KISUMU: AFTER OPEN MIC, LETS EMBRACE PROFESSIONALISM IN THE HIP HOP SCENE

If you are a hip hop lover in Kisumu it is most likely that you have noticed the huge void there is in the industry (or lack of one) as far as professionalism is concerned. There are no shows to look up to or big concerts that would reward exceptional acts based here. As a result we have seen the careers of many promising artists fizzle out due to the lack of a conducive hip hop scene that would have ensured artists sustain themselves from their artistry while here instead of going to Nairobi to follow their dreams there.

And so when a friend informed me last week that there would be a hip hop event at Alliance Francaise titled Hip Hop Alive on July 26th, I got curious to go see how it would unfold. Janeqo Krietiv Mainds, the most prominent  arts group in Kisumu has been putting in much effort to keep the arts scene active with events organized fortnightly where visual and voice artists showcase their work and make sales when possible. I have worked with a couple of artists in the group and their team work I would say is admirable. Last year, they organized a successful creatives competition where poets, spoken word artists and vocalists were awarded in different categories.

Over time I have had conversations with many artists here and some event organizers trying to understand the dynamics of this rut in Kisumu’s hip hop scene. There have been times in the recent past I am told, when the future of Kisumu’s hip hop scene looked promising but then things didn’t work out - sustainability issues.

Upon arrival at Alliance Francaise offices on Lodwar Street behind Kisumu Law Courts, TJ Wadsmyth, arguably Kisumu’s best spoken word poet, informed me that apart from the weekly Lake side Poetry events at Hippo Point, Janeqo Krietiv Mainds in collaboration with Alliance Francaise Kisumu would be hosting Open Mic sessions on the first Saturday of every month and Hip Hop Alive sessions on the last Saturday of every month both at Alliance Francaise grounds. Open Mic sessions hosted by TJ will be open platforms for bubbling under rappers to come on stage and introduce the world to their work.

Hip Hop Alive sessions will be reserved for established rappers to market their latest mixtapes and albums while entertaining hip hop lovers. Hip Hop Alive sessions will also feature guest artists who have a wealth of experience in the Kenyan Hip Hop Scene. At four pm, after the perfomances were set off by a merger of soul and spoken word  featuring Rowsome and TJ, a group of rappers including ATB, Feli Fel, Mad G, Kasisi, Ordinary Mind, C4, K wash and Warlord thronged the stage and hyped the crowd with their lyrical freestyles and smashing punch lines.

Development for artists isn’t part of a record deal as it once was. It is vitally important that artists who are really aspiring to make entertainment their career hear from people who understand what it takes to be successful in that field. If Kisumu wants to grow its artists and help them get to the next level of success, it is important that artists who are good are acknowledged and given the information and tools to get better, like the Hip Hop Alive and Open Mic platform, and those who are not as good are given that information as well through critiques by producers and accomplished artists. It is recommendable what this initiative has started off as far as promoting the growth of hip hop in Kisumu is concerned. For a long time there have been complaints that most of Kisumu’s hip hop artists do not have the required style and substance needed to make a mark on the national scene. I tend to think that professionalism is the missing link in the scene here.

Rappers waiting for their turn at the mic during last Saturdays's Hip Hop Alive session

Kisumu’s hip hop scene needs to have more production houses like Loh Kali set up here with full teams that will go looking for talent and nurture it to appeal to the market. The efforts of producers like Lafamdawg and Chris of G Man records need to be complemented by people who will invest in more well equipped studios that will improve the quality of music produced here. Past events like the weekly freestyle battles held at Tammiez that caused a buzz as far as who is the dopest Mcee in Kisumu should be revived. The input of people like Janeqo Ahenda and Bovins Ochieng who run Janeqo Krietiv Mainds can only go far if complemented by large turn outs during pay-for entry events.