly performing.

DM: Secretly performing?

L-NESS: Yes as a child I did that a lot holding an item as a mic performing to an imaginary crowd with lyrics from soulful sounds hmmmmmmmm memories.

DM. Album you’ve listened to from the beginning to the end?

L-NESS: I believe it was KRS 1. I can’t remember the title but the most outstanding song was ‘still no. 1’

DM: Most powerful song u relate to?

L-NESS: Ken & Kalamashaka – KKK and KRS 1 - am still no. 1

DM: What inspires you when writing or composing music?

L-NESS: Reality, life everything that’s happening.

DM: Parents?

L-NESS: Both of them are alive, they are very supportive, professional teachers’ ooooh n my father was a music teacher….

DM: Kids?

L-NESS: I have 2; a son and a daughter; Paul and Subira.
DM: Beautiful !

DM: J.U.D.G.E?

L-NESS: What about him.....

DM: Let’s talk about Judge, L-ness and Hiphop

L-NESS: Judge has a smooth vibe to his element of art, am more hard core. His beats are more of cords mine just hard out there.... we share the same sentiment lyrically, we go deep lost in thought..........but at the end of the day we complement and critique one another.

DM: Mziki inalipa?

L-NESS: Inalipa wakisema ilipe, but we r on a verge of making it pay. Hatuta ngoja tena now we do it ourselves, ngoja uone.

DM: On music and survival..

L-NESS: Nowadays it’s about show n biz (show and business). And you know if you work so hard on either one there has to be an area that suffers its either there’s too much show and no business or too much business and no show, I don't know but that’s the way it is right now.........

DM: First single you did?
L-NESS: Rusha mikono.

DM: Profession?

L-NESS: Field nutritionist.

DM: Wow how is that experience?
L-NESS: That’s a whole other world, there more to life that what people focus on…. I can say am blessed with life to see what it has to offer and live through whatever experience…..

DM: L-NESS as an artiste?

L-NESS: Hhhhhhhhhhhhhmmmmmmmmmmm she is dynamic rapping, Tae Kwon Do, singing, graffiti she’s multi- talented.

DM. Hold up……. Tae Kwon Do?

L-NESS: Yes am a red belt

DM; What?

L-NESS: hahahahahahahahahaha lazima u keep fit u know, it’s like when u r on stage u need to be fit to keep it going, I mean I would have also been a b-girl if it came to it- lazima ujichunge.

DM: On books?

L-NESS: Yes I read on a wide array of stuff. Bible code, enemy unmasked, angels and demons, great controversy, bible Koran yeahhhh.

DM: What keeps you going?

L-NESS : God, talent – for its god given, faith, purpose, prayer, encouragement, mentors,,,, yeah.

DM: When do you get time to do all this you know music, projects personal time you know?

L-NESS : Lazima.......... you create time, life is so fast with the daily responsibilities, hustles and everything. Time management is important. When am in the mood I even wake up at early 3am or 4am in order to start getting things done.

DM: 3AM..........
L-NESS: Yes, it’s silent every 1 asleep a proper time for meditation no interruptions when writing. its amazing how sacrifice can get you doing more, amazing...... dedication and hard work.......... with purpose and intention.

DM: Projects…

L-NESS: Sauti za mabinti staging female hip hop talent.
Gal power, a platform to show case Kenyan, Tanzanian and Ugandan female mc's.

DM: what should the people LOOK OUT FOR.

L-NESS : 16 Bars a female hip-hop show for radio.
Sauti za mabinti October 2011
Gal power albums anticipate the album from around November to December 2011.
Get the L-NESS an album know what L-ness is about.......

DM: There's an album? cool

L-NESS : Titled 'Simangwe' features include Kevo from K-force, judge, Abass. Yes get the album its L-ness at her finest 'simangwe'.

DM: How do you handle critisism?

L-NESS : I look at it from a constructive point of view; I gauge whatever is said in order to improve my work. Destructive criticism just ignore that sh** but eventually learn from it.

DM: What keeps you going?

L-NESS : God, talent – for its god given, faith, purpose, prayer, encouragement, mentors,,,, yeah.

DM: What tv programme are you enjoying now?
L-NESS : Changing times its quality is amazing.

DM: If you were not doing what you are doing right now

L-NESS : I would have been a lawyer.

DM: WHAT!!!

