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It is December 26 and we meet in a dimly lit club in Kilifi where he is one of the performers lined up for the night. The artiste has been on my radar for quite some time, now, after leading Swahili artiste Nyota Ndogo gave me a heads up about a hip-hop artiste that was causing ripples at the coast.
“Nyota has literally taken my hand and helped me get shows and recognition in a span of six months. She is also like me, trying hard to release music that teaches and brings social change,” says Kaa La Moto Kiumbe, loosely translated to mean ‘hot coal’, as we comfortably find a corner in the midst of an engaged crowd.
While in a rap battle where he emerged the winner, one of the judges said that he had burnt the competition like coal, which is how he picked up the name.
He met Nyota when the outspoken singer was looking for an MC to collabo with, as her ambitions to work with the legendary Kalamashaka were thwarted. The musical marriage remained in tact long after the hit, Mapanya, was done. But the artiste wants a bigger piece of the pie.
“I am pitching tent in Nairobi soon. I need to get as much recognition across the nation as I have in Coast,” insists Kaa La Moto, who names Sauti Sol, Nyota and Rabbit as local artistes who make him still believe in the art.
Kaa is no stranger to the Coast showbiz scene. The soft-spoken artiste recently won in the best hip-hop artiste category for the second year running at the Coast Awards. He has been a nominee of numerous hip hop categories in the Nzumari and Busara Awards in Tanzania.
His mission in Nairobi is to work with some A-list artistes who have shown interest in him, including Ligi Soo’s Rabbit. Kaa met Rabbit when the latter attended the Coast Awards where he also was a winner. The two are set to work on project starting this year. Dumbala hit-maker Jay A has also expressed an interest in working with the lyrical genius, explaining his admiration for the work Kaa does.
His love for hip hop goes back to his upbringing. “I basically learnt a lot about rap from listening to freestyles from Tanzania. I was also inspired by Shairi Foundation when in school,” explains Kaa, who regards American KRS One and Fid Q from Tanzania as the best MCs around. His lyrics are full of teachings wrapped in wit and deep Swahili words that are reminiscent of the likes of Juma Nature, Solo Thang, Professor Jay and Misosi in the early 2000s.
His Facebook page is full of loosely shot freestyle videos, about various subjects in his day-to-day life. He also tours the Coast, teaching hip-hop to budding rappers.
“I am a legend in freestyles and lyrics have to be repeated for perfection and people to understand. Any chance I get, I drop a freestyle,” enthuses the artiste, whose hits, Mtalizusha, Mia kwa Mia, Nasema na Wewe and Hauniwezi have placed him in a category of his own. His show on Pwani TV, Hip Hop Teke Teke, is focused on educating youth and giving a platform to upcoming MCs.
On rap in Coast, he explains, “The genre is less popular with many artistes focused on singing. Rap shows are also fewer and not as lucrative. I get a third of the shows singers get down here, but I am determined,” said Kaa, who is a Shotokan Black Belt in the Kenyan Karate Team.
