I've posted show music on here before, last year he went back to Kenya to visit & build and while there he filmed a couple videos, this is his newest one, he dropped yesterday along with a new EP 'Rude Boi'
Mass Appeal also did a write up about him & interview with him
PREMIERE: Machakos Kyalo 'Rude Boi' / "100 Or So" Video | Mass Appeal
"
Rap narratives are built off clichés. Look at 50 Cent’s story, Young Thug, Migos, or anyone being pushed by a big budget and marketing strategy: They came from nothing, made it through the tough streets, had music as an outlet, and applied that hustling knowledge to the music game.
Kenyan rapper Machakos Kyalo doesn’t fit into a linear American narrative. His story—traversing the Atlantic to end up making rap music in Boston—is one of the most unique and genuine I’ve come across in my time as a rap music journalist™. If anyone has a case for music as an emotional release, it’s Kyalo.
Directed by Tom Leary Video Productions, it’s a drill-style clip with a distinctive African twist, whipping camels instead of a luxury sedan. “100 Or So” is also the lead track off Rude Boi, streaming below. With production supplied from Western Mass’s Dark World collective, Kyalo is able to hone his distinctive, gravelly flow into no-fukks-given lyricism. Even though some of the work is trap fare, he dips into racism and the rift he feels with American society on tracks like “Multiply Or Die”: “They want me to die, they want me to die / Momma says look at my skin, they get terrified.” Chantable hooks slide over producer GHOST’s lurching basslines on two of the stronger tracks, and we even get “UKA UKA,” half rapped in Kyalo’s native language of Kikamba.
It’s a lot to digest for a foreign audience, so we caught up with Machakos Kyalo via email to discuss his background and how Rude Boi came together. Stream the project (you can purchase on Bandcamp), and read his story below."
Mass Appeal can you give a brief bio? When did you come to America, how often were you going back to Kenya, how did you start making music, where were these videos shot, where was the music recorded?
Machakos Kyalo: Born and raised in Machakos, Kenya. Kyalo is my Kamba tribe’s given name. I came to the USA in 2003, when I was 11 years of age, with my parents and two of my brothers. Music for me started with poetry. I’ve been writing poetry since my young days in Kenya, I just didn’t know that it was called poetry. I started recording music in 2011, but it was just for my boys. I started taking it seriously in 2013 where, for some songs, I had to go back to Kenya in order to actually finish writing them. April of 2015, I released my first official project, “Roses boy: Kenyan Man Standing,” and in September of 2015 I released [my] follow up project, “Seuljas Unite.” After that, I became a force in Machakos for when I would go back to tour there because I was doing two or three shows a day like it was nothing. No one understood where I was getting the energy from, but there’s nothing I love more than making people happy with my art.
When it comes to music videos, I have to keep to very different fan bases satisfied. For my Kenyan fan base, they like videos that are shot in America, and my American fan base are my more attracted to my Kenyan videos. We are all very much attracted to what we aren’t used to. Most of my videos were shot in Machakos, Kenya, and my village, Kyuluni Village. In about two weeks, I recorded about 25 songs in my basement before I left for the tour, and when my camera guy arrived on the first of 2016, we just went to work shooting about two videos a day.
Who were the American artists you were influenced by vs. the African artists?
When I arrived here in 2003, I was only listening to Nas, 50 Cent, the whole G Unit and R Kelly. Those were the first American artists that I listened to. When 50 Cent won at the BET awards for Get Rich or Die Tryin’, I felt like my uncle had just won.
For Kenyan music, I am really influenced by gospel artists because that’s all that I was allowed to listen to growing. But now, it’s a different story because I’m working with all the artists that I wasn’t allowed to listen to, so it’s pretty cool.
I am deeply listening to Karanga, Ken Wa Maria, Maima, and Peter Muambi, those are my favorite artists Kenyan Artists. They also happen to be legends of my tribe. Right now, I am listening to lots of LuieGo, Jaguar Pyramids, Wiki, DJ Lucas, Dro Brown, and working on upcoming EP’s with Gods Wisdom and LUCY of Taxidermists. I see “God Bless Me” by Wiki as my success story.
