P-TAH
2022 is here with us. I’m blessed to have P-Tah as the first rapper to have an interview with and highlight his body of works in this New Year.
Been listening to his latest project On my Case and what I have noted, he’s trying so hard to carve his own niche on Kenya Hip-Hop scene as one of the most reliable solo artistes in the genre.
I just love how he has managed to make impact both with his own music and more stellar collaborative projects. He seems to grow with every release. 2021 he reached a new creative peak.
With some clever/mind-blowing tracks that make him one of the most unique and versatile emerging emcees. Indeed for a short period of time that he has been in the game, he has made a name for himself and soon he’ll be getting that recognition and reputation that he deserves.
He started rapping in December 2019 as a way of coping with the Covid 2020 lockdown and never looked back since. 11months later he came up with his 5th and the latest EP On
My Case. Majority of his music production is handled by Aress 66 of Big Afriq.
The EP will also be reviewed track by track by Musiq Jared and will be published exclusively on Micshariki Africa.
In the summer he collaborated with Sir Bwoy for their summer hit, Serereka (LOMO 3 EP) which is currently sitting at 7.9K, Partly shot by Robert Wesley in Nairobi and Bellfam media in London.
What’s your background, what got you into rap?
Musically my background is so diverse, I grew up listening to your kawaida radio hits Amka Kumekucha, Daudi kabaka, watched Chiko Chikaya on the Music Time show which was being hosted by the legendary presenter Obachi Machoka.
Listened to some Katitu when we went to the village (my mum is from the Kamba Tribe) while my late auntie used to travel to Tanzania and introduced us to Taarab music. My dad is a big fan of Franco and Les Wanyika.
When it comes to rap I think it must have been Jimmy Gathu’s Stay Alive, around the same time there was Informer by Snow, which blew my mind by how fast he was rapping.
And as much its dancehall the guy was rapping and then Mc Shan came in. That song was the bomb, my grandfather was a big fan of Jimmy Reeves and Ken Rogers.
So as I stayed very diverse and as I went to secondary I was a Reggae music fan (you were either Reggae fan (sufferer) which was cooler or a person who was all about yoyo music. ). Went to events organized by King Lion Sounds, Jambo Sound and jam sessions just to see Redsan and Warogi Wawili.
Then the hit song Tafsiri by Kalamashaka hit the airwaves, Ting Badi Malo ya Gidi Gidi Maji Maji, K-south Flava, Darling P, Mashifta, Nonini and Jua cali to mention a few but back then I would never have thought this would be an industry I would get into. These were superstars and they still are.
But back then I was not deciphering hip hop I was just a surface listener and its only later when I wa listening to rap music from Jay Z, Nas, Mobb Deep did I begin to pay attention just as after I graduated from university.
How long has music been a part of your life?
Music has always been part of my life, as for me being part of music, I would say around 2016 when I used to engineer for my friend Complex who is featured on my OMC EP.
Apart from music, what else do you do?
I am computer scientist by profession, programmer on one side. I write bars on another I write code either way I get paid (barcodes).
How did you come to realize music was the way forward for you?
As I mentioned earlier I was engineering for my friend and this meant I was around music on a day to day basis so I started writing. My bars were lame then.
But I was also interested in the business side of music from seeing how many talented musicians got exploited or ended up broke. I really thought and saw myself as Complex’s manager but vision was different so I started thinking of getting a few artists together as part of my label and then I would play the background. I decided to buy a microphone and some monitor speakers, from Pirate Bay and then I started listening to up to 100 beats a week trying to recommend to “my artists”. I guess I was A&R without knowing.
During the Covid pandemic London was under a crazy lockdown, you only leave the house once for exercise and shopping, at this rate I thought I would go crazy. At around Nov 2020 Breeder LW had dropped Masaa Ni Mbaya and created a challenge, so I got the beat and recorded myself on the beat (my first post on my channel) I shared it online, got positive reviews and then I was like “this microphone is only getting dust in here”. So the following month I bought some beats and recorded my first song Covid Millionaires, more positive reviews and I just kept going.
