They may have been several but 116’s group message was one and simple, you got to live for Christ unashamed, writes JECKONIA OTIENO

Even before the visiting American rappers had arrived at Mavuno Dome, the precincts were teeming with faithful waiting for the concert.

But before the Americans could take to the stage, as always, we had to set the ball rolling and none other than Eko Dydda proved that charity begins at home.

He wowed the crowd with his own local style, which has made him stand out from the crowded gospel music scene.

Doing songs such as As for me and my house, Ghetto and Focus on Jesus in his usually stutter style. He got the best of the crowd who kept asking for more even as he prepared to exit the stage for 116 to do their thing.

The performances by Tedashii, KB, Lecrae, Andi Mineo and Trip Lee was minutes away.

The crowd kept chanting, "One one six, one one six..." as we waited with bated breath to see what the group was going to offer, but more particularly who would be the first on stage. I could hear some arguing that it would be Tedashii while another bet it would be Trip Lee — both were wrong.

It was KB who hit the stage first. He quickly hypnotised the crowd then stopped to give a brief homily, which the hosts took in attentively.

ANTICIPATED WAIT

"You must live with your head to the heavens." noted KB

This was a stark contrast with what the audience had — music throughout. After the short session of exhortation, he embarked on the business of the day — keeping the beat flowing.

Next came the Andi Mineo who talked of misfits. He said that misfits are those who need Jesus most, noting that personally he was a misfit just like Jesus was in his time that the Jews decided to crucify him because he could not fit in their society.

Urging the youth to change their ways. Mineo was straight talking as he told the youth to stop using euphemisms to sugar coat sins.

"Tomorrow was never promised; what you have today is a gift so use it and never let anyone despise your youth," he said.

But some members of the crowd were into more than just the music as I heard a lady behind me comment, "Nywele yake inakaa poa."

If you thought clapping in the Luhya rhythm was only perfected in Kenya, think again. Tedashii took over the stage and on more than one occasion and sent the crowd clapping as if they were doing the Taa Yanje gospel song only to pick up the rap again without breaking the rhythm.

For a man endowed with a heavy-set body like Tedashii, it was a big surprise to many who watched in awe as he easily hopped around the stage without getting worn out, something even the most petite among us would find difficult.

In tune with his predecessors, he also stopped once in a while to preach the Good News.

Then entered the man with Real Music – Trip Lee.

His message was simple, "We need more people who are willing to confess their sins."

He noted that his music is not about himself stating that earlier in life everything was about himself but not anymore. This, he clarified before he put the crowd in sync with You ain’t got a king like mine to which the crowd joined in exhilaration.

His most serious moment of exhortation came in his terse speech. He urged the crowd not to take Jesus as just any other person causing laughter by stating that if anyone thought he was John the Baptist, he would be grateful for the honour but would gladly say he isn’t.

NOT JUST A DUDE

"What bothers me is that people treat Jesus as if he were just another dude; they think he is just some historical figure, yet he is much more than that," Lee observed.

If the crowd thought that they were through with the Word sessions and would get music full time from Lecrae, they were wrong.

He started off with a bit slow of a rap, which the multitude got well through the way. His message was however straight and hard-hitting in most instances just like that of his colleagues.

Lecrae got the crowd thinking when he posed if they knew whom their great, great grandparents were or if they cared much about them.

Then he said, ‘In the next many years, your great, great grandchildren won’t know you either and won’t care so much who you were; the only thing that will stand is how best you served God during your life in this world."

He did not fail to remind the crowd that there was only one life to live in this world and what a person did with that life would have to be accounted for at one point, an allusion to Judgement Day.

"You got one life and it will pass but all we do for Christ will last," he reminded the mass before he embarked on Don’t wanna waste my life...

On their tattoos, caps and hip-hop style of music, Lecrae wasquick to note that the group is not some bunch of happy-go-lucky youths saying that his crew were unashamed to be Christians.

He said if people think they are the only ones who have sinned then they need to know he used to do it too but he is changed now.

When the final act came, the whole group came on stage and made the crowd go wild when all of them came back to the stage and their rap was done in shifts like a relay race, accompanied by jumping and constantly reminding the audience that they needn’t be ashamed of Jesus.

The fast rap was sort of a high-octane race with the crowd only gaping and imagining who among the rappers could outrun the other if a rap competition was put down but the group stayed together.

It was Tedashii who put the icing on the cake and surprised many that he was actually deeply rooted in the Word as he gave his testimony followed by a sermon which ended with a call for those who wanted to change their lives.

He pointed out that it took out one bold person in college to tell him that he needed to change. He was deeply offended but he changed anyway.

Unlike many gospel artistes, he invited the fans to change their lives and live for Christ, unashamed.