Month: October 2012

Radio personality Kalekye Mumo opens up to Judith Mwobobia about her plus-size curves, a really bad day on the job and the difference between dating a man and seeing one.

Kalekye Mumo is a striking woman, the kind that owns a room the minute she walks in. I struggle to put my finger on her X factor. Is it her confidence, her smile, the way she walks? Then she speaks, and I have it: it’s her voice.

Kalekye Mumo has a voice that commands attention. A laugh that prods one to join in. Maybe that is what makes her such a popular radio queen, I think to myself as she strides through the Lion’s Place reception to meet me.

Kalekye, who has just wrapped up the Kiss 100 FM breakfast show for the day, is dressed in blue jeans, a patterned  blouse, wedge shoes and simple black jewellery. She certainly knows how to mix up the stylish and the comfortable. As we settle down at a table in the restaurant, I notice the curious glances from other diners. No doubt they’re wondering,  “Who’s that girl?”

That’s Kalekye Mumo for you. The radio host’s voice may be recognisable to millions of Kenyans, yet most can’t put a face to it – yet.

“It is always amusing to see people finally match up my voice to my look,” she smiles. “Most expect to see a much  slimmer woman, which I am clearly not!”

Like any other celebrity, the 36-year-old radio presenter is constantly in the public eye. In Kenya’s image-obsessed society, Kalekye just can’t escape the attention focused on her plus-size figure.

“I don’t have any weight issue. I am a curvaceous African woman. I go to the gym every day and my heart and  cholesterol levels are excellent. Isn’t being healthy what really matters?”

Her weight has never cramped her style, she says. What men find attractive in women is confidence. “My weight hasn’t stopped me from dating or meeting men, and if am not married, it’s only because I haven’t met the right man yet.”

Noting the sparkling rings on her fingers – three on the right hand and one on the left – I ask if she is currently dating anyone.

“Dating? No, not really, but I am seeing people.”

Dating, she explains, is what you do when you have zeroed in on your “chosen one”, while seeing people is the first step towards finding your “chosen one”.

So what kind of man does she want?

“I want a man who is comfortable with himself, who can handle a strong woman; a man who is not still looking for himself, but rather one who has already found himself,” she laughs. Oh, that laugh. Again, heads turn.

“Most of the men that hit on me are much younger, hence don’t want the same things I want. I want to settle down and have babies. My ideal man must be God-fearing, financially stable and a real man,” she explains.

“A real man is one who is in control. In my everyday life, I am always in control. I want to come home to a man who takes over the reins. I will let him. I can be submissive.”

Submissive? To a man? This comes as a surprise considering that the on-air Kalekye comes across as a free spirit, possibly even a feminist.

*This article originally appeared in the September 2012 issue of True Love

I ain’t NEVER seen Kalekye look as good as this!

 Kalekye usually strikes me in her other photos as the t-shirt na jeans type of woman who doesn’t mind too much about looking glamorous, but on the cover of the latest True Love issue, she pulled out all the stops, looking like a royal deity from ancient Egypt/Greece.

Here she is, decked out in a low-cut blue top, with gold earrings to match, and one of those ‘soul sista’ hair-dos that cultured ladies like to spot.

What do you guys think of Kalekye’s True Love cover? Hot or not?

“I like what you’re doing, man. Keep the music coming, keep doing it big, man. I like how it sounds right now. All I can say is, steer clear off the haters, find out who your support system is. Stick with those that won’t stab you behind the back because this industry got a lot of snakes, man. And go hard, think beyond this borders, too, you know what I mean? Think globally, act locally. And no matter what–bottom line–get to the money.”

That is the opening monologue on Lon’ Jon’s new music video for his single, Go Get It. The video features him getting hard on his grind as he is being followed around by cops. The ending is kinda hilarious. The Chris Sang-directed is impressively sleek and even got airplay on Channel O. Go Get It will be one of the tracks off his upcoming mixtape, Sea Sick.

