Issue: No. 253
FEB 2022
The Mz
Every love story is beautiful but Nameless and Wahu’s romantic tale is more than that. It is a charming story adored by many because the two have have inspired many by succeeding where many others have failed. The top Kenyan celebrity couple, boasts of a story that is as old as the local Urban Music scene. It is understandable why this celebrity couple, who are now referred to as The Mz (short for the Mathengez), have remained close to Kenyans hearts. Not many relationships have manage to outwit hurdles like how The Mz have. Many couples struggle to maintain healthy relationships because they were not given the right psychological tools to handle and understand what is needed to succeed in a relationship.” Wahu says. “Each individual in a relationship need to know how to live with his better half during both good and bad times. They also need to understand everyone have different moods, at different times in their life. And this is the unfortunate reality of why people are struggling in their relationships..” Nameless also believes that many relationship fail because individuals rush into marriage before they are conditioned or trained on how to live with each other. He says that some people are already handicapped when they start their journey in marriage because they have let their negative culture and traditions hamper their understanding of what it takes to have a happy marriage. The Mz, who have been blessed with two girls: Tumiso and Nyakio, met in 1999 and got married in 2005. Their lavish wedding, which was attended by top celebrities in the Kenyan entertainment scene, was a hot topic in Kenya for many weeks. The couple maintain that communication, respect, gratitude, acceptance, trust and friendship is vital in their union. This is because their personal and professional lives are not private. Everything they do or do not do, the public will always take a key interest because the two are each involved in their different musical careers and they remain among the most successful artists in Kenya for close to two decades. But this changed just before the onset of COVID-19 Pandemic. The two started to feel the urge to do unite for a joint project. Wahu says, “We have always talked about coming together as two brands to do a joint project, but we were not sure of the right time to do it. About 2 years ago, we started feeling the time was right. This is maybe because we were in mid-life and we wanted to share what we have learnt individually and together.” The Mz thought of they could try and re-inventing themselves and maybe come together as a unit and learn how to work together and synergize. This is how the idea of The Mz came about. This was birthed by their vision statement to inspire and empower through marriage music and mentorship. The two also felt that they wanted to tell the story of their lives through music, mentorship and their lifestyle so that they can inspire and empower others who are in the same journey. The result is this is their 12 track self-titled album The Mz features songs that tell the story of their two-decade respective music careers and also weave the colorful story of love and relationships. The two have already released the song ‘Te Amo’, ‘Feeling’ and ‘Back It Up’ which have done great and received tremendous airplay and views. Nameless who recently released a new project titled ‘Bandana ya Esir’, say there is more to come from The Mz. But now what he is focused on is his special surprise for Wahu this Valentines Day. He reveals, “We are simple guys. We are not at all extravagant. This Valentines Day, maybe we shall plan a night out. Perhaps get sometime of together to reflect and chill and maybe remind ourselves were we have come from.”
