From humble beginning as a belly dancer to a radio presenter, Rehema Chalamila, aka Ray C, has seen it all. She has a knack for making news, be it with her great music or her sexy body. In a candid interview with Pulse, she sets the record straight about her lifestyle, relationships and tackles rumours about nudity
BY Stevens Muendo and David Odongo
Seated on an ivory leather seat, Rehema Yusuph Chalamila looks forlorn. Her long hair is not well combed and tries hard to cover her low top that exposes her cleavage with a red kikoi.
She looks up, holds her chin and rests her head on her boyfriend’s lap. Her bloodshot large eyes gaze into the room and smiles wryly as she tries to look tidy. There is no doubt she is still beautiful although tonight she is rather unkempt. Perhaps this is the reason she had to demand for expensive make –up the last time she performed here.
"Let me spruce up before you take my photos," she pleads as she straightens her long hair. "I do not have my make up on because I had to travel from Nakuru in a matatu covering my face after the show," explains the singer who says she is courteous, sassy, classy, and even intelligent although her dressing might make you think otherwise.
"It was a long journey after we disagreed with my promoter," she says with a smooth and flowing voice denying she is a snob, impudent, trashy or even dumb.
She confesses she is going through a difficult period in her life.
"I have never felt this low in my life. I have dealt with all type of slimy people before, but I have never come across the situation I have found myself in," she says, trying to force a smile.
"I got into an agreement with Refigah and Sadat Muhindi. They wanted me to perform for a month in Kenya which I duly agreed and cancelled all my shows in Dar. Lakini sikujua sio show wao walitaka ila ni mapenzi (It was not show it was sex)," she says, waving her perfectly manicured fingers, heavily festooned with jewellery.
"I knew Sadat through Refigah. Two months ago, Refigah introduced me to Sadat who told me that he had an energy drink, Dash, that he wanted me to endorse. And on top of that, he wanted me to do eight shows in Kenya at Sh82,000 ($1,000) per show and two shows in Sudan at 164,000 ($2,000) per show. I came to Nairobi for the deal and I could tell Sadat had hots for me. He kept on flirting with me but because of the deal, I ignored him, hoping he would take the hint and accept rejection like a man," says Ray C who was a radio presenter at Clouds FM for four years before she ventured into music.
Drama unfolds
"That’s where it all started. He followed me to Dar a week later and invited me to his hotel room. He entreated me with Sh24600 ($300) dollars on the spot, and a choice of Murano or Mercedes S class if I could bend over…imagine, such a nerve, I am not a whore," adds the 28-year-old diva irritably.
| Lord Eyes with Ray C |
"If I had done that, I wouldn’t have lasted this long in an industry as volatile as the showbiz industry," she asserts, pointing her nose in the air, defiantly, like a spoilt child.
But if he asked you to sleep with him in Dar, why would you, three weeks later agree to come to Nairobi again, and meet him? Ray C looks lost as she thinks. She didn’t hear me ask the question. We have to ask her the question again as she snaps back into attention. We notice she keeps floating between irrationality and brilliance as I continue the interview.
"Why don’t you have your dinner, we will talk after dinner" she dismisses me, my question unanswered. Thirty minutes later, we sit her down and she continues to account her plight.
"I came to Nairobi after they had deposited Sh82,000 ($1,000) into my account for the first show, to be held in Nakuru. Refigah promised to give me the contract after the first show. But when I landed in Nairobi, on seeing that I had come with my boyfriend, Lord Eyez, Sadat became hostile. He even refused to shake Lord’s hand. We proceeded to Nakuru for the show without talking to each other. They even refused to talk about the contract.
Since the show had been advertised and I didn’t want to let my fans down, I accepted to perform in Nakuru. The next morning I asked them what the plan was and Sadat sent me a very rude text, saying he had cancelled all the shows.
He even threatened me, I know all this was because I refused to sleep with him," laments Ray C.
On to brighter things, Ray C plans to launch her 15-track album Japosuna soon. "The two lead singles are doing very well on the charts. I have worked with Hermy B, Mako Chali and Mwasiti on the album," reveals the artiste who also owns two boutiques in Dar.
