 media platform that is at Y254 channel across every social media platform and on our Instagram page that is Y254 underscore channel at Michelle Lashira and I'm joined by the lovely guest who does hip-hop music but in another angle in terms of his representing Christ so it's a gospel hip-hop kind of sound my name is thank you for joining us and I'll let the guest introduce himself I was about to introduce myself again okay guest yeah yeah thank you for coming through Y254 thanks a lot we are glad to have you so you can use that camera camera for and introduce yourself my name is Alvin Dupay I represent 125 Rungai I love your first jump it's a I checked out I checked you out or I checked you out on YouTube and I tried to find other singles yes I found other singles but this was your official video yes I love the sound of the music but I also found out that you use vernacular language aspect of it yes I do tell us more about this song and what was your angle in terms of the story you're trying to tell um this song it's known as Niuena Niuena is a lower word that means you forgive me okay um this song it's a praise song it's like um I'm I'm telling God man thanks for saving my life and also my aim was you see everybody has a different story at the end of the day my story might not be exactly as yours but when you're listening to my story it might impact in one way or another so Niuena is just a praise song just to thank God for all that he has brought me with because uh in if you listen to all those girls who got saved they have their stories they were once in darkness but after some time they got the life yeah okay I love the fact that you're doing hip hop music but you're also uh you're very quite wide in terms of Episodes in Christ because we have we do have hip hop artists in gospel industry and you're you're representing and also using the vernacular aspect of it but most of the people we hear from Kenyans in terms of the gospel scene is based on Swahili or English what was your niche what are you trying to achieve using vernacular language I'm privileged that I can speak luo fluently so I was like there's some luo people who don't understand Swahili but I was like why not why also not come up with my luo rap so that I can also impact them because I came to realize that music is music despite the language of communication we have some artists who do vernacular but we still appreciate their music that is true yeah so I have some I know of some rappers and some artists who do their songs in vernacular and we still impressed it and we love it all right yeah so how different is it this jam compared to what you've been doing initially um this jam is different uh because uh it's a trap hip hop in vernacular which is something very very rare mostly in our in our within within our within our country so it's an it's a new sound in the market okay yeah all right so how long have you been into the industry um okay I've been doing this for a for a decade now ten years yeah man wow yes so finally I'm here I'm in glory be together ten years that is a lot that's a long so uh how has the journey been from ten years to where you are what is so different right now and what are the challenges back then that you've actually conquered right now um the challenge has been a lot yes um also when you're upcoming when you're still coming up you still don't have that name okay I've I've I've gone to studios I've been recording but you see most of the time I didn't have the the right links the right people that you're supposed to meet but I thank God at the moment I came to realize the basic the right things that you're supposed to do like meeting the right people and I came to realize that it's all about kujitoma when you don't tell somebody that you're an artist nobody will know okay yeah for most of the artists who have come here attached to hip of Thursday they tend to tell the story whereby there have been there has been a struggle of finances but they also understand the importance of networking and using what is within their own space and not like uh being in a space whereby because they don't have right now so I'm just going to stick around and wait until I have so that I can do my project but it's the same story with you there's been 10 years down the memory later and I'm hearing a story whereby you didn't give up you're still doing what you're doing right now and fortunately you're at hashtag hip of Thursday when we're in the morning so my what would you what will you be what will your thoughts be in terms of young people who want to venture into the music scene and the same story I'm hearing networking how did you how did you maneuver around that um in regards to networking yes um I remember okay I personally I am I'm also a businessman okay so what I decided to do is that not to keep quiet with what I have so I used to tell everybody that hey yo I am an artist I am a rapper so I used to when I used to go to places where there are some jam I meet DJs there I meet my fellow artists so you used to attend events yes I used to attend events yes at least to get that link you know even if they don't play my song or take my song but at least to get that number and later on send my stuff so first thing only summer could you two more could you two more quavo like every single time even if I'm having a project in regards of if I have another one coming just that one you should just attend these events that are happening in kuamata and just issuing you out your projects even if I want to come back to you as long as you've done your part and let god be in the case of doing gospel hip-hop music exactly okay so how has the journey been as a gospel musician in terms of hip-hop music the genre has not been easy it has not been easy because it's a field whereby you see there are not so many majority of artists who are hip-hop artists who are out there you see but mostly are secular hip-hop artists oh wait what do you mean secular hip-hop oh like I thought you said you're talking about secular hip-hop artists but they are just using the curtain because in terms of representing gospel music yeah in terms of the hip-hop you see there is a hip-hop music so even that on the other side of gospel not so many artists have also that delivered that there are those big guys in hip-hop apart from some few so it's a field that it's so very challenging but you say believe I know where I'm I know my vision and I know where I'm heading to you know your vision okay yeah so previously before God save I used to do secular music oh all right yeah so after God saved I changed and started doing so you started as a secular artist okay then later on you move to the other side yes you crossed over yeah man okay so in the other side of crossing over there are those artists was in these gospel scene but they claim to be apparently they claim to be gospel musician but the kind of music they are producing it's all rounded me kind of music which can be played anywhere everywhere it's music we appreciate it but but behind the curtains and behind the scene we see their lifestyle and everything else I believe the word of God says something like you'll know them by the way they but their fruits and everything else but what we tend to see according to their actions and their lifestyle the controversy out there what is your thought on that my thought is okay it's very very sad you see God is mighty you see and it's it's okay it's very very unfair also to use the name of God just for your your own purpose you know even though it's it's it's even though it's very very sad but you see we still have the ambassadors of Christ those who are doing this thing genuinely you understand and what is happening outside there it should not stop you who is who has the calling he's doing a genuine movement okay yeah so at the end of the day just as you have said you'll know them by their by their fruits if they're really doing something genuine or they're faking it so my advice is men for those who are doing that it's high time man to just do this thing okay so your new job your new job which has a video owner you can tell us more about it and the theme behind it and who produce your video my video was produced by big trims uh send to audio and uh i shot the video also a strong guy you okay you shot okay yes or the location was that strong guy um um the the the audio production was done by riko bits riko bits all right yeah so it's a trap it's a sharp person so you can tell us the the theme around it and you can probably give us a vast a snippet vast before the dj dj rajas plays it right here and then we can take it away from there yes all right so um check it yes we should just drop a mic right now that was amazing you can give us your social media handles but people back at home can follow you and ask you any question and the dj rajas will be scratching it to the new sound of alvin um my social media handles are at alvin dupe on twitter on facebook on instagram and you can also get my songs on soundcloud spotify itunes um yeah if you have any other sound or any music even if you have an album coming you're away your way please come back to wash tag hip up thursday on wind the morning and drop it yes i'm humble thank you for coming dj rajas will be taking away and but don't go away uh barry moe is coming up with another interview