The opening monologue is done by Bamboo as advice to one of the hardest hitting rappers we have right now. Also appearing on the video is Abbas, Bamboo’s former partner on K-South. The song was produced by T-Minus at HeadBangerz. Check out Lon’ Jon’s Go Get It below.
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So today as per kawa on my matatu ride to the office in the morning, the matatu driver(aka the king of radio) had tuned into Classic in the morning. The topic of the day was cheap lodgings. He was asking why men take their girlfriends to cheap lodgos, and why women accept to be taken there.

A topic we can all relate to, of course, but for one thing: Maina as usual used a story of his close friend to describe the ‘lodgo situation’ in detail, and he kept referring to his friend as a n***a! This is was live and uncensored, and you could just see the discomfort in the rest of the matatu passengers as Bwana Kageni narrated the story. Once again, Maina Kageni’s audience has been forced to wonder whether the content he airs on his show is fit for morning time consumption.

Not to be left behind in this n***a crusade is the top radio presenter in Kenya: A Mbusii Deh. For the past few weeks, the voice-over actor for Ghetto Radio has been participating in AIR G.O.T.E.A.N.A just for laughs. It has been barrels of fun, being that the voice-over actor has an American accent and only speaks English, so Mbusii has been trying to communicate with him in English as well, which is not his strong point. Unfortunately, in his attempts to sound American, Mbusii has been using the n-word with reckless abandon.

What do you think, Ghafla!Fans? Are our leading radio presenters taking things too far with the curse-words on air, or are these things that we are used to? Leave your interesting or creative responses in the comment section below:

Incase you missed it, Corine Onyango, the radio personality who hosts “The Jump Off” on Home Boyz Radio has said that she wants, nay, needs babies.

The sultry voiced lass was being interviewed by Nation Media’s Buzz and she let on that she needs babies but get this, that will happen whether or not she has a steady man in her life. And all this was said when she was asked whether or not she dates Kenyan men. And ofcourse, the answer was… a begrudging yes.

But according to Corine, dating Kenyan men is hard because Kenyan men are “such difficult daters”. A sentiment shared by our very own Nali. That declaration (the one about babies) now has lads doing squats and cardiovascular exercises in the hope they get chosen.

And Uncle Chim Tuna wants to extend his services to Kenyan men for classes on how to not just get the beautiful lass but keep her happy and perhaps one of my nephews will be the lad lucky enough to bag Ms. Corine Onyango.

We caught up with Nonini earlier today, and discussed the Kisima Controversy going round. He is one of the figures at the centre of the whole thing, given that he is on the remix of the song ‘Ha-he’ by Just a Band. People have argued that the song should not have been anywhere near the nominations as it was released close to three years ago.

On the nomination, this is what he had to say:

“I was delighted to learn that Prohabo’s efforts have been recognized by Kisima Awards. Nashukuru sana Wagenge True sabu ya kukua nominated for the best ‘Urban Group’ pamoja na watu wangu Just A Band, Best Hip Hop Artiste (Colour Kwa Face), Video of the Year Category(Colour Kwa Face) and Overall Artiste of the Year (Colour Kwa Face).”

On the recognition ‘Colour kwa Face,’ he said:

“Glad that my song that create’s awareness for persons living with albinism and also encourages people to celebrate their differences regardless of race, tribe and colour is finally being recognised & I am humbled.”

On whether the Kisima Awards has been damaged by the controversy surrounding it this year, he said:

“I fully support Kisima awards this year and yes i know it may not be perfect but we have to get into it so that we can change it! I also feel that other categories should have an incentive not as big as the Artiste of the Year off course but something to just encourage the artiste in the other categories. Just like what we are doing with MCSK (Music Copyright of Kenya) we have to support it to make it perfect not make noise from outside.

American singer Akon confirmed his Nairobi concerts during a Skype press conference on Friday at the Carnivore Restaurant.

In the press conference he confirms that he will not perform with any Kenyan artistes on stage, or at least that has not been planned. “But if I get there, don’t be surprised if that happens,” he says.

Akon is scheduled to perform at the Carnivore Grounds on the 27th and 28th of October. On the 27th of October, he will perform from 10:00 p.m. and on the 28th he will begin his set at 3:00 p.m. You can check out the press conference for yourself below.
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Shanky Radics of the Bambika fame is making a comeback in music. Just last week, he won a Legend award at the Golden Mic Awards.

