 The first interview is a rapper, a DJ, an actor, all-round entertainer, goes by the name of Fenix. Welcome to the E-Cycuit. Thank you, thank you. It's your first time to the E-Cycuit, welcome. Yes, it is, yes it is, thank you. And now, when you were growing up, because you grew up in Nairobi, you grew up in Nairobi, were there, guys? Right. What was your musical influence? Well, to be honest, music just grew on me. Like, I would sing along to all this good pop songs and everything growing up, right? And I would be on the corners with my friends like rapping and all this stuff, so yeah. Yeah, I would, there was no certain genre or certain artists that influenced me in music, it's just a general thing. Just a general thing? Yeah, all-round thing, yeah. All-round thing, so you were listening to everything from R&B, hip-hop, soul, everything. Exactly. So who was your influence in terms of your favorite artist, like a favorite album? You see the thing about me, I have no favorite artist, to be honest. I think every artist has an individual talent, an individual way of bringing out their music or approaching people, so for me I never had a favorite artist, I still do not, right? So all music, all music influenced me, to be honest, yeah. All music influenced you, when you were starting, you remember your first track? My first track? Yeah. Yeah, it was from Mixed Tape. Your Mixed Tape, your Mixed Tape, yes. Do you remember what you put down, what was going through your mind when you were writing the lyrics to your first track? Actually, you see the thing is, I was managing Americana in Dubai at that time. I did restaurant management, and when I got back to Nairobi, I was like, okay, I think I need to do something for myself, because I've always been passionate about music, fashion, and all this stuff, the entertainment industry, right? So I just came back and I was like, you know what, I'm not going to work for anyone anymore. I'm just going to do something that I'm passionate about. So I got into music, I got into fashion, and all that stuff, and it was been good for me. My first song, I don't know what was going through my mind, but to be honest, I was kind of recycling things that I wrote before. I was trying to see first the feedback first. Trying to test the water. That is exactly, yes. Did you find it tricky starting out in Nairobi? Because the type of music we consume in Nairobi in terms of hip-hop and rap, most of it we call it kapuka. Okay. So did you find it difficult to get into the market? Well, to be honest, I didn't find it difficult, because I was doing it for myself. I wasn't trying to compete with the local scene or anything. You weren't trying to break into the market just yet? I was trying to do something for myself. Like I said, I'm passionate about music and all this. So I was like, I'm just going to do it. And it wasn't too hard, because I have a lot of friends who are in the industry already. Producers, DJs, etc. So I just hit up one of my friends, I was like, hey, can we work on a tape together? Like, okay, no worries, and we did it. But your first mixtape, you weren't too happy about it? Not at all, yeah, I wasn't too happy. Well, because the reason was because the producer himself, he's an EDM producer. So he's not really like a rap hip-hop producer, so he didn't know what to do with the vocals? Exactly, so it wasn't 100%. So I wasn't really happy with it, but I still put it out there to see the feed. But it wasn't bad, I actually got a show out of that mixtape, it was very funny. So how would you describe your style of hip-hop? I don't know, I'm just a misfit, to be honest. My style is, it's all styles mixed in one, I guess, it's combined, yeah. But if you really had to describe it... Oh, it's unique, it's unique, yeah. If I really had to describe myself, it would be unique. The hip-hop scene, like we were saying earlier, it's kind of different, it's kapooka, but now it's tafika in general. What are the challenges for hip-hop artists in East Africa? Actually, none, unless the challenges as an artist is more of the production. Recording time, studio time, and visuals. And for me, I got my own equipment, I got my own home studio and everything. Because you're also a videographer? Exactly, so I can record my own song, I can video my own song and put it out there, I can edit the whole song and put it out there. So challenges as an artist would probably be that, in terms of funding their projects, you know, like if you want to drop a tape or maybe... So the main challenge would be monetary. Yes, exactly. But there's been some stories though, not just with hip-hop artists in general, the managers, the show promoters, they don't want to pay our people, so have you ever faced such a situation? To be honest, no. We had a studio before, Headspace Africa. We worked with the producers like Kusma Marcus from Pantmula and worked with all those people. And to be honest, our setbacks and artist setbacks there was all about studio time and you know, all that, that was their setback. Like they had no problem with recording and all that stuff, but the other stuff was really hard for them. And me myself as an artist, my major setback was producers. I've worked with so many producers. Just to get that sound that you want. The sound and the thing is that really, I've been let down by producers, like I've laid out so many projects, I have so many songs that are pending still, you know? And at the end of the day, the producer decides, you know, not to release the music or to ghost you or something like that, that has been my major setback as an artist. The producers, yes. It's crazy, it's crazy, because I think that's actually true. Most of the time, there's this individual sound, like we were saying even before the interview started. There's this Afropop sound that is flooding the market. That makes it hard for someone who's doing alternative genres like hip-hop or blues or jazz or whatever. They are hard to mix, hard to master. People don't know what to do with the vocals. So it is challenging, I can see that. It's very challenging, yes, it's very