L-NESS : I actually wanted to get into that before I got to Nutrition
Otherwise I am hip-hop forever. The lyrics do not stop and never will its eternal.
They think they can stop it but they can’t this is because it is beyond their powers. The game is bigger than that.

DM: Who has hiphhop enabled you to meet and you think that they are amazing, or never thought you would meet ever in your life.

L-NESS: Mama C, she’s in Tanzania she was with the black panthers in America plus all that was happening then, aside from all that I think she is a very enlightening person, open and really true.

DM: Tell me something that i dont know

L-NESS : K-shaka used to be known as 3-D crew when I knew them.

DM: Finally

L-NESS: “It ain't gon neva stop”........ hahahahaha, do you know I never actually listened to 'Nas' until I started. Never in my life (pause), if I missed out on him-I do not know how it would have been.

DM: TRUE DAT.............

OTHER WORDS BY L-NESS (quotes)
There's a connection between music and the heart
Search for the truth most of it is written.
I try to maintain a dynamic perspective with my reading habits.
If you don't do it who do you expect to do it?
I’m more of purpose driven lyrics more of what is not commercialized.

Intellectual Property: What you need to know

To many it must had been seen as an attempt by Vanilla Ice to make a come back to the limelight, when he went to press about a month ago claiming that Suge Knight never held him by his ankles, off a 20th-floor balcony back in 1989. Whether his claim is true or not is of little importance at the moment, what matters is what led to the alleged confrontation-Intellectual Property (IP). Apparently cool had sampled a material from Knight’s company without consent.

Though the said material never became popular, the heavy framed Suge Knight bullied Vanilla Ice into signing over royalties from his smash Ice Ice Baby and a percentage of dough from the white boy’s hit song went to him. 

Bring it back home (for those who don't know am Kenyan). The year is 2004, Kleptomeniacs are topping the chat with the big tune Tuendelee, but there's disquiet in the streets, reason being “niendele ama nisiendele” which klepto altered to “tuendele au tusiendele” are words by Johnie of k-shaka. About a year prior to this one of Tanzania’s greatest emcee professor Jay, was trading punches with Kenya’s kapuka sensation at the time Logomba's over the use of the Former's phrase “Piga Makofi tafadhali”.

About 36 months later, the hapo sawa hit maker was at it again, this time with uganda's chameleon over the latter’s use of nikusaidaje instrumental which was a collaborative effort of professor Jay and Feeroz. Again cause of beef intellectual property. 

Proffesor Jay

A street legend has it that Kalamashaka would be millionaires today living in the suburbs and pushing fancy wheels, had producer Ted Josiah (allegedly) not played them, in their contract with the cigarette maker Benson&Hedges in the late 90s. Almost a replica script set the reel rolling on the 2007 ‘street court’ drama regarding the monthly event, WaPI. The battle had Muki Garang’ and Mwafrika standing on one side, while Buddha Blaze, his management firm SparkAfrika, and British Council on the other. Once again intellectual property came into play, with Muki claiming that WaPI(Words and Pictures) was his brainchild that had been hijacked by Buddha Blaze. In defense, Blaze stated that there had been a competitive bid to manage the event at British Council, and through his company he emerged the victor (the two have since recociled). 

Question is what is intellectual property? This is a work or invention that is the result of creativity, such as a manuscript or a design, to which one has rights and for which one may apply for a patent, copyright, trademark, etc.  Earlier today I had the privilege to attend a workshop on IP at the Nailab, moderated by patent agent Dr. Isaac Rutenberg.  

The overriding message at the seminar was the constant need by creatives to protect there God-given invaluable idea as through  a patent, copyright, or trademark, and to read keenly that contract before spilling ink to paper with a signature. 

Suge Knight’s body size might had helped him get his way to Vanilla Ice’ account, but you may not be as lucky. The likes of L.O.X, Dr. Dre and recently Young Buck have had to see huge sums of their creative earnings unduly going to other people’s pocket, for not understanding contractual terms and conditions.

P.S: This post is copyrighted so, don't copy meeeeeeeeeee! (In Missy Elliott's voice)   

The Peace Petition Tour to Dandora: A Hip-hop perspective

 

Over the weekend, the country’s most influential rapper Juliani , teamed up with his friend and fellow dread-locked London based rapper Emannuel Jal from South Sudan, as well as the award winning photo journalist Boniface Mwangi, to take a group of Kenyan media men and women to a tour in Dandora. Though it was dubbed a Peace petition tour, I opted to look at it as a Hiphop pilgrimage of some sort.

