Kenyan rapper Bamzigi rebrands himself

Bamzigi’s battle with his demons is
a matter of public record; he is one
of the few vocal celebrities who
publicly share their experience
about drug addiction, a battle he
continues to fight every day. After
going to South Africa for treatment
before coming back to Kenya where
he gets to see his psychiatrist on a
regular basis, he remembers how he
got hooked on cocaine and ecstasy
and his world spiralled out of
control.
“Let’s just say that I got influenced
from the crowd I was hanging out
with. I’ve always loved house music
which wasn’t so popular at the time
so I used to go to select clubs in
Karen which was full of white guys
and it started from there,”
Going back, some could have argued
that leaving Necessary Noize was
career suicide but for his true fans,
Bamzigi could never have been in a
better place musically. In the
middle of their second album
Kenyan Boy Kenyan Girl he pulled
the plug due to what he termed as
bad management from Blu Zebra.
Coming up with his own unique
blend of house, Afro, hip-hop and
with some dancehall influence,
‘Mizuka’ became a force at a time
when few artistes ventured into that
territory. “When I decided to come
up with my own style, Just A Band
were the only ones trying house.
After getting good airplay
internationally and locally in 2009
after I released Mizuka, shortly
thereafter STL and other artists
started,” he says.
Known more to the international
audience than locally, he casts an
eye on a certain group of people
who control the music industry from
the time a song is recorded to the
time it gets to the media.
“There’s a lot of good music out
there but just because it isn’t
within the confinement of a certain
genre, the mafia who control the
industry frustrate you. They make
money by controlling what comes
out,” he says unapologetically.
With hits like Bashete making it to
Norient in Germany, OK Africa, BBC
Extra, even Japanese DJs gave it a
try when he later decided to do a 21
track album titled The Mizuka Hit
Collection that is available on Wabe
with one particular track he did with
fellow artist and brother Kora, called
Mutumia Morogi.
In the middle of making an EP of six
songs, he has gone into
humanitarian projects visiting
rehabs and people affected by drugs
offering support and the much-
needed means of making money.
“I believe drug abuse is as a result
of idleness. That’s why I help young
people to join social media networks
like Social Biz Connect to make
money. It’s a vetted and KRA
registered company that pays,” he
says of his latest venture.
Currently single after breaking off
his relationship six months ago, he
plans to put his knowledge of mixing
and mastering that he acquired from
Dubspot in New York to good use
while he focuses on doing events
and as he prepares to drop his new
music, a rebranded Bamzigi is
underway.