Interview by Harry Njenga | Photo courtesy of The Mz
RAYVANNY Other than the usual Valentine’s Day gift for a loved one, most people will also use the art of songs to profess their affection to a loved one. And talking about love songs, no other musicians come close to our neighbours from Tanzania when it comes to churning out love ballads. Famed for their trendy musical genre known as Bongo Flava, our Tanzanians superstars have been among the leading musicians in the region. Top of the list of these Bongo stars is Raymond Shaban Mwakyusa better known as Rayvanny. Born in August 22, 1993, the singer, songwriter and recording star grew up in a humble family setting in a town called Mbeya in Tanzania. In 2011, Rayvanny took his first leap into the music scene after he won a rap competition while he was in high school. A year later, he joined a music group called Tip Top Connection, where he gained additional exposure as well as more experience in music. However, it was not until 2015 that Rayvanny joined, WCB Wasafi Record, one of the successful labels in East Africa, which is under the headship of Diamond Platnumz. In 2016, he released his debut song, ‘Kwetu’ and set the region ablaze with his exhilarating talent. The same year, Rayvanny was nominated for an MTV Africa Music Awards in the category of Breakthrough Act 2016. The following year, he became the first artist from Tanzania to win a BET Award, after being crowned “THE BET Viewers Choice Best New International Act”. Nonetheless, the greatest accolade that Rayvanny has received to date was making it to the Grammy Awards in 2020 when his debut EP Flowers was chosen to compete for the World Music Album of the year Category. Flowers is an 8-track EP and features songs such as ‘I Love You’, ‘Naogopa’, ‘Teamo’ featuring Messias Maricoa and ‘Mama La Mama’ featuring Mr Blue. Others include ‘Ex Boyfriend’, ‘Sweet Melody’, ‘Vumilia’ and ‘One’ featuring Karen. In February 2021, Rayvanny launched his first studio Album called Sound From Africa that has a total of 23 songs. In November 2021, the star did a collabo with Maluma on the successful song ‘Mama Tetema ‘. But it was the establishment of his own record label: Next Level Music in 2022 that highlighted the year for the musician. It is reported that Rayvanny, who is often referred to as Vanny Boy, has one of the largest and modern recording studios in the region! Nonetheless, It is often said that a creative mind is a troubled soul and age-old adage has ringed true for Vanny Boy. In 2021, the superstar was embroiled in a bitter fallout with his compatriot Harmonize, who was reported to be seducing his girlfriend’s Daughter! Rayvanny was once romantically involved with Fayhima aka Fahyvanny, with whom they have a son together called Jaydan Vanny. But it is believed that the two are no longer together as a couple, they only co-parent. Aside from the few huddles miring the musician, there are certainly bigger and better things instore from this talented star and he remains among the biggest musicians from East Africa to keep an eye on.
Rayvanny
@rayvanny
@rayvanny
Dj
Chains254 PHAT!buzz: INTRODUCE YOURSELF? DJ CHAINS254: My name is Alexander Ndichu Gacheru better known as DJ Chains254. I am a 25 years old passionate music-lover and an entertainment enthusiast. I am also a budding businessman. PHAT!buzz: WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO START DEEJAYING? DJ CHAINS254: When I was in upper primary, I developed a keen interest in music. I was particularly fascinated by how Deejays were doing their thing. In 2012 when I was In High School, I started to sharpen my skills during school events. PHAT!buzz: DID YOU GO TO A DEEJAYING SCHOOL, OR YOU ARE A SELF-TAUGHT DJ? DJ CHAINS254: Unfortunately, I did not go to any Deejaying school. I refer to myself as a street-taught DJ. I have acquired all my skills from the streets as well as apprenticeship from established Deejays. PHAT!buzz: WHICH TYPE OF MUSIC DO YOU PREFER TO PLAY? DJ CHAINS254: I can play all genres of music, but my main preference is Reggae & Dancehall Music and Kenyan Tunes. PHAT!buzz: WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES YOU HAVE FACED AS A DJ? DJ CHAINS254: Being a DJ is not an easy task. The biggest huddle is making yourself known and getting your name out there in an industry that is now crowded is a has been a big challenge. PHAT!buzz: WHAT ARE YOUR CURRENT AND FUTURE PLANS? DJ CHAINS254: Since COVID-19 has had a negative impact on the country economy, many of us lost our livelihood. So, my current plan is to get back on my feet and look for Deejaying opportunities. My future plans is to excel in Deejaying so that I can do shows far and wide. I would also want to start a DJ Academy so that I can give aspiring DJs the opportunity I did not have! PHAT!buzz: WHAT OR WHO IS YOUR INSPIRATION IN DEEJAYING? DJ CHAINS254: DJ Joe Mfalme. I always look up to him. His branding and basically how he conducts his business is outstanding. PHAT!buzz: HOW DO YOU BALANCE YOUR FAMILY LIFE AND PROFESSIONAL LIFE? DJ CHAINS254: My Family has always been part of my profession. I use part of my earnings to support my family. PHAT!buzz: WHAT’S YOUR VALENTINE’S DAY PLANS? DJ CHAINS254: It’s My Birthday! And as usual, I will definitely party like a rockstar.
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