{"id":231174,"date":"2025-12-10T20:36:54","date_gmt":"2025-12-10T17:36:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ghafla.co.ke\/ke\/?p=231174"},"modified":"2025-12-10T20:36:54","modified_gmt":"2025-12-10T17:36:54","slug":"bonfacie-king-m4j-the-artist-behind-bahatis-early-steps-now-tells-his-own-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghafla.co.ke\/ke\/bonfacie-king-m4j-the-artist-behind-bahatis-early-steps-now-tells-his-own-story\/","title":{"rendered":"Bonfacie King (M4J): The Artist Behind Bahati\u2019s Early Steps Now Tells His Own Story"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you vibed to M4J back in the day, you probably asked the same question we all did: Na huyu jamaa alienda’ga wapi?<\/em><\/p>\n

One minute, he\u2019s all over the urban gospel wave – dancing, singing, mentoring half the artists who now dominate the playlists – and, the next – he\u2019s just\u2026 vanished.<\/p>\n

Well, turns out, Bonfacie King<\/a> – singer, poet, video director and drone pilot – relocated to the United States.<\/p>\n

He’s been down in the trenches, rebuilding identity, healing old beefs and serving God through music.<\/p>\n

He speaks to Ghafla about his past, vision and challenges.<\/p>\n

What’s the Beef with Bahati?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kenyans never forget a good story, and the whispers never really died in regard to M4J\u2019s fallout with Bahati – over rights to the \u2018Bado Nangoja\u2019<\/em> hit.<\/p>\n

Bonfacie doesn’t flinch or dodge questions. He says:<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not beefing with Bahati. He\u2019s still my brother. I forgave him long ago.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Bonfacie has clearly stifled old wounds, considering his fiery diss track \u2018Mtoto wa Diana<\/em>‘ back in 2018.<\/p>\n

Today, he speaks with the calmness of someone who has nothing left to prove in the industry.<\/p>\n

\u201cBahati is actually my son in the music scene. I mentored him back when we danced together in Bonebreakers.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Why Did You Leave Kenya for the US?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Before he left for the US, Bonfacie had already started withdrawing from the Kenyan gospel industry.<\/p>\n

Not because he\u2019d lost the passion – but, because the environment had become toxic.<\/p>\n

He talks about DJs split into cliques, where your music played only if you aligned with certain camps. If you didn\u2019t, best of luck breaking out.<\/p>\n

Then came a wave of gossip that nearly suffocated his career:<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I opened my business in the CBD, some DJs and promoters decided I shouldn\u2019t be called for shows because I was \u2018doing well in town\u2019.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Imagine being told you\u2019re too stable to deserve bookings.<\/p>\n

The behind-the-scenes shenanigans around then-trendy Groove Awards was especially disheartening.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d submit my music year after year. They\u2019d invite me to gala events, camps\u2026 but never once nominated me. Maybe bias, maybe hate. Only the artists in their circles got in \u2026.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

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.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

(He doesn’t mention Bahati – but, hey – that one\u2019s so far off the narrow path it’s no longer news!)<\/p>\n

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US-based Kenyan Gospel artist Bonfacie King, aka M4J (Image: Files)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Why Change of Names?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bonfacie King<\/a> insists that he didn\u2019t drop the name \u2018M4J\u2019. It simply evolved.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m still M4J – which stands for \u2018Made for Jesus\u2019. It’ll always be part of me. But Bonfacie King is my face for this new season.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

His sound has expanded, too.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s moved from the Swahili-Bongo style of the early 2010s to Afrobeat\/Afropop with a global polish.<\/p>\n

Most of the album \u2018Kingdom Come<\/strong><\/em>\u2019 is in English – not for trends, but because that\u2019s how the songs came to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou just write music the way it composes itself.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

He’s versatile, showing tangible promise across the genres.<\/p>\n

Kingdom Come: The Album\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

What\u2019s really striking about the album is its intention. This isn\u2019t \u201cgospel for radio\u201d, per se It\u2019s gospel for the soul – the wounded.<\/p>\n

The hits \u201cHulalala<\/em>\u201d and \u201cMirror<\/em>\u201d speak to people dealing with low self-esteem, rejection or that silent heaviness life sometimes throws at you.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s the gospel ballad \u201cChampion<\/em>\u201d – M4J wrote it especially for children growing up with single parents, or those battling emotional gaps at home.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d want them to know they are champions. Period.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s simple, easy to sing along but very powerful – exactly the kind of message missing in the current gospel landscape.<\/p>\n

Is this Your Return to the Gospel Scene?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kingdom Come<\/em> is now streaming everywhere including TikTok<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Bonfacie promises that this is only the beginning.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s more music, visuals and collaborations lined up.<\/p>\n

\u201cI’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\u2026\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

The gospel scene in Kenya has lately lost the oomph – with contemporary artists dropping off the bandwagon to join the secular train – Bonfacie\u2019s re-entry will definitely stir it up.<\/p>\n

Sample the song \u2018Mirror<\/em>‘ here – a portal to an inspiring Gospel heaven captured in the \u2018Kingdom Come\u2019 album…..<\/p>\n