Featured Artist - K-Rupt Kenya
Whoever you talked to at his burial, the message was clear – nobody ever saw a shred of fear in the 24-year-old rapper who died on a Saturday two weeks after his birthday. But it is his music that will forever remain imprinted on the hearts of music fans, many of whom classed him among the latest wunderkind artistes on the local hiphop music scene. K-rupt – real name Carlton Williams Bongo Juma – represented the future of Kenyan music. Within seconds of meeting K-rupt, one would spot his charm and an underlying spirit to conquer the world, which he almost did before his untimely death. He had just inked a contract with a South African music company to regale South African fans in Sun City, Johannesburg and Cape Town starting December 28. His latest song, Dada Njoo, was only a week off the Ogopa Djs' studio. His other songs – Changamka, Tukawake and Chacha – were reigning supreme on the local music charts. K-rupt sang with a raw, heartfelt sense of belonging to every song he belted out. Hours before his death, music fans had thronged Nanyuki's Central Park to get a slice of his electrifying stage action. As if aware that it was his last treat, K-rupt delivered a memorable show in Nanyuki, say those who attended. "I saw him struggling to elevate his musical career to higher levels. Why was life too short for him?" mourns his mother, Ms Josephine Wakesho Juma, who works for the National Agency for Campaign Against Drug Abuse. Fellow musicians were devastated by his death. "He was my right hand man in Kenya. He introduced me to Ogopa Djs," says Fizzle Dogg (Quincy Timberlake), a South African artiste who did five songs with K-rupt. Musician Wahu Kagwe described K-rupt’s death as a severe blow to their generation of musicians. Right from childhood, K-rupt had struggled to position himself well in the showbiz scene. His parents had a keen ear for music. His mother was once a singer in a choir and his late father a part-time guitarist. Following in their footsteps, K-rupt's childhood dream was to become a musical superstar; a dream he clung to throughout his years at St Peter's Primary School, Mumias. And when he went to Lenana School for his secondary education, his desire to have his name in the lights intensified Naturally, rap music appealed to him because it was the in thing among his peers. One day, he sat down to dream up a stage-name. Then he stumbled on 'Krupt': ‘K’ to replace ‘C’ and ‘rupt’ to signify an eruption. Imbued with verve, he started stealing hearts while still at Lenana School. He was the star at many variety shows organised in various schools across Nairobi and its environs. Whenever he went on stage, his show-stopping performances made girls scream while boys turned green with envy.Upon completing his secondary education in 1998, he decided to take part in the Millennium Showdown musical contest that pitted budding artistes fresh from high school, against each other. Sadly, the competition proved too stiff for him. Yet only two weeks after his defeat, he mustered enough courage and enrolled for another musical competition, dubbed the ‘Matata Vybez’, held at the Impala Grounds in Nairobi. He made quite an impression, becoming fourth runner-up in the rap category. That was his first impressive musical achievement out of school, he recalled in a interview. The feat opened a window of opportunity for him helping him to land a recording deal with producer Chris Adwar. He recorded two songs, Sisi Jamii and Phatsticks, in which several artistes were featured. Although they did not make it to the music charts, K-rupt emerged from the deal with invaluable experience. Convinced that he was now knew the ropes, he approached ace producer Tedd Josiah, then of Audio Vault Studio. Tedd gave K-rupt’s music a quick listen and saw the promising talent in him. He urged him to give the Star Search competitions a dash once more in 2000. True to Tedd’s estimation, K-rupt staged a sterling performance at the competitions and reached the semi-finals. A cordial relationship developed between the producer and the rookie artiste. So Tedd helped him to record a single dubbed High, which made it to the charts. Through Tedd, Krupt met Mike Rabar, the founder of the Homeboyz, a leading deejaying company. Mike took Krupt under his tutelage and offered him an opportunity to try out his vocal prowess at Homeboyz functions.
With time, K-rupt’s star started rising and he became Homeboyz’s official Master of Ceremonies, a job which refined his vocal prowess and firmed up his voice. As an MC, he learnt both how to sing and rap. Then he released another song - The Realest - which elicited an overwhelming response helping him to meet E-Sir,who stayed in the same estate - Nairobi's South C. Brimming with attitude but penniless, the twosome footed it around various Nairobi estates in search of recording studios. In the meantime, K-rupt enrolled for a diploma in Business Administration. Fortunately, their efforts paid off when they met the popular Ogopa Djs who recorded their first single - Bamba (featuring E-Sir, K-rupt and BigPin). With the song, the three rode on the crest of a wave of popularity, performing at various concerts, before E-Sir’s life was cut short in that terrible road crash last March. "I really enjoyed working with E-Sir. He was creative and very supportive," K-rupt once said. Between May and August 2002, he had a stint as a stand-by presenter at Nation FM while he also did shows in Nairobi, Nakuru, Kisumu, Malindi and Mombasa. Then he left for Tanzania where he also worked as a radio presenter from October 2002 until March 2003. Upon his return, he regained his foothold in the local music industry and released the chart-busting hits Chacha, Wikendi Kwa Nani (featuring K9) and Tukawake. With eight songs in hand, K-rupt set his sights on writing an additional seven, so he could release a 15-track debut album next year. He also stepped up his quest for superstardom and set out to criss-cross the country to popularise his music. But then the gangsters struck.
