BAMBOO K-SOUTH

I heard about Bamboo from hanging out at a local African “space” in New Jersey (Mount Kenya). I was impressed with the quality of his music and I believed that it rivaled a lot of hip hop music that I have heard played on many radio stations. [Take a listen]

Bamboo born Simon Kimani grew up in Inglewood California where he was running with the wrong crowd. As a result of his “naughtiness”, he was sent back home to Kenya to get his “head together”. There he continued with hip hop music and realized that he could actually use this music to report the angst and insecurity that many Kenyan youths were going through. Bamboo is an artist who bridges the gap between Swahili and English while ensuring that both audiences are entertained and informed. He is also an artist with more than 3 heavily sold out albums under his belt. Bamboo has performed on the same stage with 2 face idibia from Nigeria and has performed to an audience of close to 50,000 people. His music is heavily played on radio stations in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania. Bamboo is widely traveled having spent a significant amount of years in West Africa, particularly Nigeria and Senegal.

Meet Kenyan Hip Hop Artist Bamboo

Pammy: When you told your parents that you were going to go into hip hop music? Of course, you had already been sent back home for being bad. Did they say this is a good artistic endeavor or were they against it?

Bamboo: They were adamant about education. Basically, when I really got into hip hop I was not living with them. Things got really crazy after that and of course rap for me was my way out. Fortunately, at that time they weren’t playing local music but rather American hip hop. The youth could not identify with traditional music. Everyone was listening to what the west was doing. When we started rapping it was something new so we had the platform to get our music played on radio.

Pammy: How do your parents feel about it now?

Bamboo: My daddy supports me because he used to be a musician. He played with a band during his youths. He played all the western music like Jimi Hendrix. Of course, he did not continue with music. He wanted me to finish my education – he did not want me to only rely on music.

Pammy: Have you gone back home to perform since you came back?

Bamboo: I have not gone back home in the past two years. I just send my music back home for it to be played on local radio stations. I get a lot of positive feed back from radio presenters. I recently sent them a collaboration I did with Akon with mama africa remix. They are going crazy about that. They want to invite me back in Dec. I had to tell them that it will cost them triple . That is part of the politics of music. It has to make good business sense to go back.

Pammy: Do you intend to collaborate with other African artists?

Bamboo: I will love to collaborate with Youssou Ndour some day. I am always open to collaborate because collaboration brings people together. Anything that brings people together I am always open to participate in.

Pammy: What is the most memorable concert you ever performed?

Bamboo: The fiesta in Tanzania. The energy, the excitement was great. So many people coming together was just a powerful experience.

Pammy: Anything embarrassing ever happen to you on stage

Bamboo: Of course, I have nightmares of performing on stage and falling off. Like that happened to Beyonce when she fell. She fell hard and got back right up and kept going. Of course, Universal pulled it from you tube. But before it could be pulled off, everyone had seen it. I must have watched it 50 times and I was like oh my God – No way!! It was crazy. I remember when we started to rap; we did not really have an audience then. Lost boys had come to the country and we had to open up for them, we did not get a chance to practice with other djs and by the time we went up, the djs played the instrumentals and we had to rap over it and it was out of wack. Of course, the crowd started booing because it was horrible and we got so angry and we said F*** this, F***. We were bad A** bad boys. That was the worst experience. It taught us a lesson, that is, to be prepared and anytime we get on stage, we have to make sure that we deliver the message.

Pammy: What is the message?

Bamboo: The message is a report of what is going on around us. What is going on the street? I might do a song on corruption or on any social issue. I use a lot of comedy in my rap acts. I talk about the police taking bribes; I talk about journalists who write positive things about politicians knowing damn well that these guys are thieves. This made us popular amongst people because they knew that we were going to tell the truth. Of course, the government always tried to get us to tone down the message.

Pammy: People are saying that there is a need for hip hop musicians to tone down the language that is used particularly after the imus controversy. What are your thoughts?

