HOT OFF THE PRESS!!! May I present to you Kenya's version of a modern Fela Kuti...Activist- Rapper, Entrepreneur, and a man of creativity, and substance in his own right (steel pans please!)...JULIANI!
In the words of Eric Wainaina (Singer/Songwriter), who has succinctly described Kenya's shooting star:
From the ruggedly raw old school Hip-Hop flavor of Red, Black and Green, and the boombastic jazzy-rock of Exponential Potential, you dip and sway through Afro-beat sounds, jazz, blues, RnB and Pop, onto, a little known, and underrated soulful, hypnotic worship masterpiece, by the name of Niko Ju Juu. Before @JustAlffie of Kifalme.com was kind enough to translate the lyrics into English, for me, the hook to the song was already on heavy rotation in my membrane, and much heavy wailing of my Soul would ensue at the first beat of the song.
As if that were not as good as it could get, Juliani adds to his virtuoso, the type of passion and energy you can expect from the heaviest of heavy live metal concerts. He jumps onto the stage - literally, immediately engaging the crowd with a combination of his gaping smile, charm, and a bounce and dance that would leave Tigger, of Winnie the Pooh fame, begging for rest. His live concerts are not to be missed, for the sheer entertaining value of counting how many breaths you hold as he reaches hoop-height above the stage, slam-dunking the crowd with energy, great poetry and solid musical ball.
Add to his musical prowess, a natural and determined ambition and drive to truly impact his community, country and the world, through the vehicle of Hip-Hop, and social/political/economic and environmental campaigns, and Juliani makes the average Artist look lazy. He recently flew in, this weekend, to Washington D.C, U.S.A, from Nairobi, Kenya with a full schedule for the Climate for Change Forum, and immediately turned round to fly back to his home town of Dandora, Kenya, to hold a concert yesterday.
From the moment I discovered him, via a facebook share (Dennis Sauke, please stand up!), to an inundating of Juliani's and other Kenyan music shares, offered by some other multi-talented social network buddies, and mutual music nuts (dap to @Kifalme @JustAlffie @Uncle_Fro), I have been all out impressed with Juliani. From his suave and impish glee, his ever-rocking, kinetic trail of dreads, his versatile, retro and classic fashion combos (Did I mention he has his own clothing brand, "RBG Republik"?), to his energy on and off-stage to engage youth and young adults towards a brighter and better society, he is a name, brand and image, which commands notice. The man is simply a tour de force. I dare say, he is the new face of Hip-Hop and the new poster child for how the Gospel of Jesus Christ can be utilized in an all-encompassing manner that answers to the everyday living and needs of our communities, countries and globe. It takes more than faith to move mountains. It takes work.....and Juliani appears to have his hand and back to the plough.
Check out his documentary, which invites you to get to know the man behind the music - his childhood (not so long ago), his inspiration, his passion for community, his poetry and his music - as he journeys on a road-trip from Nairobi, to a concert in Mombasa, with five selected fans (This video is multi-lingual - Kiswahili, Sheng and English, with English subtitles throughout):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zV5FT_jhmsU&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Also...Check out the MTV Voices Article and video interview of Juliani, as he tells how he uses his music to promote positive change among his peers, and impact his world to be a better, cleaner, greener place (all- English video and article):
http://mtvvoices.com/en/2012/06/tve-presents-rapping-green-in-kenya/
You may listen and/or purchase and download Juliani's music here:
- New album "Pulpit Kwa Street": http://www.kenyandownloads.com/JulianiRBG/
- First album, "Mtaa Mentality", available on iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/mtaa-mentality/id305677000
- Listen and watch music videos on Juliani's Youtube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/Julianimusic%20
FOLLOW JULIANI:
*Twitter: @JulianiKenya - http://twitter.com/julianikenya
*Facebook: Juliani - http://www.facebook.com/JulianiMusic
*Google+: Juliani Muzik - http://plus.google.com/116507519840837638571%20
*Youtube: JulianiMusic - http://www.youtube.com/user/Julianimusic *Web: http://www.julianionline.com/
In the words of Eric Wainaina (Singer/Songwriter), who has succinctly described Kenya's shooting star:
Possessing an unmatched socio-political nous, beautifully tempered in spirituality, Juliani comes correct with an infectious message of religious, social and political emancipation, fresh and relevant in today's society. His sleek and unique lyrical flow, passionate delivery and electrifying performance have collectively and officially hailed him as "an important voice for our time"With Jesus Christ at his helm, this young man aims to change his society and impact the world and the Earth's environment with a much-needed brand of Hip-Hop, which is unashamedly Kenyan, unashamedly African, unashamedly street, and unashamedly Christ. With the polished combination of his eloquent street poetry, rapped and crooned in Kiswahili (Swahili), intermixed with Sheng - the vernacular of Nairobi's streets (soon, as he claims, to become a legitimate international language), Juliani hits hard with bars and metaphors that leave you to pause, as you ride upon beat after beat of well produced and fully strung music. If, like me, you don't speak Kiswahili or Sheng, you still find yourself locked in to his versatile flow and easeful punctuations of English. He raps seamlessly in all three languages throughout any song. Many of his tracks, like the haunting Bahasha Ya Ocampo, feature female Singers or Femcees, who rock your heart's core and keep aflame the mesmerizing grooves that Juliani so easily fills.
