Scene One:
2001.
Close to 7:00 PM.
A lift hurtles up to the 19th floor of Lonrho house, Standard Street, Nairobi.
Inside the confined space are three dudes.
One is tall, like, really tall, and skinny.
Lanky is the word.
The one beside him is short and visibly shy.
2001.
Close to 7:00 PM.
A lift hurtles up to the 19th floor of Lonrho house, Standard Street, Nairobi.
Inside the confined space are three dudes.
One is tall, like, really tall, and skinny.
Lanky is the word.
The one beside him is short and visibly shy.
Early signs show that he would be plump later in life. He is not thaaaat short, but standing next to Tall Dude, he looks just about Mwala’s height. Tall Dude and Shy Dude look as hood as hood gets. Effortlessly.
Dude 3 is not hood at all.
Or, at least, does not look it.
Dude 3 is not hood at all.
Or, at least, does not look it.
He has that easy, cool confidence of someone who would know the response to “otherwise?”
It is Tall Dude who starts talking. He is the social one. He says hello to Cool Dude, introduces himself, then introduces his friend, Shy Dude.
Finally, he hands over a CD.
It is Tall Dude who starts talking. He is the social one. He says hello to Cool Dude, introduces himself, then introduces his friend, Shy Dude.
Finally, he hands over a CD.
[google “compact disk” if your first presidential memory is Kibaki]
Tall dude hands over the CD and says,
“Hii ni ni ngoma yetu ya kwanza. Tunatafuta airplay.”
They are hoping he can listen to it, maybe play it on the radio once or twice?
Cool Dude takes it and says he will check it out.
“Hii ni ni ngoma yetu ya kwanza. Tunatafuta airplay.”
They are hoping he can listen to it, maybe play it on the radio once or twice?
Cool Dude takes it and says he will check it out.
Scene Two:
Way past 7:00 PM.
Carnivore Grounds.
3 young guys on a stage, rocking the shit out of talent search mics.
Simba Star Search. Very cryptic.
There are three judges as well.
Suzanne Gachukia. Then called Kibukosya.
Maurice Oyando.
Cool Dude from the lift.
Way past 7:00 PM.
Carnivore Grounds.
3 young guys on a stage, rocking the shit out of talent search mics.
Simba Star Search. Very cryptic.
There are three judges as well.
Suzanne Gachukia. Then called Kibukosya.
Maurice Oyando.
Cool Dude from the lift.
A few months later.
Remember the three dudes from the talent search? They made the song!
The room is chock full of radio presenters, DJs, media personalities… basically all the gate-keepers you can think of. Apart from St. Peter from the Pearly Gates.
Remember the three dudes from the talent search? They made the song!
The room is chock full of radio presenters, DJs, media personalities… basically all the gate-keepers you can think of. Apart from St. Peter from the Pearly Gates.
The song ends. Opinions are welcomed.
They HATE it!
One DJ, unschooled in hip-hop, culture says that it does not even have a chorus.
Of course, this was before Dreamville hit us with a whole song called “No Chorus” whose chorus is the fact that Shit ain't got no chorus.
They HATE it!
One DJ, unschooled in hip-hop, culture says that it does not even have a chorus.
Of course, this was before Dreamville hit us with a whole song called “No Chorus” whose chorus is the fact that Shit ain't got no chorus.
Someone points out a line about the police and says there is no way they would broadcast it.
No, the group is not NWA.
This dude is scared of The Very Late Former Dictator of The Republic Of Kenya. Moi is president.
Only two people are willing to play it. One is Bob Kioko.
No, the group is not NWA.
This dude is scared of The Very Late Former Dictator of The Republic Of Kenya. Moi is president.
Only two people are willing to play it. One is Bob Kioko.
The other one is Cool Dude from the lift.
Scene Three:
A Young Man who lives between a bed and a keyboard gets a phone call.
Someone on the other end says that he has recommended him for a job. Can he show up at a certain place with all his musical pzazz?
Definitely!
He has been looking for such an opportunity.
A Young Man who lives between a bed and a keyboard gets a phone call.
Someone on the other end says that he has recommended him for a job. Can he show up at a certain place with all his musical pzazz?
Definitely!
He has been looking for such an opportunity.
He shows up.
The task: make a commercial jingle from scratch.
He shows out.
In 15 mins.
The client is befuddled.
20 years in music, he'd never seen such brilliance. He offers Young Man a job: inhouse producer.
Young man did not even know there was a title for what he did.
The task: make a commercial jingle from scratch.
He shows out.
In 15 mins.
The client is befuddled.
