Musiq Jared

Micshariki Africa, we have landed in Kisii County, Kenya. As it is the norm with Kumi Nzito (Ten Heavy Questions) is all about giving various information about the Hip Hop Kulture stakeholders especially those representing the underground.

The main intention is to help the fans and followers of Hip Hop Kulture to know the people who are pushing and supporting Hip-Hop Kulture.

While in Kisii County we were welcomed by our host who is Musiq Jared. Through Kumi Nzito we will be able to read and understand our brother Musiq Jared in more detail and his movements in supporting underground Hip-Hop.

We hope Musiq Jared will answer our questions well and he will give us an understanding of what of what he does.

How are things brother? Welcome to Kumi Nzito by Beberu La Mbegu. I would like to first know your names and your history in brief.

My name is Jared Osallo. Born and raised in Busia, Kenya but currently based in Kisii County. That's what I can say about me briefly. Lol!

Who is Music Jared? And what does he do for the Hip-Hop Kulture?

Musiq Jared is a music connoisseur, music publicist, Door Knockers Cyphers co- founder, media entrepreneur and also blogger. I mainly focus on Hip Hop since that's the genre I love since I was young. Currently I'm working with Kefa Mkombola of Micshariki Africa with the aim of bridging the gap between Kenyan and Tanzanian and the East African Regions Hip Hop. So far so good as we are achieving the intended purpose.

I read somewhere that you are the founder of Door Knockers Cyphers, what made you come up with this idea?

The idea came sometimes last year December, 2021. I just felt our artistes, mainly the underground ones are not getting that acknowledgment that they should be getting. Coming up with the cypher was the one way to go about supporting them. Apart from giving artistes a platform it was also a way of doing something for the Hip Hop Kulture.

I linked up with Brima of Maovete, shared the idea and he was ready same as Peter Mutisya of P-Mani Records, Evano (64 Hip Hop) who is our main producer, and Kefa Mkombola (Micshariki Africa). We have managed to do 4 episodes and the 5th episode will be dropping before the end of this year. We are just knocking the doors and the lovers of East Africa should lend us their ears and listen to what we are offering. Nothing but the best of East African Hip Hop music.

What is the main aim of Door Knockers Cyphers for this Hip Hop Kulture?

Giving East African rappers (including those in diaspora) a platform to expand their fan base. Bridging that gap between mainstream and the underground. At the end of the day it's all about Hip Hop.

How is underground Hip Hop in Kenya off late? Is it growing or is still in infancy stages just as it was when the Kulture was coming into the country?

So far so good. Kenyan underground Hip Hop is gaining mileage. People are coming on board and they are supporting our very own. Look at the music charts. You'll get like 3-4 Kenyan tracks being featured there. We are on the right track compared to 10 or 20 years ago.

Female emcees in the Kenya are not as many as their male counterparts. What are some of the barriers hindering femcees from holding the mic and rocking the Hip Hop stage?

Not really. We currently have many ladies coming on board now as compared to the past. We have the likes of Femi One, MC Sharon, Monski, Veryl Mkali Wao, Ulrykah Benard. All these ladies are really doing great. I want to shout out Nimoh Futuristic of Sauti Za Mabinti for providing a platform for our ladies so that they can be heard. So ladies are giving their male counterparts a run for their money.

What needs to be done to ensure that more female emcees are coming on board?

We need to support our ladies. Producers, media personalities and record labels should stop exploiting and taking advantage of our ladies. Let's just support them genuinely and do it from the bottom of our heart. That way we will have more talented and skilled female emcees coming on board and doing their thing.

Has Door Knockers Cyphers since its inception been able to achieve the goals it set for itself or is the journey just beginning?

Yeah of course we have achieved a lot. Connecting artists from different walks of life and culture is not an easy thing, but we have managed to do so. That's a big achievement.

What is the process that is used to find the people who are participating in Door Knockers Cyphers?

For this year we were approaching artists and those that accepted to work with us are the ones we considered. But come next year we will be having a procedure to select participants.

From your own understanding who is an underground Hip Hop emcee?

Emcee is a poet with a mission of teaching/informing the youth in a positive light through innovative lyrical structures and meaning fun subject matter. An MC studies his chosen art form by researching and learning from MCs that came before him/her, gaining knowledge and also understanding the responsibility an MC has.

Who is a mainstream rapper?

A rapper is someone who doesn't take this art form serious, takes shortcuts to the finish line and doesn't care about the artistic integrity of rhyming. This person bastardizes this tool of communication in order to dumb down the audience, create a false sense of entitlement and belittle their brothers and sisters.

Please, if you like, mention your 5 best articles from Micshariki Africa

Your top 5 emcees from East Africa?

  • Nikki Mbishi
  • Kitu Sewer
  • Johnny Vigeti
  • Navio
  • Nash MC

Not forgetting your top 5 producers from East Africa

  • HR The Messenger
  • Sela Ninja
  • Evano 64
  • Biko Beats
  • Ares 66

When will Door Knockers Cyphers connect emcees from Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya on one track?

That's the plan we are currently having and next year we will have guys from Uganda gracing DKC. We also having plans to bring on board emcees from Rwanda and even DRC.

Lastly, does Door Knockers Cyphers plan to come up with an EP, Mixtape or album in the future or will it end up releasing tracks with various Emcees?

For now we don’t have any plans for either an Ep, mixtape or album but we will compile the already released episodes into a collective project. What I can say for now. Let's wait and see what that the future holds for us.

Follow:

Facebook: Musiq Jared
Instagram: @musiq_jared
YouTube: Door Knockers Cyphers