If you had to sacrifice one skill which would you least like to let go and why?
The ability to drink and still stay sober and the reason for letting it go is is because it is expensive! (Laughing Out Loud).
I don’t think there is any skill I would like to let go if anything I feel like there is so much I would like to learn.
In what way do you aim to make a difference?
I aim to make authentic music, music that is true to self, music about our day to day, not music for the well off or music for the hard cores but music that is real.
Not music about salvation or love but just music with a heartbeat. Music for everyday people for the times you are up or down. When I started, I was all about conscious music but somewhere in the middle I realized it’s my job to also uplift souls, especially after lockdown and curfew we needed some uplifting hence the Afro pop Serereka ft Sir Bwoy.
Music makes me feel human, you know like whatever people can ever think or say about me, when I am in that booth I am 10 feet tall and nothing else matters.
I hope to capture that feeling, package it and push it.
My music is also rebellious in the sense there’s nothing like being cool; it’s okay to shrub and okay to be unpopular and just to accept you. I am blessed to be in a position where I do not have to fake it to impress anyone.
Where is your career heading, what’s the vision?
Heading to the top hopefully I would like to be known as the best to have ever touched the microphone until I get an endorsement from BIC because of my pen-work.
My vision right now is build a platform and to spread the message of appreciating ourselves as a people. For a long time we have been med to believe that foreign is better.
But amidst all that I am building my own music label P-Mani Records and someday I will fade to the background and leave the limelight to the creatives’ that will be part of it.
How would you describe your style of music?
I rap mainly on boom bap beats on a kisparki flow. (I think it’s the Eastlands in me, we are slow takers) lazy flow story telling but lately I am looking to drop rhymes here and there to play with words so I am moving towards being a technical rapper whilst on the the other hand I am looking to make music that feels like meaningful music.
I am not scared to experiment, I’m also experimenting with trap and drill and maybe at some point I will do a reggae or dancehall joint.
How do you put words to paper, what’s your creative process like?
I used to pick a subject and just write stuff on it in the wittiest possible way I could, but I realized I did not rhyme and sometimes I was off beat so now I try writing to a beat and grow my technic. Sometimes I will have something I want to say and I will have to find a beat that fits New World Order
I was raging at the Homeboyz presenter’s victim shaming a woman that had been thrown off the 11th floor, so I just wrote and jumped on a beat. Some music I find a beat and it guides me home. Kansas City Shuffle is an example.
When it comes to performing, what’s your style?
For now I’m only a recording artist, I have not had the opportunity to perform yet but I’m working on it.
And it will depend on the song. I might dance on Serereka on Kansas City Shuffle and I can be on stage with incense for meditation.
For Bars on Bars I might jump around.
What’s your favorite project and why?
My own work it’s hard to choose
Society content wise is my proudest project
LOMO experimenting wise I tried every style
LOMO 2 at that point I felt like this was my best work bars wise
LOMO 3 – I took to a next level very confident doing this tape
OMC – This is a team effort, there were 4 features
Society/Lomo1/Lomo2/Lomo3 EPS
Each project is my best on its own but I will say my last OMC because skill wise I am at my sharpest.
How do you see your sound evolving in the next couple of years?
I would like to go into sampling songs we grew up listening to, you know P-Tah on a Aress beat sampled Daudi Kabaka elule lule.
I would like to bridge that gap between the youth and the elderly, so the sample brings the nearer to the bars and flow as this brings the young boys and girls closer.
What makes you different from other rappers in the industry?
I appreciate everyone doing their thing, I don’t generalize so that is a hard question to answer. But you can say everyone tells their story and I’m a part of that hip hop jigsaw so mine is unique and my role is my role.
I do not try to compare or fight for a slot. This culture is big and we can all eat. While everyone is saying they are number one, give me two and I will be content as long as I gave my best that is all that matters. I don’t follow any trends trying to copy anyone though even though I’m inspired by a lot of people and I always big them up. If you hear lyrics of another artists trust me I am paying homage.
Which artists do you think you would harmonize best with?