It’s been a while since we heard from the ragga artiste after his and Lyrical Erico’s club hit. He appeared on Willy M. Tuva’s Mambo Mseto radio show today to talk about his new album.

On the show, they premiered his latest single, Ladha Ya Mapenzi featuring gospel artiste, Willy Paul. But the most striking thing about his comeback is a yet-to-be-released track in which he features the Prime Minister’s wife, Ida Odinga.

Shanky was talking about doing a conscious song when Ida Odinga walked into the joint. Shanky was introduced to Ida and he approached her about doing the song, Amani, which is meant to promote peace especially in the run-up to the elections. Shanky wrote her lines and trained a little for her part. Release date yet to be announced.

This is not the first time political personalities are getting involved in musical projects. Last year, Gichugu MP and presidential aspirant, Martha Karua did a song with Juliani and Jal. Makadara MP, Mike Sonko, appeared in Jaguar’s latest video, Matapeli.

The auditions for 8 Bars To Be A Star are almost coming to an end. All you have to do is record eight lines of your best flow, be it rap or singing and send it over to Nonini for a chance to win management deal with Nonini’s Prohabo, a record with Musyoka’s Decimal Media and a video deal with Willie Owusu’s Big Ideas Ent.

Send the a capela eight bars in MP3 format to nonini@1fm.co.ke with your name, hood and phone number. The aim of the project initiated by Genge star and breakfast show presenter is:

1.To enhance career chances of talented young artists.
2.To generate employment opportunities for youth.
3.To develop innovations amongst youth.
4.To build leadership skills and self-esteem of the youth.

The audition phase is almost over so send your. For more information, contact Nonini on prohabo@noninimusic.com.

Rapper Octopizzo is not resting on his laurels. Even before the Bila Mic Remix and Ivo Ivo Ivo exit the charts, he is about to release yet another video.

Two weeks ago, we told you that Octo was about to Toboa something new. Today, he announced that he will be finally dropping the highly anticipated video this evening. In the track, Toboa, he features Anto-Neosoul.

The Neo-Soul artiste is currently enjoying the popularity of his recent release, Sari Sari with DK. It’s amazing he jumps from Gospel to Illuminati collaborations with such ease. Anto Neosoul is currently on a European tour promoting Kenya’s culture. Keep it Ghafla! for a first-look when the video drops.

On Friday, Pulse sensationally carried an epose in which it claimed to have photos of top gospel rapper A-Star catching a couple of pints -Barcadi Breezers to be exact.

And A-Star out to has come to clear the air in a wordy statement posted to facebook. Let him clear the air himself…

“What a day this has been!! Yaani… whattttt!! So I’ve gotten a bunch of emails, fb inbox, tweets, texts and calls about this whole pulse story. The question everyone has been asking is, “is it true??”. So, I wasn’t gonna reply, talked to a few people and they told me to let it die. However, I’ve decided to dish out my story… seeing how pulse are doing such a great social media marketing job!!

A few years back I remember being heart broken as my favorite rapper decided he was hanging his gospel boots and going secular. I was shocked, hurt, confused and scared!! DNG is the reason I ended up at Kijiji Records. His debut album “My Testimony” was the first local gospel album I bought, loved and played on repeat like whoa!! So you can imagine how crushed I was to hear he was exiting. It made me self reflect about this industry. You see in my view unlike many other gospel artists DNG actually understood his calling. He understood what God expected of him and his purpose as a gospel musician. In my view his exit was a sober one of, “Eiiishh!! This weight is tooo much… siwezi mek!! I’m out!! Cheers God. I’m still saved and still believe that Christ is Lord lakini this calling is toooo big!! Cheers”. [Please note this is my own assumption of why DNG quit and not fact]. However what this did in my own life was make me think about my own calling as a gospel musician. My purpose and life path!! This led to the birth of a few many songs, quoted are a few lyrics :-

“Bamboo, DNG/ Me na ogopa/ Am I next in line juu nimeokoka…” – I Believe In You feat. Pete Odera

