MY HUSTLE: I weave words to make money - VIDEO

Oscar Nyagah aka Oskkah Romeo is a self-taught spoken word artist who is literally eating from his words.

The 21-year-old who looks up to artists like King Kaka, Juliani and Stormzy picked up the art form in 2012 and has never looked back since then.

He owns an events business Usanii Festival and Glassic Décor which deals with decorated wine bottles. Catch him on Instagram on Instagram.com/oskkahromeo

Nation.co.ke recently caught up with him.

Why spoken word poetry?

Spoken word was a way of me expressing my art and growing it. It is basically a performance of magic words.

But why spoken word? You claim to be an artist so that leaves you with an array of choices, such as, singing.

(Laughs) I am very skilful with words so I could write a poem then I thought I can also speak these words in front of people.

You see, with spoken word you are able to be informal, use slang and also mix different languages. The rules of language don’t apply here.

That makes it different from poetry and it’s pretty enjoyable.

Soon, spoken word became mainstream, the middle class as usual went with the flow. Every 'cool' Kenyan wanted to try their hand …

Yes. Kenyans go with trends, they get obsessed with new products and services and after experiencing it, only a few become loyal to it after the hype dies. Many came did their thing and moved on but I’m still here.

In the process, it lowered the art because there was a crop of spoken word artists that were not dedicated to the craft who only did it for the fame.

Give me a description of topics that you cover as an artist?

I talk about what touches the society and what is affecting us. Mostly it revolves around ladies, money and success. I enjoy these because I get massive content from such topics.

Politics isn’t the only pressing issue in the society. We have people who kill themselves over love, people fight for money.

We all want success, love and money that’s why I talk about them. My choice of message comes from inspiration, what is happening around you or what your friends are going through or sometimes imagination.

Best memory as a spoken word artist?

That was my performance at the Michael Joseph Centre. It was lovely, the ladies were really enjoying the show and that means a lot to me.

Is spoken word something inborn or an art that you can master by practice?

I think it’s an inborn art as I have seen many people try getting into it and they fail terribly but even those born with it need massive practice.

That’s your opinion. Is yours an inborn talent or a product of practice?

Both as I have been doing it without much struggle but I also practice hard before any show or recording session. Hard work is a key factor, if you are talented but lazy you will always be down and poor, your art will never grow and your brand remains constant.

Talking of hard work, how much do you earn from this?

Sh18,000 to Sh25,000 depending on the number of gigs and events that I perform at in a month. There are seasons, there are months I get less than that but I appreciate. You know, I didn’t know speaking words in a fashionable way pays until I got into spoken word.

What do you do with that money?

I have invested in an event business, that is Usanii Festival and Glass Décor which deals with decorated wine bottles. We call it glassic since we deal with wine bottles that are made of glass so instead of saying classic, we say glassic. It is a decorative form of art. So this other side hustles get me around Sh20,000 in a good month.

Someone out there will read this and decide to try it out. What would you tell them?

You need to be creative and passionate about the act, that’s not all, a lot of effort must be put in the craft and let prayer be your source of strength. Talent is not everything, we are judged by the words we say and how we say them so work on that so as to hack this art. I would also urge them to attend as many poetry events as possible.

Let’s end this with your best lines as a spoken word artist.

Naskia cash rules everything lakini uliza Ashanti jah rules

That’s a very intelligent line, only a few people will get it.

***

Do you have feedback on this story? Please e-mail: [email protected]