Matatu hop - way back when...

Anybody who visited or lived in Kenya in the early 90's? One thing that you won't be able to erase from memory is the abundance of matatu's, the preferred and cheap public transport. The mini buses that tended to take way more people than they were supposed to were also instrumental in the spread of hip hop and dancehall. Buses with names like 'Black spider' (painted to live up to its name) drove around with heavy bass speakers under the chairs so that Shabba Ranks' tunes (favorite around 1993) would be felt to the bone even by the elders whose complaints did not always result in the lowering of the volume. Today, much of matatu culture is still alive, but the government has tried to regulate the industry a bit by introducing speed limiters, seatbelts for passengers and registered personnel. Apparently safety has improved since 2003. Have a look at this video by radio presenter Jimmy Gathu from around 1992 - not only is it one of the first ever rap videos in Kenya, it also gives a unique view into matatu culture as it was back in the days: 'Look, think, stay alive!' And the music? Well... let's just say that Gathu did his work as one of the pioneers in local rap. Speaking of which: in UK at the MCs for Life conference we ran into veteran producer Andrew 'Madebe'! In the 90's he was among the first to produce local hip hop in Mombasa with kina Fundi Frank. Earlier this year he moved back to UK for health reasons.