“The cross is too heavy the world on my shoulders/ Expectation high the youth are getting older/ The calling too great dear Great I AM/ Am I the right person/ Can I really do this?/ Will I walk the shadow of death and get through it?/” – Taxi Driver feat. Kanjii

“Painful as this sounds I’m God’s plan B/ Plan A said NO he was a fallen disciple… the calling I accept my answer is YES Lord…” – Taxi Driver feat. Kanjii

“Chupa chini no more sippin yaani nimequit/ But every time I hear that sound “tinggg”/ I wanna sip…” – Jibu Kilio

…plus many other songs all taking about the acceptance of the calling, the fear of walking the path, and the faith and believe that as I step out into the water and do what God has called me to do that I will not sink. And so I joined this gospel music industry and God’s being faithful. I live off it. I started with nothing and for many years nothing came, but I’ve seen God elevate me. I’ve seen God grow me, and I’ve seen God open doors that I didn’t know existed. e.g. Groove MC, Get Lifted Show, travel around Africa etc. I’ve seen God deliver me from things that were holding me back from being a fearless influencer of society, seen him restore relationships, and use me to do His Will.

However I’ve also been reminded that success doesn’t mean that your issues in life disappear. For me what the “success” did was hide/bury my issues from the world and church. And yet my vulnerability and realness in my first album “The Light” was what made the album such a success. As people listened to my music, they didn’t think what a great rapper… ehh ehh!! What they did was connect with the realness [coz my issues are not unique to yours] and all I did was be “The Light that leads to THE LIGHT”, I connected people to Christ. As success and elevation came, I started playing “religion”. I stopped with the realness and started speaking what I knew Christians wanted to hear. Quoting scriptures from the head and not from the heart. But God is a God of progression so while Obama was being inaugurated me and 5 other pals were in a room listening to God speak. Boom!! The birth of Chit Chat!!

Keep reading… I know it’s a tab bit long but it’s going somewhere… promise 🙂

Chit Chat stretched the living daylights out of me spiritually. I was the “leader” of this Hip Pop group that was going around to High Schools singing “Soo Sweet Buzzin Juu Kaboo”. The church didn’t get it and thought that we had lost it and were after fame and money. What money?? hehehe!! They didn’t understand what “I La La Like It” had to do with salvation. Chit Chat moved us from routine religion of church on Sunday, quoting scripture randomly to serious prayer and FAITH!! We knew we had heard God clearly and thus the birth of Chit Chat but we also knew that a lot of people wouldn’t get it, so we needed to SEE THE FRUITS!! Basically we needed to see young kids GETTING SAVED!! We needed to see artists being mentored and their character changing for the better. We did this for 1 full year!!

Then came a scandal that changed my life forever!! Tony of MOG!! I remember ironically it was DNG who broke this story and as soon as I saw his status update I called Tony and assured him all will be well. However this scandal hit me hard!! It made me realize that the only difference with Tony and myself was that I hadn’t been publicly “busted”. That I too have my own struggles under the mat. I too am human and fall and sin every single day of my life. Some of these sins are “big” others “small” according to man’s eyes however all are sin in God’s eyes!! I decided it was time to come clean and write an album about what I was CURRENTLY going through at the time. Stop acting like everything in life is ok and just clean-out my closet, sweep the dirt from under the rag, pull out the X-Files. What hell this was!! Yaani this album broke me things!! I was talking about issues and hurts that I was currently going through, with the hope that God would deliver me!! Here are but a few lyrics :-

“She said she loves me/ Then she said she loves me a lot/ She said she loves me just a little now she loves me not…”  Big Boys Don’t Cry feat. Javen

“Alone in the room/ TV on/ Magazine under the mattress/ Actress/ Undress right hand looking for access/ Love scene begins/ Eyes fixed on screen…” – Answer My Call feat. Brian King

“Dear Lord please help me out/ It’s like I’m in a pit and I can’t get out/ I’ve been trying to quit he won’t let out/ It’s like I’m in a fight with the devil he knocked me out…” Songa feat. Kerah

On my sophomore album there’s a song called “Public Apology”. I wrote this song to “Mulika” (expose) my undercover hidden deeds. Verse one in particular is dedicated to God coz He had been seeing all my lies and struggles when the rest of the world was giving me a nice pat on the back and saying, “good Christian”.

