Mbuzi Gang is Kenyan rap group based in Nairobi that mainly embraces Gengetone but also does regular Hip Hop including Drill.
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Biography: Mbuzi Gang
#PulseBiography - Featuring Kenyan Gengetone music group Mbuzi Gang
#PulseBiography - Featuring Kenyan Gengetone music group Mbuzi Gang
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The group comprises the trio Joefes, iPhoolish, and Fathermoh and their group name 'Mbuzi' is actually an acronym that stands for 'Money, Bi*ches, Under, Zero Influence'.
The name was derived from the title of an album Joefes released in the early days of his career in music. Joefes is one of the few talents who can boast of having an actual DJ for a dad.
Kenyan rapper Joefes from the Gengetone group Mbuzi Gang
Pulse Live Kenya
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How Mbuzi Gang came together
The group began in 2012 when Joefes met iPhoolish at a high school 'funkie' and they immediately sparked a friendship that would see them afterward enroll at the same university.
After releasing a mixtape, Joefes and iPhoolish signed a record deal with California-based label Black Market Records and dropped two albums.
In the process of reaching out to different artistes trying to find a fortune, Fathermoh linked up with Joefes in 2019 and joined Mbuzi Gang after six months of prolonged negotiations.
They did tracks like Wagithomo and Shamra Shamra featuring Mejja. Both songs did well but it was the latter that put the group in the spotlight.
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Mbuzi Gang Spotify
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They have cited producer Kashkeed as the main reason they switched to upbeat music. Fathermoh has proven to have mastered the skill of creating outstanding choruses.
While describing their creative process, they revealed that Fathermoh often comes up with the hooks. From there, they get in the studio and each member develops their verses.
Businesses Mbuzi Gang members did before fame
Joefes and iPhoolish engaged in activities they described as "kutapeli (to swindle)’" at the university. Fathermoh was a hawker selling snacks and footwear.
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iPhoolish has previously revealed he began singing as a choir member in church before hopping on secular music as a profession.
Fathermoh holds a Bachelor's degree in Accounting while Joefes and iPhoolish dropped out of campus to focus on their music careers.
Mbuzi Gang songs
Mbuzi Gang have distinguished themselves from their Gengetone counterparts by minimizing explicit content in their lyrics and music videos. They, however, still appreciate other artistes putting out explicit content.
In an April 2021 interview on Pulse Celeb 254, the group shed the 'Gengetone rappers' identity preferring to describe their genre as ‘bangers'.
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To maintain unity and respect within the group, they do not have definite a leader. Each rapper is also individually signed to Black Market Records and thus has a separate contract.
As part of the contract, for example, while copywriting their music on platforms like YouTube, the group includes every member's name to ensure equal exposure.
The group released their first official album as a group in January 2022 titled Three Wise Goats.
It was produced by Kashkeed and Vic West and the project boasts 12 tracks, solely released by Black Market Records.
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The album's tracklist includes Blessings featuring Kashkeed, Baikoko, Iskaba featuring Vanessa, Shida featuring Jose Chameleone and Tusere featuring Ethic.
More songs from the album include Zoza featuring Navio and Vic West, Shifra featuring Swat and Exray, Happy Birthday featuring Lava Lava and KRG, Wawawa featuring Katapila and Silverstone Bars, and Rudi a collabo with singer Nina Roz.
It also featured two bonus tracks - Unanibo with Madini Classic; and Shamra Shamra featuring Gabu, Naiboi, John Black, Frasha and Wyre.
Since dropping the album, they have been releasing music videos from the body of work including the hard-hitting Drill song Wah Wah.
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