When it comes to music, it has so many diversities that we can’t single it out but we can generalize it with no prejudice whatsoever.
Today thought we are going to have to single it out and narrow it down to hip hop alone.
Only Hip Hop…
With many up-and-coming musicians coming up from different backgrounds, we sure can say that Kenyan music is soon going to be a competitive market –if it’s not already- for anyone trying to penetrate it.
Through the years we have seen how music can quickly elevate you and make you be a household name, we saw through E-Sir who completely changed the game and paved the way for the new urban dope artistes that we have today.
Don’t get it twisted, we can’t forget what the late Poxy Presha –may his soul rest in eternal peace – did to the Kenyan industry by introducing to Kenyans that anyone can rap and sing in their native language and still make REAL music.
After Poxy Presha released his luo track dubbed ‘Dhako Kelo Wich Kwot’ it changed the whole perception of music in Kenya that music can only be related to when you sing and/or rap in English. After this, we saw many artistes like Yard Man, Mighty King Kong, Necessary Noize, Jawabu, Gidi Gidi Maji Maji and passed down the burning torch to great artistes like E-Sir, Nameless, Wyre, Nazizi, JuaCali, Nonini, Octopizzo, Kayvo KForce, Khaligraph Jones, Maluda, Jaguar and the list goes on.
All I am trying to say is that Kenyan music has history and this is why one up and coming Kenyan hip hop artiste called Urban Jiwe – who hails from one of Nairobi’s ghetto slums called Huruma, commonly known as H-Town – is here to cement his name in the history books of Kenyan music as well.
Biggest Kaka had the privilege of having an interview with Urban Jiwe and he had some interesting things to say about how he came to love the art of music and how being in love with music made him escape the vices of the ghetto.
This is how the interview with Urban Jiwe went:
Biggest Kaka: What’s your name?
Urban Jiwe: My name is Stephen Musemi alias Urban Jiwe
Biggest Kaka: Why Urban Jiwe?
Urban Jiwe: I gave myself that name because of the troubles I have gone through in the ghetto
Biggest Kaka: What troubles are you talking about?
Urban Jiwe: Being chased by police for no apparent reason and doing menial work just to survive
Biggest Kaka: What made you enter the music world?
Urban Jiwe: I felt like I had music talent that I could tap into and curb the negative vices around me
Biggest Kaka: What really made you choose the music life?
Urban Jiwe: Because I saw how my peers were killed because of burglary and robbery while women were dying because of prostitution and told myself to use music to survive.
Biggest Kaka: Were you at some point involved in these vices?
Urban Jiwe: You know sometimes when you can’t find any work to do and man must eat, you have to do things that you’re not proud of.
Biggest Kaka: But you left behind those vices?
Urban Jiwe: Yes, Thank God I did.
Biggest Kaka: What made you leave them behind though?
Urban Jiwe: Maybe it’s God because I can’t say that I changed myself because I don’t have the power to do that.
Biggest Kaka: Now you’re talking about Ghetto life, which ghetto are you from?
Urban Jiwe: H-Town, Huruma massive
Biggest Kaka: In the next few, you being in the industry for three years, do you have anything to show for it?
Urban Jiwe: Yeah, I can say I have something to show, though I haven’t recorded any song, I can at least say that I have gained confidence in myself
Biggest Kaka: What songs should we expect from you?
Urban Jiwe: Songs are many, there’s song I plan to release called ‘Kipusa’
Biggest Kaka: tell me more about kipusa
Urban Jiwe: She’s a ghetto girl who I used to fancy
Biggest Kaka: Now, back to music, what’s your new project?
Urban Jiwe: I am currently looking for sponsor to help record my music, : If I get a sponsor, I will be very much happy to get into studio
Biggest Kaka: are you sure?
Urban Jiwe: Yes I am very sure
Biggest Kaka: Can you do a freestyle now?
Urban Jiwe: Yes I can
He goes on to do a freestyle…
Biggest Kaka: What’s that song called?
Urban Jiwe: it’s called ‘Asante Mola’
Biggest Kaka: Why is it called that?
Urban Jiwe: I wanted to thank God for what he done for me thus far though I haven’t reached where I want to be.
Biggest Kaka: Awesome! So if you were to have a collabo with anyone in Kenya, who would it be?
Urban Jiwe: I would love to have a collabo with Rabbit
Biggest Kaka: Why Rabbit?
Urban Jiwe: Because Rabbit has punch lines
Pretty much this is how the interview with Urban Jiwe went but if you want the raw footage you can listen to it here below, the interview was in the Sheng slang.
