Rapper Visita talks of his musical journey and new song 'Mapepo'

Pulse: When we saw the name of the song Mapepo, we thought you had gone gospel

Visita: Mapepo is the negative energy people have, those who are around us and discourage us from doing something. These are things that happen in life.

P: What made you take so long to release a solo?

V: I have always admired working with people as opposed to working alone. I have worked on a couple of songs that people do not know that I was part of. For instance the song Come to do, people think that it is G-Kon’s song. It is mine and I featured him. I don’t like being out there. I like having my work speak for itself.

P: Is your girlfriend comfortable with the idea of you dancing with bootylicious girls, like you did in the Mapepo video?

V: The video girl is called Naava and she is the next Vera Sidika. Anyway, I have dated my girlfriend for seven years now. I figured my type of girl had to be strong to understand my line of work. My girl is exactly that and supports me. Interestingly, she does not want to come to video shoots because she believes that I will not be myself.

P: Where did it all start?

V: I began singing in a church then joined Jomino Records in 2003. I did not know how to rap back then while Jomino had so many rappers. I did a song called Wanitesa that got played at only one radio station. I left Jomino after a while and in 2006, I downloaded a software called Fruity Loops at a cyber café and taught myself how to compose beats which I sold for Sh500 to artistes.

Word went round and I got clients, then a friend opened Goldbase Records and took me in. Steve of Jomino Records heard about what I was doing and proposed that I work with him in a new Jomino studio. At Jomino, I found recorded tapes which I was to mix. I did not tell anyone that I did not know what I was doing and learnt on the job.

I got a job in Mombasa, left Jomino and came back after some years. In 2012, I opened my own studio, Boom Rock and did a couple of beats among them Maswali ya Polisi which Refigah bought from me. Later on, Refigah asked me if I could work with him in Grandpa Records. I closed down my studio.

P: Why did you decide on to close it?

V: I was still a hustler and with the studio in Karen, I struggled to pay rent. Grandpa Records opened doors for me and gave me the chance to compose beats for Kamua Leo, Chapa (Fimbo ya Pili), Dumbala remix, Vile Kunaendaga, Chali Stingy... the list is endless.

P: Sometime back you had beef with Majirani

V: He is the one who came to us with the idea and we helped in reconstructing the verses; when an artiste walks into a studio with an idea, it can be changed and the song that goes out is not the same as the one he walked in with.

P: So who owns the song?

V: He does. He is paid royalties for the song. The problem was simple; the audiences were not familiar with him or I. Kenrazy had been in the limelight long before us therefore promoters would ask for him to perform in shows. He would perform his songs plus Vile Kunaendaga. That might have rubbed Majirani the wrong way. That should not have been an issue because other artistes perform songs they were featured in.

P: Do you keep in touch?

V: Honestly I cannot remember the last time I sent him a text. I have no grudge though, he is not the problem. The problem is the people he hangs around with. When he came to the studio, he was doing a great job and we saw talent in him. But he got fed with lies with people he interacts with then we fell apart.

P: You and Kenrazy have been friends for quite some time now. How did the two of you meet?

V: He came to Jomino Records and asked me to compose beats for him to use in a competition at Alliance Française where he was schooling. We later on did a couple of songs together. I can say that he is my best friend.

P: A hip-hop artiste called Eveready claimed recently that you stole a sample of his song, Move Songa while at Jomino, the same song as Coola Gang’s Songa

V: I have never heard or met such a guy. For Coola Gang’s part, I was only part of composing the beats to the song before I listened to the song. If there are any issues he has with the song, he should approach Coola Gang. It is interesting how people could come up with things. On the same issue, I would like to clarify that at no point did DNA assist me with production as he has been saying.

P: What are you working right now?

V: I am working on a Kenyan sound. Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda have sounds but we lack a Kenyan sound. Here, when we hear a sound, we know it is from a particular record label. We link artistes and songs to a record label, not as a country. I would like to have boom rock as a Kenyan sound.

P: How certain are you the audience and the artistes will approve of the sound as Kenyan?

V: I have composed many boom rock beats which have come to be appreciated by people. I am planning to unite all artistes, the way DJ Khaleed has done and release songs with the boom rock beats. I am also planning to venture into acting.

P: What made you change your name from V-6 to Visita?

V: Six is my lucky number. I was born in June, I won a competition in 2006. I changed my name from V-6 to Visita because my older fans found its pronunciation somewhat complicated. Visita was easier.