challenging. Okay, the challenge is aside. What's your highlight since you started your career? What's the highlight of your career? The highlights. I don't know how to put it. Well, I've done a lot of shows. Not a lot, I wouldn't say a lot of shows. I've done a few shows here and there. Because of my page and Instagram has really helped me grow as a person. Instagram would be at my highlights. It's got me so many gigs. It's got me interviews, it's got me shows. I guess that's it, to be honest. Instagram has really helped me grow as an artist. Your Instagram growth? Yeah, my Instagram growth. So the music helped that? Everything, actually. How was it the other way around? Your Instagram is helping your music. It has really helped me out with my music, with my fashion and everything. Okay, now when you look at your music, your style of music right now, which we are going to call unique. How would you say it's changed ever since you started? From the time you started? When I started doing music, I didn't have the confidence. But my confidence built with time. Like before, when I was recording with a producer, I would say Marcus Kosma. I would literally be shaking up. I'm like, oh my god, I need to do my best. And my vocal range wasn't there and my lyrics weren't all there. But with time, I met so many different producers and I strengthened up, I toughened up my mind and my lyrics got better. I grew, my growth is really working. I can see my growth as a music artist. As an artist? You said all to your lyrics have changed. So what can you say is your main influence with regard to your lyrics? I know right now you're working on two EPs. So what's your main influence? It's life. Life is actually my influence. What aspects of it? The relationships, hanging out with the boys, hustling. All that. Life in general is my influence. There's a question Digital Russian wanted me to ask. Are you sure it's me? Is Phoenix single? Why is there has to go there? No is not. No is not. Is that you? It's you. How did you know? It's all right, it's all right. Do you find it difficult? Because entertainment and what comes with it is the attention that you get. Like you said, your Instagram is popping right now. Yeah it is. But my girlfriend does not understand my lyrics at all, that's the best part. You like to be saying anything about women, all this stuff, but she doesn't understand. So that's a good thing for me. She's Asian, she's Chinese. So she's not too good with the hip hop scene and everything. So she's not really interested in that world? Not really, but she does bug me when it comes to women. She's always trying to check my DMs and stuff like that. It's not too hard, it's not too bad. It could be better. It could be better. And now, this is a question, before we wind up, this is a question we were asking earlier. Yes, please. With regard to relationships, how much influence should your parents have in your relationship? What do you think about that? It's a good question. Well, I think none, to be honest, like you're an individual person. You have your own feelings and you have your own life. So I don't think anybody else in this world should be able to have a say in your life, in your personal life especially. With parents, I know most of the parents would like to have a say in their child's relationship and life. But for me, growing up, my parents have always been open-minded and everything. They let me date whoever I wanted to date. They never told me who and who not to date. All those rules and regulations, for me, they were never there growing up. So I really don't think they should, you know? Because I've seen a lot of people who have the parents have influence in their relationship and it's disastrous. It's really disastrous, yeah. So they should just leave you guys alone? Just let your child be, you know what I mean? It's their life at the end of the day. Your heart wants what it wants, you know what I mean? You can't tell somebody to date this person just because it's this tribe or this religion. Especially those ones. That's really petty. That's really petty. I've seen it happen to a lot of people and it's really petty. If you're a parent, you should be able to allow people to be themselves and be with whoever they want. Exactly. Because at the end of the day, it's their heart. You know, they're the ones with the feelings to the person. So I don't think they should have a say in any relationship. Yeah. Uh-huh. Agreed. I said, yeah, true. I'm like, yeah, well, it's more or less like what I said in the morning. No. It is. I'm not saying the same thing. It's only because you're here. That she's on your side. You're on my side. We have the same views. We have the same views about it. Yeah. Okay. You guys, you can still let us know what you think about that topic. It's how much influence should your parents have in your relationship. That's on Y254, the E-Circuit on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. And of course, Mr. Phoenix has a new track. We're going to debut that track right now. Can you tell us a bit about it at the latest one? Midnight Dreams. Yes. Oh yeah, linked up with this really good producer. The chemistry was off the roof. And he just played me an instrumental and I was like, wow, okay. Wrote the whole song in one day. Finish it up and release it on the third day. It was perfect. On the YouTube description, I saw it was in bracket mid 90s. Mid 90s, yeah. What does that mean? Because I saw Midnight Dreams in bracket. Mid 90s. So the lyrics go Midnight Dreams. The air max is from the mid 90s. Like the shoes from the mid 90s. So we like that mid 90s while you get me. What can people find in music aside from YouTube? Right now I'm actually only doing YouTube and SoundCloud. To be honest, I haven't really tapped into the whole Spotify and Apple music on that. I will of course. But yeah, SoundCloud and YouTube. Okay, thank you so much for coming through. It's your boy Phoenix on Instagram. Like he said, it's popping right now. Just make sure you don't send some weird DMs. The lady is checking them out. This is Phoenix with Midnight Dreams.