TAKE5: Rigga

Rigga is a rapper, singer, songwriter, actor, producer and spoken word artist. seeking to reflect God’s love in all he does. He just released an EP titled Chumbani.

1. Yay, an EP! How long did it take you to make Chumbani, and was it really produced in your room?

The Chumbani EP took me about four months to do. A lot of that time was spent learning how to create the sounds since this is the first project that I've produced from scratch, instrumentals and all. And yes, everything was captured and recorded and tweaked (for the most part) in my bedroom studio.

2. How has love, marriage and a baby changed the way you view life and music?

My wife is super supportive of my dreams and ambitions no matter how absurd they seem to me. She consistently encouraged me to get into production and set up a home studio. And she’s helped me save and invest in this business as well as my skills. I wouldn’t be here without her.

With the birth of my son, there is no doubt that we want to raise him in faith; we also want him to know that he can be all that he aspires to be. But it is not enough to tell him that, we have to model it for him, therefore, me taking a step of faith to learn music production and putting myself out there in a new way is the first of many bold steps that I’m taking for myself and for my family.

3. Does this EP mean you’re almost ready for a full length album?

Not just yet. That will come a bit later. I’m excited to produce music for other artistes as I build up to that, but I assure you that you won’t wait too long before you hear new music from me.

4. What message are you trying to drive home with Chumbani? What theme resonated with your heart the most as you put pen to paper

Vulnerability! I’m not just literally giving the audience a peek into my bedroom studio, I’m also quite symbolically inviting you into my world and my thought process, my emotions, my heart. Whether it’s thoughts that I’m wrestling with or things I’m excited about, I’m telling you “Karibu Chumbani!”, Welcome to my room!

5. You make music, so I think it’s safe to ask - who are some of your favourite local musicians?

There are so many Kenyan musicians that I’m excited about, so allow me to list the artistes/groups that come to mind in no particular order: Shamsi Music, Noel Nderitu, Fena Gitu, Mayonde, Benjamin Webi, Eko Dydda, Sage, Recapp, Kanjii Mbugua, Atemi Oyungu and Blinky Bill.

This is just a small sample of the concoction of Kenyan music in my head.

To be honest, my internal playlist is random. I love the growth and diversity that we’re seeing in the Kenyan music scene. There is always room for more good music.