I have worked with SIr Bwoy and I think we created magic. I would love to get into the booth with Scar or Domani but I’m still in the gym of rhymes. I would also like to work with someone like Tony Nyadundo or Kidum.
If you could collaborate with an artist, who would it be and why?
Dream feature ni Ares 66 for sure and it will happen. To me Ares 66 is one of the bests rappers in the 254, I like the way he plays with words.
If you had to switch bodies with another artist, who would it be and why?
Domani Munga for sure and the reason I would like to view the world how he sees it. “Kama hatukubishi tuko wera” (I am paraphrasing).
What differentiates you from the next ‘wannabe’ rapper?
Probably they want to be the next Khaligraph but me I am P-Tah the first, wannabe don’t apply here, “wanabii” have prophesid.
Where do you think the future of KE Hip-hop lies?
I see the next wave being Kenyan drill already Buruklyn Boyz’s name is being heard here in London.
I also see more fans starting to appreciate this art form. An album like Kiswahealing can go international or can scored in a movie.
Also there’s an artist like me and Bura we are flying the flag high so let’s say Kenya is the mother ship, we are in the smaller ship going to colonize new land.
How do you plan to breakthrough?
I am planning on doing a video a month in 2022, the work rate is already there, in 2021 I recorded 27 songs.
Staying true to myself and also promoting my work and getting on stage to rock shows.
I understand you are currently based in London, what do you think separates our music from that of Europe?
In the UK there is something like fire in the booth that pushes artist to the foreground, and then there is Westwood who was supporting artists, BBC 1 extra also support local acts.
On the other hand for Kenyan’s there are shows every weekend. Kenyan scene ni DJ’s are everywhere hardly will you get shows but we are about to change that in 2022.
You have a good working chemistry with Ares 66, how’s the experience like?
Firstly Ares is a legend probably I am his biggest fan as a rapper, so given he has rocked a microphone I think he can understand an artist and the manners of a rapper.
Also he is never too busy and any advice I seek he is always willing to help, apart from a working relationship I consider him as a friend. Also when I tell him the type of beat that I need he send one quickly. He keeps me on my toes making sure I’m on the beat my mind is always working on the next song. His work ethic and pace ensures that a song is mixed and mastered in 1 or 2 hours. It has been blessing working with him. I shout him out on nearly every song to make sure he knows he is appreciated.
Kuna producer pia anaitwa SavBeat who works with Bahati and Willy Paul, without him I couldn’t be where I am today. He is the one who show me which equipment to get, he was patient and helped me get that my first EP Society out.
Here in Kenya which hood do you represent? And what plans do you have that will impact your community through music?
I come from Buru Buru Phase 5, so I represent Buru Buru. My full rapper name ni P-Tah Wa Furu. I was born in Jericho, we’ve lived in Umoja and Saika also. I used to hang out in Makadara. I just consider myself Mr Eastlands.
After Dropping On my Case EP, what plans do you have to keep your believers intact?
After the EP I will return to the booth in January 2022 and I’m hoping to drop a video every month this year.
I’m planning to do more collaborations, more experimentation, definitely more work.
Who do you wanna shout out?
I would like to shout my team Robert Wesley for the artwork, Ares 66 of course for the beats and mastering, my features Complex, Midnight Hope, Rev Jeos and my label mate Bura.
Lastly, what’s your parting shot?
Parting shot is to encourage anyone sitting on the fence and once to start doing some music just get in and do it, believe in yourself fully and no matter what people say you do your thing. On my side I give my best even though I’m still working out in the musical gym.
Please check out my music on YouTube. It has about 30 songs, please leave a comment, words not emojis and if you don’t like my any of my music I hope soon I will get your ear sooner rather than later.
Your official social media/music platforms where guys can check out on what’s popping from the side?
For Booking Information:
P-Tah Wa Furu
pmanirecords121@gmail.com
+447523232666
Instagram: P-mani Records
Facebook: P-mani
YouTube: P-mani Records
I am on all major digital platforms i.e. Boomplay, Spotify, YouTube, Itunes and a website is coming soon.