For us Americans: what is “UKA UKA” about?
“Uka Uka” is about some boys that I used to go to school with at my village that feel some type of way about me. They are just some lost sad boys. “Uka Uka niwisi vala nikalaa” just translates to, “Come, come you already know where I live.” “Ndukanange masyitwa, ndukanange saa” means, “Don’t kill my name and don’t kill my time.”
While I was there, I sent “Uka Uka” to a DJ friend of mine in Machakos and he leaked it without telling me. My cousin came running to me like, “Kyalo, you’re on the radio! You’re on the radio!” and I thought it was for “Run Caleb Ndiku,” which is a track that I made for the Kenyan track star Caleb Ndiku. But it wasn’t. The song was “Uka Uka.” After it finished playing, I got calls from my neighbors asking if it was my song, and the DJ called me to tell me that I had just became the first Kamba rapper. There aren’t many Kamba rappers, and the ones do exist don’t rap in Kikamba [Ed. Note: the language of the Kamba people]. I wasn’t happy at first, but after he told me that he had to because he knew someone else was going to try to take my shine, I had to respect the hustle.
How did you link with these producers? What made you want to work with them?
Most of these producers are my homies from Amherst. I believe in them and they believe in me. Dark World’s Ghost is probably my favorite producer at the moment. He’s really getting my sound. He gave me a flash drive with beats on it before I went to Kenya and I accidentally forgot it in my room here. When I came back, I just went off on the beats he had given me. I have recorded on every beat he has given me.
What does Rude Boi mean to you?
I was given the name Rude Boi in Machakos by the artists that I am friends with there. They respected the fact that I was coming to a scene that wasn’t mine at all and thriving as the people’s favorite underdog. Rude Boi to them is anyone that takes something and makes it truly theirs without being apologetic. To me, a Rude Boi or girl is anyone that knows what they are working towards and what it means for them if they don’t keep at it. When you know what you want, nothing should ever stop you from getting it. I am still a long way from where I want to be but every single day I am making sure that I give it my all in order to change my situations!
Mass Appeal also did a write up about him & interview with him
PREMIERE: Machakos Kyalo 'Rude Boi' / "100 Or So" Video | Mass Appeal
"
Rap narratives are built off clichés. Look at 50 Cent’s story, Young Thug, Migos, or anyone being pushed by a big budget and marketing strategy: They came from nothing, made it through the tough streets, had music as an outlet, and applied that hustling knowledge to the music game.
Kenyan rapper Machakos Kyalo doesn’t fit into a linear American narrative. His story—traversing the Atlantic to end up making rap music in Boston—is one of the most unique and genuine I’ve come across in my time as a rap music journalist™. If anyone has a case for music as an emotional release, it’s Kyalo.
Directed by Tom Leary Video Productions, it’s a drill-style clip with a distinctive African twist, whipping camels instead of a luxury sedan. “100 Or So” is also the lead track off Rude Boi, streaming below. With production supplied from Western Mass’s Dark World collective, Kyalo is able to hone his distinctive, gravelly flow into no-fukks-given lyricism. Even though some of the work is trap fare, he dips into racism and the rift he feels with American society on tracks like “Multiply Or Die”: “They want me to die, they want me to die / Momma says look at my skin, they get terrified.” Chantable hooks slide over producer GHOST’s lurching basslines on two of the stronger tracks, and we even get “UKA UKA,” half rapped in Kyalo’s native language of Kikamba.
It’s a lot to digest for a foreign audience, so we caught up with Machakos Kyalo via email to discuss his background and how Rude Boi came together. Stream the project (you can purchase on Bandcamp), and read his story below."
Mass Appeal can you give a brief bio? When did you come to America, how often were you going back to Kenya, how did you start making music, where were these videos shot, where was the music recorded?