On the rumours that she bosses her boyfriend Lord Eyez around, Ray C responds, "That’s a load of crap. He loves me and in the four years we have been together, whenever I go through his phone, I have never found another woman’s text message. I trust him. He can do anything for me," Ray C carries herself as a royalty and she expects her man to treat her as such. "A classy woman understands that if she doesn’t treat herself as if she’s special, she shouldn’t expect a man to treat her in a special manner"
SWIFT DENIALS
Ray C is also swift to deny the allegations that she had changed houses six times this year, was broke and had moved back home with her mom, she says, "Wow, that’s sweet, the media is saying I have moved back with my mum? That’s sweet. I need to be close to my mum, she is sickly. My brother is in Hong Kong, so I am the only one around, I have to be with my mother."
Her relationship and eventual break-up with Mwisho was fodder for the press a while back, but Ray C doesn’t regret it a bit. "We were in love, I loved him, I still do. We talk regularly, he even called me when he rejoined Big Brother All Stars," says Ray C. Even though controversy trails her like her shadow, Ray C remains defiant and unbothered. She, however, admits her lowest moment in her life was late last year when fake pictures and videos of her nudity were leaked on the Internet.
"That wasn’t me, I want to set the record straight. I have never acted in any porn movie or consented to nude photos. I don’t do such things. But that’s the price of fame…" she asserts.
When Pulse sought the Nakuru concert organisers on Tuesday, the story seemed to change as Sadat and Refigah turned the blame on her.
Steaming in fury on what he claimed was a good start turned into a disaster, a disheartened Sadat narrated how he had met Ray C through Refigah and struck a deal ultimately made to make her the brand ambassador for a Korean energy drink, Dash, which will soon be in the local market.
"It was about three months ago. Refigah told me he had worked with Ray C before. He said she was undergoing through a hard time in her showbiz career suggesting that we help her make a come back," explains Sadat, who runs a poverty alleviation charity group called Maliza Umasikini.
"With that in mind I called Ray C and shared with her on our nine town-to-town tour on the poverty alleviation campaign. We agreed that I fly to Tanzania to seal the deal and in two weeks I was in Dar to meet her. The deal was that we would pay Ray C Sh82,000 ($1,000) for the seven Kenyan shows and Sh328,000 ($4000) for two concerts in Sudan . She was game. With that I flew back to Nairobi to do the final touches on the proposed concerts," explains Sadat.
DEAl GONE SOUR
According to Sadat, during his Dar visit, he discussed the Dash energy drink business with Ray C agreeing that she would help market the energy drink once it hit the market and earn discounts from the sale besides the possible endorsements which would get her appear in media adverts.
With that Sadat gave her Sh8,200 ($100) to do basic research work in leading retail shops in Dar.
"We agreed that I would get half the amount agreed for the nine concerts once she performed in Nakuru last weekend. But mid last month she called me and said she was having financial problems and that she needed some money. I send her Sh33,000 ($400), which according to our agreement was to be deducted from her performance fee. A week to the concert she asked for more and I sent her Sh10,000. After all, I knew she would honour the performance deal.
Sadat laughs off the sex advances allegations by Ray C and wonders why she is trying to bring it out two months after they met in Dar.
With a chuckle, Sadat laughs at the claim and even goes further wondering; "Was there anything wrong with me asking her if she had a boyfriend?"
"I don’t deny asking her if she had a boyfriend. I did that over a social evening talk and not during the business discussions. I wanted to know her social status as that way; I would know how to treat her. She said she had a boyfriend and I was okay with that. Anything beyond that is a big lie," he notes.
Recounting last weekend’s showdown, Sadat says he felt cheated after Ray C postponed her flight three times on his cost. He says except for one, planned media interviews never took place a thing that compromised smooth preparations for the planned shows.
"The flight was scheduled for Wednesday morning. At first, she said she was coming with a friend called Jimmy Omenga. She then said we change the ticket to Lord Eyez and move her flight to Thursday. On Thursday, she said she missed the flight and we moved it to Friday morning, then again, Friday evening. You can confirm that from Kenya Airways if you want to," remarks Sadat.
Almost undressing
"She looked drunk and insisted that I give her Sh3,000. I did. At that state, I couldn’t discuss much with her. We drove to Nakuru on Saturday and she was still looking tired". She wanted to be on stage at 6pm as opposed to the planned 10.30pm, continues Sadat. And when she got on stage, she was acting bizarre at one point almost undressing.
"Enough said, I just don’t want to work with her anymore. She embarassed me. I will get other artistes to do the project". We wonder whether this drama is anywhere near ending.
