If you vibed to M4J back in the day, you probably asked the same question we all did: Na huyu jamaa alienda’ga wapi?
One minute, he’s all over the urban gospel wave – dancing, singing, mentoring half the artists who now dominate the playlists – and, the next – he’s just… vanished.
Well, turns out, Bonfacie King – singer, poet, video director and drone pilot – relocated to the United States.
He’s been down in the trenches, rebuilding identity, healing old beefs and serving God through music.
He speaks to Ghafla about his past, vision and challenges.
What’s the Beef with Bahati?
Kenyans never forget a good story, and the whispers never really died in regard to M4J’s fallout with Bahati – over rights to the ‘Bado Nangoja’ hit.
Bonfacie doesn’t flinch or dodge questions. He says:
“I’m not beefing with Bahati. He’s still my brother. I forgave him long ago.”
Bonfacie has clearly stifled old wounds, considering his fiery diss track ‘Mtoto wa Diana‘ back in 2018.
Today, he speaks with the calmness of someone who has nothing left to prove in the industry.
“Bahati is actually my son in the music scene. I mentored him back when we danced together in Bonebreakers.”
Why Did You Leave Kenya for the US?
Before he left for the US, Bonfacie had already started withdrawing from the Kenyan gospel industry.
Not because he’d lost the passion – but, because the environment had become toxic.
He talks about DJs split into cliques, where your music played only if you aligned with certain camps. If you didn’t, best of luck breaking out.
Then came a wave of gossip that nearly suffocated his career:
“When I opened my business in the CBD, some DJs and promoters decided I shouldn’t be called for shows because I was ‘doing well in town’.”
Imagine being told you’re too stable to deserve bookings.
The behind-the-scenes shenanigans around then-trendy Groove Awards was especially disheartening.
“I’d submit my music year after year. They’d invite me to gala events, camps… but never once nominated me. Maybe bias, maybe hate. Only the artists in their circles got in ….”
Some of the musicians celebrated today are a work of my hands. I thank God for using me to usher them in – even though most have backslided now.”
(He doesn’t mention Bahati – but, hey – that one’s so far off the narrow path it’s no longer news!)
Why Change of Names?
Bonfacie King insists that he didn’t drop the name ‘M4J’. It simply evolved.
“I’m still M4J – which stands for ‘Made for Jesus’. It’ll always be part of me. But Bonfacie King is my face for this new season.”
His sound has expanded, too.
He’s moved from the Swahili-Bongo style of the early 2010s to Afrobeat/Afropop with a global polish.
Most of the album ‘Kingdom Come’ is in English – not for trends, but because that’s how the songs came to him.
“You just write music the way it composes itself.”
He’s versatile, showing tangible promise across the genres.
Kingdom Come: The Album
What’s really striking about the album is its intention. This isn’t “gospel for radio”, per se It’s gospel for the soul – the wounded.
The hits “Hulalala” and “Mirror” speak to people dealing with low self-esteem, rejection or that silent heaviness life sometimes throws at you.
There’s the gospel ballad “Champion” – M4J wrote it especially for children growing up with single parents, or those battling emotional gaps at home.
“I’d want them to know they are champions. Period.”
It’s simple, easy to sing along but very powerful – exactly the kind of message missing in the current gospel landscape.
Is this Your Return to the Gospel Scene?
Kingdom Come is now streaming everywhere including TikTok.
Bonfacie promises that this is only the beginning.
There’s more music, visuals and collaborations lined up.
“I’m not coming back to chase clout. I’m coming back to reconnect with the people who believed in and supported my music, without the sideshows…”
The gospel scene in Kenya has lately lost the oomph – with contemporary artists dropping off the bandwagon to join the secular train – Bonfacie’s re-entry will definitely stir it up.
Sample the song ‘Mirror‘ here – a portal to an inspiring Gospel heaven captured in the ‘Kingdom Come’ album…..