“Lord please forgive me for the times that I did/ The times that I said that I did but I didn’t/ Hustling for pay cheques I did it for my gain/ Blinded by the success I did it for the fame…” – Public Apology feat. Allan Aaron

In this verse there’s a line that I specifically put about this “alcohol” issue that the pulse has crucified me for. and the line is “Lord please forgive me for doing it over/ and over and over and over again/ I keep saying I’ll stop I keep lying it’s over/ But deep down, don’t wanna put it down no way/ Off the narrow path I’m cruising on the highway living life reckless I’m doing things my way/ I need to slow down, so I go down on both knees/ This is my public apology…”

So to end this long essay, I’m gonna set the record straight. Media ain’t my friend, especially Pulse. I mean why should they be?? If Cleaning The Airwaves is successful it means that pulse peeps may be out of a job coz all they thrive on is sleaze? The story on pulse was the truth [I was at the Barcardi gig, the pics don’t lie]… however, it’s wasn’t the whole truth and nothing but the truth!! C’mon would the story have sounded sweet if they said a sober Astar left, drove his friend home, and went to sleep?? That’s not the info that sells magazines.

Finally my parting shot. I’m really glad Jesus found me (grace) and I accepted Him into my life. I’ve seen him change me from the dude who used to go to the Barn [same venue where the pics were taken] and wake up not remembering half the night to the dude who left the club sober and able to drive in the rain. I’ve seen him break chains and fix issues in my life. I still have a farrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr long way to go but how cool is it that I know Christ is right there walking with me. I still have mad issues to deal with but he is working on me… don’t trip, He ain’t through with me yet. I’m most definitely going to make a whole lot of mistakes, some privately, some publicly but such is this Christian walk. To all “fans/friends” out there… never have I asked you to follow me. My job is just to lead you to Christ for He alone is the way, the truth and the life!! Richie aka Astar is a flawed, sometimes cursing, issues full, HUMAN BEING!! Hawezi mekkkkk!!

To those who don’t know Christ, please forgive us if we’ve made you think that this thing is all about rules and regulations. About don’t club, don’t have sex, don’t smoke weed, don’t drink, don’t listen to secular music… don’t, don’t and more don’ts! The only time it’s do’s is when it’s Tithe!! That’s not what this Christian walk is about… it’s about walking with Christ and being real with Him. He will then guide you, tell you what to do and give you the strength to do it!! TRY HIM!!! If i’ve offended, hurt, let down anyone… i’m sorry, I apologize for being human.”

Over to you Pulse, you claim to have photos of him with the bottle in hand? Pictures or shorrup that your mouth! Mechi uno!

Jaguar this week has been in Eldoret preparing for the Niko na Safaricom tour there. He caught wind of a story highlighted on NTV during the World Food Day of Irene Ngunda and her husband Alban.

Irene was in the unfortunate position of being HIV positive, therefore weak. To add onto that, her husband Alban Ngunda used to be a driver but he got in a serious car accident, disabling him from doing most jobs.

The family’s income was extremely low, such that they could not afford much food. This was even worse for Irene, as this meant that she could not take her ARVs, since ARVs must be taken after meals.

When Jaguar heard all this, he was touched. But he didn’t stop there. He knew he had the resources to help Irene, and it being Mashujaa(heroes) day today, he had that extra bit of inspiration. So he went on a mission to find Irene.

He asked the NTV crew to assist him and he found out that they live in a small, 1-bedroom, mud shanty in Eldoret’s Huruma slum. Mind you, Irene and Alban have three kids to support despite their tough situation.

After finding them, Jaguar went to the local Tuskys supermarket and bought 2 months worth of shopping for household goods.

He also went to the local market and bought them some groceries as well

Further to that, Jaguar paid Irene’s rent arrears for 1 year from today, allowing her family to focus on income-generating activities.