This tour to ‘D’ the birthplace of Kenyan Hip-hop (otherwise known as Hiphop City), started at around 1pm in the heart of NCBD (in-between Kencom and Hilton Hotel), it had us pierced us through Juja Road-the pass way to hoods in eastlando such as Pango, Mlango, Mathare, Moi Forces, Huruma, and finally DANDARA. 

We stopped at Dando’s Shell petrol station, where we were Joined By Juliani, Agano and other Ukoo Flani Mau Mau members who drove in with swag in a convoy of two vehicles, one of them being Juliani’s new sleek Mercedes Benz C240. Dressed in a pair of silver sneakers, blue-faded jeans and a white RBG t-shirt covered by a green collared white converse jacket, Juliani seemed all set. His grand entry had me thinking of lines like Nataka kudrive  Macedez/Lakini mafans hawataki kubuy ma cdz and Tumaini siku moja chapa utakuja ku ingiza/Utakuwa ndani ya cedo uki ishia kula hepi from his Mtaa Mentality single, and Roba’s (of Kalamashaka) verse on Tafsiri Hii respectively. 

 

Soon after the arrival we started our tour on foot to Dandora dumpsite, where all of the city’s garbage find a dwelling a place, while here we had an opportunity to interact with hoodprenures who are making a treasure off all the trash on the dump site- amongst them being a dude called Woko and a group of ladies calling themselves Cobra Squad (No relation to Alfie Mutua). Juliani spoke fondly of the dumpsite as being a source of income to a number of people in the hood, he also termed it as the place where they could come for ciphers with Agano and others to horn their lyrical prowess.

Juliani with Robert Alai at the dumpsite

Mdoda of Mzuka Ent with Agano

I got into a quick chit-chat with Agano the one half of Wakamba Wawili and Ukoo Flani Mau Mau member, who revealed to me that Kama of Kalamashaka was in the U.S working on a solo album that will soon be out. We also spoke of the tracks he had recorded before the 2004 Kilio Cha Haki’s lead single Fanya Tena, which featured amongst others Juliani and Kitu Sewer. It was interesting to see the beautiful ladies that we were with, notably Rozan (Jal’s publicist) parading designer’s attire on the junk. As we left the dumpsite to the Mau Mau Camp, a kid singing Juliani’s Hela paused and called out “Juliani, ata sisi pia tuta fika”-If that’s not inspiration, I don’t know what is. I learnt that the Dumpsite will soon be transferred to Ruai area and the vast-acreage piece of land be transformed into a park.

Once at the Mau mau Camp we were ushered in by Hip-hop sounds that were blazing so hot you could hear Fire Brigade sirens, not to mention the aroma of Nyama Choma and Pilau. At the entrance, who was better placed to welcome us than one of Kenyan Hip-hop pioneers, Roba a.k.a Otero of Kalamashaka (To put it to record, am no groupie, but on this occasion I got star-struck).

Inside the venue we met other media personalities like Tim Njiru (formerly of look and learn, art Scene, N’Sync etc). The smash DC na Sisi played just long enough to allow the event to kick off. Juliani took to the stage bigging up his hood Dandora where he was born and bred, Ukoo Flani Mau Mau for nurturing his skills, Muthoni (Grongi’s sister) who was the hostess, and the hommies he grew up  and schooled with especially Pablo-who was in attendance. He also gave a brief history of how the camp came into being before inviting Boniface Mwangi for a word or two.  by this time Emmanuel Jal had already stepped into the venue straight from the airport where he had landed a few minutes back. Bonny’s (Boniface Mwangi) reference to Kitu sewer “Generation ya condom kupasuka kwa ku totosheka” sent everyone to stitches.

Despite a power blackout and heavy showers, the event still took place seeing a thought-provoking discussion regarding Kenya’s future-that brought back memories of Kalamashaka’s verses of yester-years, as well as the launch of an sms petition for peace, under the Kenya Ni Kwetu banner, (a collaborative project of Juliani’s Kama Si Sisi Iniative, Boniface Mwangi’s Niko Tuko, and Emannuel Jal’s We Want Peace campaign). This petition via a text code 595, is seeking to get 1 million text submissions pledging to up hold peace in the run up and after the 2012 General elections.

As we were leaving I got into a discussion with Mdoda of Mzuka Entertainment,  on ways to market and promote Positive Hip-hop. A definite good story to write about, for another day though…