Machakos Kyalo: Born and raised in Machakos, Kenya. Kyalo is my Kamba tribe’s given name. I came to the USA in 2003, when I was 11 years of age, with my parents and two of my brothers. Music for me started with poetry. I’ve been writing poetry since my young days in Kenya, I just didn’t know that it was called poetry. I started recording music in 2011, but it was just for my boys. I started taking it seriously in 2013 where, for some songs, I had to go back to Kenya in order to actually finish writing them. April of 2015, I released my first official project, “Roses boy: Kenyan Man Standing,” and in September of 2015 I released [my] follow up project, “Seuljas Unite.” After that, I became a force in Machakos for when I would go back to tour there because I was doing two or three shows a day like it was nothing. No one understood where I was getting the energy from, but there’s nothing I love more than making people happy with my art.
When it comes to music videos, I have to keep to very different fan bases satisfied. For my Kenyan fan base, they like videos that are shot in America, and my American fan base are my more attracted to my Kenyan videos. We are all very much attracted to what we aren’t used to. Most of my videos were shot in Machakos, Kenya, and my village, Kyuluni Village. In about two weeks, I recorded about 25 songs in my basement before I left for the tour, and when my camera guy arrived on the first of 2016, we just went to work shooting about two videos a day.
Who were the American artists you were influenced by vs. the African artists?
When I arrived here in 2003, I was only listening to Nas, 50 Cent, the whole G Unit and R Kelly. Those were the first American artists that I listened to. When 50 Cent won at the BET awards for Get Rich or Die Tryin’, I felt like my uncle had just won.
For Kenyan music, I am really influenced by gospel artists because that’s all that I was allowed to listen to growing. But now, it’s a different story because I’m working with all the artists that I wasn’t allowed to listen to, so it’s pretty cool.
I am deeply listening to Karanga, Ken Wa Maria, Maima, and Peter Muambi, those are my favorite artists Kenyan Artists. They also happen to be legends of my tribe. Right now, I am listening to lots of LuieGo, Jaguar Pyramids, Wiki, DJ Lucas, Dro Brown, and working on upcoming EP’s with Gods Wisdom and LUCY of Taxidermists. I see “God Bless Me” by Wiki as my success story.
For us Americans: what is “UKA UKA” about?
“Uka Uka” is about some boys that I used to go to school with at my village that feel some type of way about me. They are just some lost sad boys. “Uka Uka niwisi vala nikalaa” just translates to, “Come, come you already know where I live.” “Ndukanange masyitwa, ndukanange saa” means, “Don’t kill my name and don’t kill my time.”
While I was there, I sent “Uka Uka” to a DJ friend of mine in Machakos and he leaked it without telling me. My cousin came running to me like, “Kyalo, you’re on the radio! You’re on the radio!” and I thought it was for “Run Caleb Ndiku,” which is a track that I made for the Kenyan track star Caleb Ndiku. But it wasn’t. The song was “Uka Uka.” After it finished playing, I got calls from my neighbors asking if it was my song, and the DJ called me to tell me that I had just became the first Kamba rapper. There aren’t many Kamba rappers, and the ones do exist don’t rap in Kikamba [Ed. Note: the language of the Kamba people]. I wasn’t happy at first, but after he told me that he had to because he knew someone else was going to try to take my shine, I had to respect the hustle.
How did you link with these producers? What made you want to work with them?
Most of these producers are my homies from Amherst. I believe in them and they believe in me. Dark World’s Ghost is probably my favorite producer at the moment. He’s really getting my sound. He gave me a flash drive with beats on it before I went to Kenya and I accidentally forgot it in my room here. When I came back, I just went off on the beats he had given me. I have recorded on every beat he has given me.
What does Rude Boi mean to you?
I was given the name Rude Boi in Machakos by the artists that I am friends with there. They respected the fact that I was coming to a scene that wasn’t mine at all and thriving as the people’s favorite underdog. Rude Boi to them is anyone that takes something and makes it truly theirs without being apologetic. To me, a Rude Boi or girl is anyone that knows what they are working towards and what it means for them if they don’t keep at it. When you know what you want, nothing should ever stop you from getting it. I am still a long way from where I want to be but every single day I am making sure that I give it my all in order to change my situations!