The icing on the cake is that Jaguar saw that this was not quite enough, so he actually set up a small-scale shop for her in Eldoret town, selling newspapers and confectionaries like sweets and crisps.

A toast to Jaguar, a real, living shujaa in our midst.

Party Don’t Stop was probably last year’s biggest song. The group’s breakout hit has become a party staple and its beats have even been used for a Safaricom commercial.

DJ Frizzie is one of the hottest upcoming artistes and DJs in Nigeria. Born in 1990, she is already making headway into the upper echleons of the industry. She started off by doing a female reply to WizKid’s Holla At Your Boy and now she has remixed Camp Mulla’s claim to fame.

The song still has the same vocals, she just added a more danceable beat to the track. She blends in some electro beat with Nigerian dance tunes. Listen to DJ Frizzie’s remix of Camp Mulla’s Party Don’t Stop below.

Singer Jaguar is well-known for his benevolence. Most recently Jaguar committed himself to paying school fees for 14 year old Albert Deuson Malowa a.k.a. Dogo Biggie who is also a budding musician.

The orphaned boy shot into the limelight when Citizen TV’s Job Mwaura highlighted his story on his Mgaagaa Na Upwa show. Born in Nyanza to a Tanzanian father and a Kenyan mother, Dogo Biggie used to showcase his talent on streets as well as sing in clubs and at funerals.

Dogo Biggie was rescued by former TPF finalist Ng’ang’alito after his plight was highlighted on TV
Jaguar however offered to pay for Dogo Biggie’s fees until he clears school. He also advised him to complete his education first before joining the music industry fully.

Rabbit’s hard work over the past year has paid off with Kisima nominations for his Swahili Shakespeare video and Artiste of the Year, where he stands a chance to win Kshs. 2 million. Below is a list of five things you might not have known about the poet rapper.

1. Music Wasn’t His First Choice
Rabbit was a graphic designer at DJ Loop’s Sneed Entertainement before they noticed he could rap. As Chiwawa says in Rabbit’s Orutu Ya Masudidocumentary, during a freestyle session, he chided him “Kama lines ni zako, ingia kwa booth” after a freestyle session where Rabbit showed promise.

2. First Song Was Never Meant to be Released
In his very first song, he brought a new urban catchphrase, “niko kwa jam, na-come.” What you might not know is that the song was done as a joke in the studio and he did not have plans on releasing it. He only decided on becoming a serious music artiste after the success of the track.

3. Another Famous Artiste Gave Him His Nickname
Harry Kimani might have contributed to him sticking to his Kaka Sungura moniker. He was already called Rabbit as a child because he used to sell rabbits when he was really young. But it’s Harry Kimani who told him he is more of a storyteller than an musician, and so he stuck with (the tales of) Kaka Sungura.

4. He is Also a Philanthropist
In 2010, Rabbit launched an organization called Dreams Campaign which focuses on child molestation, gender violence, fighting for the African child’s rights and helping the youth realize their dreams. The campaign has launched several football clinics and programs in children’s homes in the city.

5. He Holds a Kenyan Record
A Rabbit video holds the admirable distinction of attracting the most eyeballs in Kenyan history. Nope, it’s not Just-A-Band’s Ha-He or Kidum and Juliana’s Haturudi Nyuma. Rabbit’s collaboration with Lonely Island’s Jorma has 1,359,000 views on YouTube as of today.

This photo was taken an hour ago at the Homeboyz Radio and from the look of things, the two could be discussing the collabo between Octopizzo and Mavado being facilitated by G-Money. (Click on the photo to enlarge)

Photo props: HBR 103.5

Nazizi is the premiere contemporary female artiste in the country and that is why she has maintained her title as The First Lady.

She started off in the ’90s as a hip hop artiste evolved through reggae and ragga and now she might be trying out something new. For the BLNRB project, she worked with progressive and electro artistes.

A video of her performing with Afrodisia Soundsystem has surfaced on YouTube. It shows her performing her rap live on some eccentric beats. The producer and DJ on the track is DJ Khalab and Kacheeni with Ady Thioune and Kavi Pratt backing her up. Check out the video below.
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