Crooning holy messages through music

By Jeckonia Otieno

To many of his admirers, he is the stuff America’s superstars are made of. KB is young, trendy and flying high, yet he says his only mission is to evangelise.

KB, whose real name is Kevin Burgess, visited Kenya with his fellow musicians, Trip Lee, Lecrae, Tedashi and Andi Mineo who make up 116 Clique, and performed at last weekend’s Unashamed gospel concert at Mavuno Church in Nairobi. The group is touring Africa. Kenya is one of their stops, courtesy of the Standard Group and XII Agency, among other sponsors.

Kevin Burgess. [PHOTOS: Jeckonia Otieno/STANDARD]

KB dresses casually just like the other group members. He has a baseball cap, a pair of jeans shorts, and easily flashes the two-finger sign of victory and confidence.

KB says, "I carry this dressing style wherever I go, in church, on the stage, and even when praying."

His fellow group members are equally flashy. Andi Mineo wears earings; Tedashii never leaves behind his chain or pendant, and Trip’s style is putting on his cap backwards.

Don’t blame culture

Character, not dressing, makes a person and culture is not the problem; sin is, says KB.

"Should all of us dress as Jews because Jesus did so? Heaven has no culture, what matters is the content of one’s heart," he says.

KB wonders why young people are ashamed of the word of God. They should instead be proud of redemption rather than seek pleasures that do not add value to their lives at all.

KB’s style of music would make any conservative Christian suffer a heart attack.

The fast flow and agility of movement is not characteristic of traditional people who believe that music for the almighty is based on humble beats marked by a regular rhythm, devoid of fast movement.

Going by their style of music, it is clear that these young men have revolutionised the holy hits to keep in sync with the young people who, KB says, need to be spoken to in a language they understand.

Worthy to note is that most of the group members, all in their early 20s, are married and they say they like it.

Being married is good for their career; it helps them avoid temptations that come with being youthful, successful and unattached, they argue.