Tonnie interview with Chiwawa

Crunk’n It Up

Chiwawa Style

By Anthony Nabiliki

It's a bit unusual to meet someone who is famous, really genuine and still not boarded up by barriers and walls; and you can see that whatever they are saying or doing is for real and not a put up job. That is Chiwawa for you. Not your classic “African Timer” either... My phone blasts out half an hour early before our scheduled rendezvous. “Am outside your gate,” says Chiwawa. “Impressive,” I think to myself.

Back in the day, this guy made himself a legion of admirers and foes alike when he spewed out track after brilliant track, hitting menacingly at the then ‘major’ players in the music industry. As many would concur, his rhymes bite harder than the little pampered pet that comes to mind when you call his name. “This guy should call himself a Pitbull or something,” a friend of mine once commented.

We sit down for our chat and first things first; I probe chiwawa to describe himself... Two scratches on his dreads, a five-second pose then he rolls out in third person.
“I can’t really dig deep on who he is, but the music best explains who chiwawa is,” he says. “Chiwawa is this guy with a devil may care attitude, a hustler, an ambitious person, a revolutionary and a friendly guy,” he adds.

We revisit the dis-tracks era and you can see a flash of nostalgia on Chiwawa’s face. “I was still polishing my skills,” he says with a celebratory laugh. “In the music industry like in any other business, you have to size up your competition before venturing in. I had to come out with something different that would catch the fans’ attention. Though risky, the dis-tracks were my platform to get recognized, if I could have done it badly then nobody would’ve wanted to listen to me anymore, but they recognized skill and saw potential in my style and how I did my Hip hop.”

To say the least, Chiwawa’s debut album is a brilliant work of art.... He refers to it as “My First Born Baby”. The Album called “Hii Mkwanja” which means “This Cash” comprises 16 hot tracks and features a host of class acts, including Abas Doobiez, Harry Kimani, Zaka, Danish songbird Sandra Sandals, Chizi Noma among others. Soon after the album was released, the track “Mnafeel Aje” topped the charts all over East Africa making Chiwawa an instant household name. He tells me of this time when he was the main act for a show in Tanzania. At the club where he was performing, over three thousand people had come to watch him do his thing. He couldn’t believe it when the crowd roared out word after word of the song Mnafeel Aje. “The love was intense,” he says. “That might as well be one of my most memorable performances to date.”

Chiwawa knew he was cut out to be in Music since back in the day. That nudge to make ‘quick cash’ and ride up with some fame on the side is exactly what prompted him to drop Law school and follow his dream. His motivation is drawn from diverse fronts. His parents inspire him though his Dad was wound-up when he decided to drop Uni after the second semester. But he says both his folks have always been by his side. He also owes his success and steady growth to a number of other people. Pointing out Mercy Myra and her hubby, Attitude, as people who believed in him and always urged him to push on. “Doobiez and Bamboo are guys I’ve always looked up to even before I wrote my first rhymes,” he says. “Filling into someone like Bamboo’s shoes is humbling because these are the real pioneers of hip hop in this country.” “Doing a track with Doobiez and seeing it become one of the biggest hits of the year shows that I am up there with the big dawgs,” says Chiwawa. “It also inspires me when I listen to whack music... I feel good knowing my music is better and is loved out there.”
Chiwawa talks of Ade; a veteran artiste based in Kisumu whom he says has supported him since day one, both financially and as a source of morale.

I ask Chiwawa some more questions as our conversation goes on...

Are you a bad boy as many people perceive you to be?
Let me not even be noble about it. I have always been a tad bit rough on the edge ever since my school days, but at the same time very smart and wise to keep myself balanced.

Romantically involved?
Yes I have a special someone in my life whom I love very much. She keeps me grounded and in check. When I am with her, I am completely myself. I aint going to say her name though.
On an easy day when you are just being Ken Gaciengo (that’s Chiwawa’s real name for all ya’ll who didn’t know) how do you wile away the times?
I just chill and relax in my crib, play mortal combat. When my fingers get sore I grab a movie and some drinks with my friends. I rarely go out unless I have a show.

Anything else apart from music?
Am into a lot, let me not even delve into specifics. You know I have to get my cake...I have to get my bonuses no matter how much music is paying. I want to use music as a platform to get more. I am looking at myself as an entrepreneur. Right now I’ve entered a six months deal with these guys for the track Mnafeel Aje to be used as a ringtone for a new phone that’s entering the market. Just like Jay Z said, It’s not about me being lucky... its about creating that chance to be lucky.

What’s cooking in the near future?
I am currently working on an album with Abas called Aba-Chiwa. We have already completed recording three songs and there’s a lot more singles coming out. Watch this space.