From the ruggedly raw old school Hip-Hop flavor of Red, Black and Green, and the boombastic jazzy-rock of Exponential Potential, you dip and sway through Afro-beat sounds, jazz, blues, RnB and Pop, onto, a little known, and underrated soulful, hypnotic worship masterpiece, by the name of Niko Ju Juu. Before @JustAlffie of Kifalme.com was kind enough to translate the lyrics into English, for me, the hook to the song was already on heavy rotation in my membrane, and much heavy wailing of my Soul would ensue at the first beat of the song.
As if that were not as good as it could get, Juliani adds to his virtuoso, the type of passion and energy you can expect from the heaviest of heavy live metal concerts. He jumps onto the stage - literally, immediately engaging the crowd with a combination of his gaping smile, charm, and a bounce and dance that would leave Tigger, of Winnie the Pooh fame, begging for rest. His live concerts are not to be missed, for the sheer entertaining value of counting how many breaths you hold as he reaches hoop-height above the stage, slam-dunking the crowd with energy, great poetry and solid musical ball.
Add to his musical prowess, a natural and determined ambition and drive to truly impact his community, country and the world, through the vehicle of Hip-Hop, and social/political/economic and environmental campaigns, and Juliani makes the average Artist look lazy. He recently flew in, this weekend, to Washington D.C, U.S.A, from Nairobi, Kenya with a full schedule for the Climate for Change Forum, and immediately turned round to fly back to his home town of Dandora, Kenya, to hold a concert yesterday.
From the moment I discovered him, via a facebook share (Dennis Sauke, please stand up!), to an inundating of Juliani's and other Kenyan music shares, offered by some other multi-talented social network buddies, and mutual music nuts (dap to @Kifalme @JustAlffie @Uncle_Fro), I have been all out impressed with Juliani. From his suave and impish glee, his ever-rocking, kinetic trail of dreads, his versatile, retro and classic fashion combos (Did I mention he has his own clothing brand, "RBG Republik"?), to his energy on and off-stage to engage youth and young adults towards a brighter and better society, he is a name, brand and image, which commands notice. The man is simply a tour de force. I dare say, he is the new face of Hip-Hop and the new poster child for how the Gospel of Jesus Christ can be utilized in an all-encompassing manner that answers to the everyday living and needs of our communities, countries and globe. It takes more than faith to move mountains. It takes work.....and Juliani appears to have his hand and back to the plough.
Check out his documentary, which invites you to get to know the man behind the music - his childhood (not so long ago), his inspiration, his passion for community, his poetry and his music - as he journeys on a road-trip from Nairobi, to a concert in Mombasa, with five selected fans (This video is multi-lingual - Kiswahili, Sheng and English, with English subtitles throughout):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zV5FT_jhmsU&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Also...Check out the MTV Voices Article and video interview of Juliani, as he tells how he uses his music to promote positive change among his peers, and impact his world to be a better, cleaner, greener place (all- English video and article):
http://mtvvoices.com/en/2012/06/tve-presents-rapping-green-in-kenya/
You may listen and/or purchase and download Juliani's music here:
- New album "Pulpit Kwa Street": http://www.kenyandownloads.com/JulianiRBG/
- First album, "Mtaa Mentality", available on iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/mtaa-mentality/id305677000
- Listen and watch music videos on Juliani's Youtube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/Julianimusic%20
FOLLOW JULIANI:
*Twitter: @JulianiKenya - http://twitter.com/julianikenya
*Facebook: Juliani - http://www.facebook.com/JulianiMusic
*Google+: Juliani Muzik - http://plus.google.com/116507519840837638571%20
*Youtube: JulianiMusic - http://www.youtube.com/user/Julianimusic *Web: http://www.julianionline.com/