20 years in music, he'd never seen such brilliance. He offers Young Man a job: inhouse producer.
Young man did not even know there was a title for what he did.
The guy who recommended him for the job and made the call? You guessed it.
Cool Dude from the lift.
Cool Dude from the lift.
Back to scene one.
Remember lanky Tall Dude and Shy Dude?
Well, this is how the intro went,
“Huyu ni Clemmo, mi ni Jua Cali... Tuko na record label. Inaitwa Calif. Hii ni song yetu ya kwanza tumeirelease.
Inaitwa “Ruka” Ndo hii CD.”
Remember lanky Tall Dude and Shy Dude?
Well, this is how the intro went,
“Huyu ni Clemmo, mi ni Jua Cali... Tuko na record label. Inaitwa Calif. Hii ni song yetu ya kwanza tumeirelease.
Inaitwa “Ruka” Ndo hii CD.”
Back to scene two.
Those three young guys from the talent search? The song they made that everyone, apart from two people, refused to play? It went like:
“Tafsiri Hii
Maisha Kule D ni mazii
Ninalia nikitumia M.I.C…”
It would transform Kenyan hiphop.
The groups name is...
Those three young guys from the talent search? The song they made that everyone, apart from two people, refused to play? It went like:
“Tafsiri Hii
Maisha Kule D ni mazii
Ninalia nikitumia M.I.C…”
It would transform Kenyan hiphop.
The groups name is...
KALAMASHAKA!
Remember scene 3?
The dude who did not even know he was a producer?
He took the job. It was at that same studio that he helped propel Kalamashaka’s career.
And Hardstone’s career
And Sheila Mwanyigha’s career.
Necessary Noize’s.
Gidi Gidi’s.
Maji Maji’s...
The dude who did not even know he was a producer?
He took the job. It was at that same studio that he helped propel Kalamashaka’s career.
And Hardstone’s career
And Sheila Mwanyigha’s career.
Necessary Noize’s.
Gidi Gidi’s.
Maji Maji’s...
He produced this song for heaven’s sakes:
Now listen carefully to the intro. Hear that name at the end of the intro?
The name is Tedd Josiah!
That was the young man.
Now listen carefully to the intro. Hear that name at the end of the intro?
The name is Tedd Josiah!
That was the young man.
Oh! Cool Dude in the lift?
You know him.
Anyone who grew up near a TV or radio in the 90s knows him. The younger ones might know him from that ad that ended with:
“Fikiria, boss, fanya hio hesabu. Wacha mpango wa kando!”
His name is Jimmy goddamn Gathu!
You know him.
Anyone who grew up near a TV or radio in the 90s knows him. The younger ones might know him from that ad that ended with:
“Fikiria, boss, fanya hio hesabu. Wacha mpango wa kando!”
His name is Jimmy goddamn Gathu!
Jimmy Gathu is so fucking underated!!!
First, no one even talks about his music career.
I mean, apart from the very important message, some people might understand why you would choose not to talk about that Matatu Song. But he had other material!
Even more important:
I mean, apart from the very important message, some people might understand why you would choose not to talk about that Matatu Song. But he had other material!
Even more important:
If it wasn’t for Jimmy, we would not have Tedd Josiah!
We would not have Jua Cali!
Or Clemmo!
Or Calif Records!
At least not in the way we know them now.
If it was not for Jimmy Gathu, we would never have had Kalamashaka.
We would not have Jua Cali!
Or Clemmo!
Or Calif Records!
At least not in the way we know them now.
If it was not for Jimmy Gathu, we would never have had Kalamashaka.
No exaggeration. Kamaa K-Shaka? The one Juliani describes as the philosopher in the group discovered hip-hop while in primary school.
This was in the late 80s early 90s though. The only thing you could stream was aa tiny river.
This was in the late 80s early 90s though. The only thing you could stream was aa tiny river.
Secular music, leave alone rap, was considered the devil’s personal mixtape.
Only one TV show played it. On Mondays.
It was called “Rap Em”. Kamaa would run from school to go catch this Rap Em. Rap Em planted the hip-hop seed in him.
Whose show it was?
Jimmy Gathu!
Only one TV show played it. On Mondays.
It was called “Rap Em”. Kamaa would run from school to go catch this Rap Em. Rap Em planted the hip-hop seed in him.
Whose show it was?
Jimmy Gathu!
Give Jimmy his flowers pls. They are overdue.
We are growing our own flowers, but the subsidized fertilizer hasn't reached us yet.
Help us buy some in the meantime: linktr.ee/tefb
Help us buy some in the meantime: linktr.ee/tefb
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