Gift of Gabu

Gabu recalls his early days in the music industry rather interestingly:

“Back then I was still naïve in the music scene, and working with experienced artistes such as Bon-Eye and Frasha made me shy,” he says, adding that he used to deliberately pick on the easiest parts of a song like the hook and avoid the ‘real’ singing or rapping to the others.

That was then; Gabu, now, unflinchingly refers to his lyrical prowess as ‘unmatchable’ in the local entertainment scene, and says he now enjoys writing and performing his music any time of the day.

Tracing his musical journey, Gabu remembers his debut into the showbiz scene was in 2004 when he featured Rhaptaz in the single dubbed Paulina. However, according to him, his real debut into the showbiz scene was in 2006 when he joined Bon-Eye and Frasha — formerly both Calif Records’ signed artistes — to form the now illustrious Genge trio, P-Unit.

 Their first collabo as P-Unit featured the proclaimed Genge Godfather, Nonini, Si Lazima Tu Do in 2006 and it was their main thrust to fame and a future where they were to morph into a force of their own.

 “I first met Frasha while he was a student at the Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) and it is through him that I got to meet with Bon-Eye. We then decided to work together,” he recalls.

“Frasha and I come a long way; he was my point man in town and actually, he is the one who introduced me to Nairobi’s clubbing lifestyle.”

With an array of accolades under their name as P-Unit, Gabu notes that it has not always been a joyful ride as more than once, either member of the group has threatened to quit.

“Frasha and Bon Eye are my only friends, we agree to disagree often, and this has been our major strength as a group,” he posits, noting that every member of the group is free to pursue solo projects. He, for instance, is currently working with STL on a solo collabo that they are about to release soon.

The urge to take their music beyond the borders and into a Pan-African market has also seen this trio change their style of music to be more diverse in order to appeal to a wider audience across Africa. Their latest track, Mobimba, which features Alicious is, according to Gabu, a fusion of Lingala and genge.

“The song is all about celebrating the African heritage and is going to be a hit song even in French-speaking countries,” he says.

On the face of it, he seems shy to talk about his personal life, opening up about his ‘single’ marital status with no plans to get married ‘anytime soon’, before revealing that he is also a father of a one-year old son.

Gabu’s artistic knack is not limited to music; he is also a fashion model and has worked with reputable and widely renowned designers such as Blackbird Jeans and Kepha Maina

 He is also involved in mentoring upcoming artistes where he identifies young talent and pays for their studio bills.

-By Austine Okande