Vicmass Luodollar The Brand, Lessons To Failed Kenyan Rappers As He Pumps In New Energy Into The Industry

Vicmass Luodollar

By Nicholas Olambo
The winds of change influence so many things; the Kenyan hip-hop/ rap music industry which came into recognition in the mid nineties has not been left out. It’s notorious for being reclusive, thoughtful, aggressive and egocentric. When African rap began in the early 80s after American rap took shape. Kenyan, Tanzanian or any other rap has never fully escaped the influence of American rap – until now – the scene is evolving at breakneck speed.

There are many upcoming artistes at every street corner but not every wishing rapper makes it to the limelight. Hip-hop/ rap is a culture built around bravado, losing or backing down is detrimental to an artist’s career but winning the battle to the top requires well thought out strategies. Africa is home to 54 countries with nearly 3000 different languages, on top of that, African music or sound is the best at these times when electric sound is taking over everything.

There are many upcoming artistes at every street corner but not every wishing rapper makes it to the limelight. Hip-hop/ rap is a culture built around bravado, losing or backing down is detrimental to an artist’s career but winning the battle to the top requires well thought out strategies. Africa is home to 54 countries with nearly 3000 different languages, on top of that, African music or sound is the best at these times when electric sound is taking over everything.

When so many have been faking beyond their capabilities to rhyme and sound like westerners , bright artistes who boast of both rapping and marketing skills are taking over. Vicmass Luodollar, new rap cat who catapulted to the mainstream through his ‘Bank otuch remix’, a single which featured Octopizzo, a onetime lord of the underground who rose to the limelight and learnt to swim in the industry’s murky waters.

Vicmass raps in luo, seemingly feeling the giant boots of luo rap pioneers like Gidi Gidi and Maji Maji and his new single ‘Simbe Adek’is a testimony to that. The single is already receiving massive airplay across local channels. The young star has fast risen to be a house hold name because he studied the game, saw gap and filled it when many wannabes were still biting their tongues trying to rap like Jay Z or Nas. Music is a product of one’s environment and that’s what Vicmass is nicely packaging and serving his fans.

People are free to rap in any language but you really need to understand what you are going for before you just go for it. There is unwritten law of the present times that to launch any up-and-coming music artist’s career is to have an intricate media strategy, active Facebook and Twitter profiles and to do as many interviews and gigs as possible. Language is as much important and that where Luodollar cuts his nitch, he knows what’s trending.

So many rappers across Africa are now performing in local languages, from Kwaito in South Africa to Igbo in Nigeria and now luo in Kenya. Thanks to bright brilliant artistes who do this. Kenyan rap industry’s timeline was strewn with the names of has-beens whose careers went down through substance abuse, lack of talent and other rappers who never recovered from lyrical smackdowms they received from their rivals.

There are a few cases of artistes still making it with a lot western influence from sound to language. Say for South Africa’s finest, AKA. Local acts such as Camp Mulla were also widely accepted with their urban touch and English rap in American accent because they got it right from writing, production to performance but lazy cats copied without any clear understanding what they would be in for. Results; careers stalled.