Bamboo: I don’t say anything derogatory about women. I might say s*** because that is how we talk in real life. You cannot tell an artist not to curse anymore while the society around us does the same so it goes without saying that “he that has no sin should cast the first stone”. As long as what is said on stage is what other Africans have gone through I am okay. I feel that what is played on radio is not really representative of Africans in the Diasporas. It is not really reflective of us. Akon has done a great job of opening the doors for many Africans here.

Pammy: People complain that hip hop music is no longer about the people but rather has become more commercialized. The people that go into hip hop think about the money than voicing the concerns of black people?

Bamboo: That is very true. Many rap artists rap about their shoes, their hair, their jewelry and it is unfortunate to see those songs going platinum. I think it is reflective of society because it shows that is what people actually want to hear. The majority of the populations are fools because the music they vote for are music with no message. Then they go out and complain about it. Because the same ones complaining about it are the ones voting it in. Just so much hypocrisy. They will talk about 50 cents holding a gun and yet the terminator is the governor of California. I try to maintain that element of hip hop whereby it is informative.

Pammy: What do you think of video hos? Do you think that it is exploitative or women gain something from taking up those positions?

Bamboo: I think it is both because some women do gain something. Like that video chick who wrote a book, titled “confessions of a video vixen”. Well, you have people like Karrine Steffens who wrote on what she did with those rappers. She gives intricate details in her book. She was just a video chick.

Pammy: Will you ever have one in your videos?

Bamboo: I will rather not. Because that is not my message. Mine is more of solidarity. If it shows women, it will show women that are respectable not shaking their booties. Moreover, Africa is a bit conservative and if they show things like that, parents are going to call complaining.

Pammy: MTVBASEAFRICA is definitely going in that direction- if you watch some of the videos shown on that station?

Bamboo: Yes and it is powerful. They have the power to do what they want on air.I like the element of comedy, put an element of comedy and you will get their attention in the same way that the video chick does. I put women in a video having a good time. It is either music or porn you have to draw a line some where.

Pammy: What do you think is the next step for hip hop? Some people believe hip hop will not be here in the next 10 years.

Bamboo: I believe Africa is the future. The new market for hip hop is Africa. I think they are running out of topics over here.

Pammy: what is the next step for you?

Bamboo: I am already affiliated with Jamhuri Wear. Jamhuri means republic in Swahili. They are based in New York Jayz wears it. Everyone wears it. Akon wears it all the time. I know I am not going to be in hip hop forever – I am trying to lay the foundation down. I do not want to be a veteran because veterans don’t get paid. I want to promote other musicians and of course branch out to other musicians. You have to be willing to branch out. I believe music is the stepping stone to branch into other businesses.

Pammy: What advice will you give other Africans that want to go into music?

Bamboo: Always have a back up plan. Get that education.

Pammy: Any plans to go to other regions of Africa to perform?

Bamboo: if they invite me I will love to go, of course.

Pammy: When is your next album coming out?

Bamboo: Well, sometime next year. Currently, I am promoting a mix tape which I put together. It is called rumble in the jungle. It has a mixture of Swahili and English rap. I grew up in both places (USA and Kenya) and these bridges the gap.

Pammy: So what do you think of parents who send their kids home because they are being naughty?

Bamboo: I think to a certain extent it saved my life. I do not think that I would have been alive if I had remained here. At that time I was very unhappy – they sent me to a rural area where the normal comforts of city life did not exist. I hated it so much but I got through it. It added a different perspective to life. You come back and you are a very level headed person.

Pammy: Do you use music to address issues involving women? There seems to be a gap when it comes to that. African music never seems to address these issues involving women unless it is about sex, love or break ups. Is it because it does not sell?

Bamboo: Maybe. I have never heard a song about women issues. They have to put it up in a way that sells. For a record to do well women have to support it. If you do a song that praises women that will always be a hit. African Queen by 2 face, He is a liar by Wahu. All the women love that song – they all identify with it because they believe that all men are liars.