Who is GP, how was your childhood, did you go to school or not? If yes what’s your view on the education system in your country?

I am a poet, Emcee, entrepreneur, writer, educator, and a community builder born and raised in Arusha, Tanzania. I grew up in one of peasant’s family of six siblings, in a clan named ‘O’bikoto’, meaning The Lead/ The Head. My father was a football fun but loved Music alot especially the congo and zaire vibes together with bakurutu and twist both common in Tanzania and many parts of Afrika. My father used to sponsor live musical bands to his club, perform with them and could buy hundreds of tapes to play them at home. I am one of those children who were shot-dead by artistic bullets that led me to ascend into another world that defined my life and purpose of existence.

I graduated my bachelor at st. Augustine University in Mwanza, Tanzania. My view on the education system here in my country is still that which is dominated by the foreign syllabus and skills of teaching. We are taught to be good crammers for exams and our creativeness being justified by number of grades. The education system creates more job seekers than job creators, one cannot think of starting or running a business but to get employed. Our creativeness and skills are less sharpened in this environment. We are created to become stagnant and dependent on the neo-colonial system. We still need changes!

Which movements do you work with?

Being a member at BADtaito jr Xplastaz (HipHopCrew) and a founder at MSTAAFRIKA ARTS MUSIC AND CULTURE TANZANIA, a project that uses power of arts and music language to inspire and facilitate positive change in communities, we are working with Uzalendo na mshikamano a non-profit organization that focus in the uplift of pan-African visional youths, United African Alliance Community Centre(a community run by former blackpanther chairman of cancer city, Mzee Pete O’neal & his wife Mama Charlotte O’neal), Bavubuka foundation, Maumau collective, Africa is now foundation and the East Africa Builders Collective movement.

What inspired you to start rapping and all of what you doing? And how has been your musical journey and which people have influenced your growth and the community you serving?

As I grew up in Arusha, by that time we had brothers who were coming up and representing the indigenous Hiphop through the art of rap. This were Xplastaz, Watengwa, rivercamp soldiers, Nako 2 Nako, waturutumbi, Saigon, Mr II sugu and Professor Jay (who are now both members of parliament) to mention a few, led to my love in Hiphop. During this era the Hiphop music was less understood in our communities here in Tanzania, but through localizing it by language context and practice the culture kept growing bigger to a large population. I was also exposed to the outside old skul artists like Dialated People, Talib kweli, Mos Def, Krs One, Mobb deep, lost boys and representatives of such type all inspired me to rap game and gave me a meaning of what an emcee is.

You have been in Uganda like for two times and you have been working and connecting with the hip-hop family there, how do you see the country and its formation of hip-hop culture? How do you see the young people, how do you see the future of the game in Uganda and East Africa as a collective?

Uganda has quickly transformed the Hiphop culture into a valuable and highly appreciated movement (Hiphop Education). It has taken the culture and fused it to communities with the indigenous language (lugaflow) which made it possible and recognized international. The young people are growing with the sense of building and becoming leaders through their talents. It is for sure a strong bound. This culture is here to emanicipate most of us from colonial and neo-colonial scars that blocked our achievements. Its time we use this tool (Hiphop) to transform many of our communities suffering from such scars and it is through this collective practice that will change Africa again and gain its respect at the face of the world.

How do you define hip-hop and music following your experience of practicing and serving lives through it?

Hip hop is a culture that defines us and our people. It is a life we live and the truth we speak, preach and teach. What I eat, dress, believe and read in my context its Hip hop. To understand myself, my grassroots and the responsibilities I hold in my community is what it means Hip hop.

Music is a way through which one express his/her views, feelings, love and emotions towards community. The rhythm identifies ones culture and practices. Music is an instrument which holds us close to our ancestors and the divine spirits.

The western dominance has influenced everything; it has destroyed the cultures and traditions of indigenous worlds. It has set a certain kind of system, how do you see all of this mystery? What is indigenous to you as a rapper using your language to communicate with communities through music?

Its the time we start telling our own stories and expose them to the world so that this western influencing media’s can see. Many of us know less or even don’t know about our real told stories, about the ancient Africa and Asia in ten thousand years ago and after.

We seat and wait for western historians, sociologists, scientists and researchers to come explore and write what we have been doing and what our progress is. We have let the western Medias to define us and tell our stories. They are defining what’s good or bad to us to accept. We are killing ourselves by seating quiet and doing nothing. Let’s stop this!

We will only be in a safe position by defining ourselves and creating our own media outlets to speak for us positively. Let’s not seat and watch but do something to initiate the change. Let’s be part of the changing system.

Which people inspired you to do all what you doing today?

Xplastaz inspired my journey in music and made me understand what means by being the voice of the people. My university colleagues whom I work with at Uzalendo Na Mshikamano org also explored my vision and purpose of community serving. We always reminded ourselves with a quote from late Mwalimu Julius k Nyerere (a founding father of the nation) that, “Intellectuals needs society” and so the society needs us too. Meeting with Hustlajay who also introduced me to BabaLuku Uganda facilitated my mission and a shift to the next levels. My purpose and struggles were affirmed by my first attendance to BACK TO THE SOURCE MOVEMENT at the source of the Nile.

Yes I know you one of those who have practiced hip-hop beyond the known angles of microphone, stage and all that, you have taken up farming and others, how you feel about that notion?

We all know that in order to have a free and independent environment we must first be independent

economically. There is no freedom if we are not self-sustained economically. It is also true that Hip hop culture and music cannot be freely practiced if the practitioners are dependent to someone. To walk as a free Emcee requires a load of knowledge, skillz, creativity and over standing. Being aware of this, entrepreneurship became one of my practices to have a self-sustainability and free voice.

Knowing and understanding my roots as being a farmer and Agriculturalist made me possible to stand and be what I want to be.

Interviewed by Ram Black