 Iapapola sika kwa'a bada niki bimayo na niki, ago mwa hupa kimawano niliki. Union paipanasa, Hikafate, Drinda isha, itla train. The music industry is attracting a lot of youth with each trying to remain relevant. Today we speak to one of them whose music is not only geared towards entertainment but conscious education. My name is Drin Sonoy It was Drin Shalom Kitambo But I changed because I want to relate to the home culture. It has been a journey. The first times I wrote was back in 2007. I was still in primary school. I can't even remember them, but they were childish. When I got to Form 2, there was a group called the Slando Anthem in the school I was in. This group was formed of rappers and singers. And from there, it's when I became serious with music that I decided to focus on music as even a career. But previously, before that, I was just doing it for the hobby and for the fun. Hip-hop has many genres. There is acoustic hip-hop, according to beat, there is acoustic hip-hop, there is trap, it's part of hip-hop, there is krank. But according to the message, I like to call myself a conscious rapper because I rap on what's happening on the society and what's happening to us as human beings. I don't rap about... Yes, everybody raps about what's happening to the society, but I rap on the eye-opening factors. Not I won't tell you I have a band, I have a big house, I have money because I won't be helping you. I'll just make you tasked on material things. But if I tell you there is people really suffering out here, you can find people coming out and helping other people. His passion for music began a long time ago and for every song he writes, there is always an inspiration. The surroundings is what inspires me to do the music before I tell you the surroundings. If you listen to my music, you'll realize there is an itch. I always talk about the environment that I grew up. In Komarok, we are bordered with Kayole. Molem, let's say Kayole on the east, Molem on the west, on the north kuna umoja and on the south Kayole junction. So Komarok is just the, let's say it's a middle class income neighborhood. And the surroundings, not being that well off, not Staksemati Nimbaya, but not being that well off. As people from Komarok, we are able to see what effects were there on the society because of the surrounding. But most people are not well, let's say the income is not well, so they turn into vices in order to boost their income. And that is what inspires me to do my music, Sanasana. I always talk about the police, because who got to know the police here, I don't know if they know the cause. I don't know if they know, but because you're gathered, it's normal, it's normal. In itwaku, let's say I'm in Lipadene, where they arrest us for no crime, Sanasana. And that motivated me. Amas, as I know, is to work with the police, it's easy. So, as the normal, let's say the civilized, I won't call it civilized, the people are going into police or into these ways to reach Padatuko in the center, where we fear the police and still fear the thieves. So, to go in the center with no help, that's what inspired me to educate the masses and the youth on what's happening and what I see. Good management is a key factor for most artists too. Does June have a manager for his music? I have a friend manager, not a professional manager. You know, there's a difference between a friend manager. A friend manager is your boy. Ule, he's my boy. Kamu ni sayi dieku. Kumanage at least. Neza kupigia simu ni kwa miyenda wuongil shiwu producer, but I don't have a professional manager who keeps you on toes. You know, a manager in music is the person who has your foundation, let me say. Because you as an artist, you're supposed to focus on the music only, and the manager is supposed to focus on everything else. Having a friend manager, you deal with everything else and still the music, which limits your ability of creating. Because if I have to release some music video today, ni market for the whole week. It means the whole week I won't be able to go to studio, I won't be able to write, I won't be able... Because you have to meet people in order to market well. So it limits your creative ability. Support always goes a long way in the success of many projects. How relevant is this statement for him? Family friends. I don't have any sponsor, any big brand that comes and helps, but family and friends have really been a great support to me. Because you can send a link to someone, somebody watches. So you can send a link to someone, even to one of my memes, where somebody sends you a photo, he hasn't even downloaded it and tells you, oh, beautiful, you know, you can send a link and you see the blue ticks, but not everybody will watch. But I really have some great fans and great people who look forward to my next music when before it drops. Drain shares with us the duration that has been in this music industry. Industry actively in 2016, when I released my first tape it was the sky's blue. It has 12 tracks. So actively I've been ever since 2016, but let's say physically or as an artist, I've been there in 2007 when I was in primary. But I struggle all through a long finding ways that can maybe, you know, I don't want to fit into the masses because, for example, Seizi Gengetona took over the waves. Most artists transformed and changed their nini to Gengetona. Me, I said, I won't go with the masses. I'll try and find my niche in the industry and what to atapenda. Atakawata iapenda seizi, I know there's a time when you atakuja appreciate. What is the kind of impact his music creates in the society? I like to change the society so that people, the less privileged people, the people do not have a voice, because not everybody will come and tell you ni me ibiwa. Not everybody will come and tell you that leon me lalanja. So, but through my music, I can motivate people to know that kuna atu na lalanja, kuna atu me biwa na uliwa, kuna juwa. So that's what I try my best to put out there. So that can raise the sat and the youth most likely because the youth in Kenya and in Africa, we are majority. So if we don't have the correct leadership, we might end up leading our country or our continent into a negative place in Yaikua. So I believe by music we can change the society. Yes, it wouldn't be like let's say how politics can, because politics can make laws and rules that can change today. But through music, somebody can listen to a motion or the message that you relay. I want to release music that I can listen to with my mother. Since my music, I don't believe I'm hurting anyone. I'm hurting anyone or anyone's children because I realized, see what a topu ja kuna atoto. When I'm old, let's say I'm 50 years old, I have grandchildren. Would I like them to see me in that music doing whatever I'm doing? You see, I might do it now because I'm young. I enjoy it, but I don't want to have regrets in the future. So that's why I do the type of music that I do and hoping that the youth can listen to that and maybe love me for it. Because if we can change the youth, we'll be able to change the old system because the youth are the future generation leaders. Dream shares some of the marketing strategies he uses for his music. Right now, YouTube made a platform for us and not only YouTube, let's say even the internet because 10 years ago the internet was not in Kenya as it is now. That's why right now people can get one million views in even a month. The internet has really helped us and me personally, the only platform that you can find my music is YouTube. It's Bukua SoundCloud where I put my first tape. But after that, I had lessons because of money and everything. So I do YouTube. When I started, I had a friend called Eric Kirui. He gave me one of the most important advice. I was a purely English rapper. But he told me, let me just try and rephrase what he said. But if you let's say mix these languages, you'll find support in Kenya and maybe international. Because even if the international people won't be able to hear you, the fan base will make them hear you. That's the thing that happened to let's say Niger music and all these other types of music that I've been listening to. I've been listening to music and I've been listening to music and I've been listening to music and I've been listening to music and all these other types of music that I've gone internationalist because here in Kenya, we have Nigerians. These Nigerians play their own music. So as a Kenyan, when you go to visit a Nigerian friend, he's playing your Tanzanian friend he's playing bongo in coast. So you find that after some time of hearing this music, you may have heard it appear. So I thought about focusing mainly in Kenya and then let Kenyans be Kenyans. They will do it because I'm sure of Kenyans. I know Kenyans have the heart of supporting their own. Most old, let me say old but not old in terms of age. Most old people are not that they are supporting financially but kakuna form. They'll come to your concert if kakuna matem, ama kakuna pombe, ama kosa form tu na atata form. But the younger generation looking let's say 24 years and below, they're very appreciative of the art because they won't support you financially maybe because they're getting the money from kwaazazi but they appreciate the art. If they like your song they will sing it but you can even find young children when they like a song they sing it even in groups. So my target audience is them because it's easy converting them to become your supporter. So when they start earning they can support you now financially. So I'm aiming for high schoolers even primary kids, university students that's my main focus and because the youth are the majority once you get the majority you are actually the winner. Though challenges are inevitable it is always good to find solutions to counter them. Most international acts have support systems that boost them like in Kenya we don't have as I said we don't have brands that are ready to back us up. The problem with Kenya is that that is a left to find for themselves. Once you make the little monies you make performing or selling your heart that money, the same money you have to pay rent, you have to pay food you have to pay bills you still have to reinvest it in the music because you can't say that I'll take the money, do music and then wait the stomach wants what it wants and when it wants it. The other problem is we don't have studios like good studios like grand patride but it failed I don't know why I won't get to that because I don't know why but we don't have studios most of our artists are working in independent studios and that independence brings lags to the we are not able to move as quick as our let's say counterparts our other artists in other countries None of our music has deep roots it's nakuja ki enda Gengetun came already seeing it lags behind Kapuka came kulemwaliya chaktanzawimbo kapuka died as in we don't have that continuity and strong base systems that are able to support our artists Just how Bryce is the future for Dream and his music I'm thinking about concerts majority I have a next my plan for next year is going to roadshow concerts and school based concerts I'm not looking for big concerts school based let's say if I go to university perform there go to another university go to a high school perform there I know these people can subscribe they won't buy as such because I don't want to break the marketing strategy that I have but for my next tape I'm selling it for almost 5000 so for a university student telling him to buy your tape for 5000 only the music it's hard but I know it's possible so I know if they support me by the numbers you know some people might buy it because of the numbers here is his word of advice for fellow artists for fellow artists just do you and continue preaching but make sure you don't preach things that you might end up regretting or outappend in future ama kitu nyanadanganyam tu mingine because I've listened to some songs the things they talk about kitu nyanadanganyam tu mingine atama maako I'm not blaming them they're expressing themselves with what they see around but the right thing to do is not tell people devices tell them the correct way of living devices