This story was first published on Harambee Mtaani on 7/9/2024.
–
I had a sit-down interview with Mad Clan rapper Big Yasa in December 2023, at a studio in Kenyatta Market, Nairobi. The unreleased camera interview had Yasa sitting alone in front of the camera with me asking questions from behind the lens. He is accompanied by fellow Mad Clan rapper Spinx Mafia and manager Calisto. We talk for an hour and a half – it is more of a conversation than an interview and was the first time I got some insight into the community that Mad Clan is. He talked about Madiko and Ngovo, both Mad Clan rappers serving time in the can back then. Nine months later, both Madiko and Ngovo are free and feature in the group’s new self-titled album ‘MAD CLAN’.
I was in the company of the Kibera rap unit for three live shows in August. Two shows were in their backyard, Kibera; one at Olympic Primary School and the other a street party at the Old Kibra Primary School Street. The first show is a celebration of International Youth Day by an NGO. I got a call from Calisto at 9.30 pm on a Thursday, he asks if Sissmiong would be interested in Deejaying for Mad Clan during their performance. I say sure.
Calisto, Sissmi and I get to Yasa’s house in Makina, Kibera at 2 pm. The living room has an L-shaped couch with ‘Wapoa SZN’ sprayed on the wall. Yasa gets there at 4 pm. He looks the same as the last time I saw him back in March at Chesters. Spinx and Madiko arrive a few minutes later. Some spliffs are being passed around as we choose songs to be performed – 11 songs for a 30-minute set.
Mad Clan’s performance was the last of the day and leaves Olympic Primary in pandemonium. Yasa opens the show by performing ‘Cold’ which sets a high energy level bar.
Hizi streets sometimes ni cold. Lazima ukuwe jo hard and bold. Ma friends mabitches hu fold. Kuna story haziko told. Nilikuwa this close ku lose hope. Mlowkey ilienda coast. Kuna highs na kuna lows. Ni cold, ni cold Ni cold.
Madiko makes his first stage appearance since being free with a performance of fan favorite ‘Walking Dead’ that has people screaming, shouting and singing along word by word. Spinx takes the mic and performs ‘Cut It’ – hiyo uhusiano itabidi nime cut it. Spinx is one of the best lyricists in the rap game. A fan jumps on stage as Yasa is performing ‘Ulala’ – which was the last song and Yasa hands him the mic and the guy raps the chorus word for word. The show is awesome.
The second time I was in Kibera was for the Mad Clan Street Party at the Old Kibra Primary School Street. The block party that was to feature in a documentary that Phillip Koth was shooting was also a part of the ‘MAD CLAN TAPE’ rollout.
We finnd Mad Clan unit holed up at the house. Spinx is playing some beats from his phone while Ngovo and Sumbua are rapping. Spliffs and cigarettes are being passed around. Yasa and Calisto are busy – going in and out, taking and making calls.
We leave for the event in a hired matatu. The streets of Kibera are busy; AFC Leopards fans are celebrating a win, Legio Maria faithful are marching in song, kids are following Big Yasa. Some of the kids hitch a ride in the matatu to where the street party is to happen. The sound guys are already set up.
‘There is enough pilau for everyone.’ Yasa announces and the kids are beyond happy. ‘Kindly make a line in twos.’
Sissmiong is on the decks and plays a set that includes a freestyle by Sumbua who almost tears the mic off. The show is set to begin and the four Mad Clan rappers are all on the bus roof which acts as the stage when the lights go out. The whole block is dark. Someone allegedly removed a stone from the back wheel of a parked lorry and the vehicle reversed and hit a Kenya Power pole. A lady – the lorry’s owner blames Yasa on the issue and says he is responsible. They talk it out. We have to move the show. Someone says there is power on the next block and we pack up. Two nduthi guys offer to transport some of the speakers to the new venue for free.
The new venue, a block away is a parking lot right next to the road. It takes about half an hour to move and set up and when the show begins, it is chaos. Yasa, Spinx, Madiko and Ngovo are on stage on top of the matatu and the crowd has closed off the road. The set list is a mixture of old songs and tracks from the then-unreleased Mad Clan Tape.
Madiko performs ‘Walking Dead’ and runs it back four times and the hype and energy go up a notch each time. Madiko is your classic hype man. Ngovo Dass has an aura – the guy looks cool in sunglasses at night. He is composed on stage and holds the mic with some swag. ‘Mad Over Me’ has me and hundreds of others jumping. Yasa takes interludes and performs fan favorites ‘AAA’ and ‘Ulala’. They perform ten tracks from the MAD CLAN tape.
This is the ultimate block party. It is impressive how the four Mad Clan rappers complement each other on stage with such ease. The show goes on for an hour and a half and ends in a typical street party manner when a fight erupts in the crowd. Someone kicked someone so hard they moved back and stepped on the power connection – lights out. I check my phone – 11.30 pm. ‘That’s it, show’s over,’ someone says. Yasa has a scheduled show somewhere else.
Experiencing Mad Clan right in their backyard in Kibera has given me a better insight into what the group is all about. Mad Clan is a community – Mad Clan is for the people. The re-injection of Madiko and Ngovo has been positive. The Clan is now whole, and the album is a reflection of this – it sounds… different. Mad Clan Tape was originally meant to be a dual album between Big Yasa and Spinx Mafia. It has been in the making for a while and some songs such as ‘Street Cred’ were recorded two years ago. Just as on stage, the rappers blend well across songs on the album.
Yasa once told me, ‘We are doing what no one else is doing in the industry.’ Mad Clan is moving differently. Yasa is undoubtedly the group’s biggest artist in terms of numbers, but he shares the shine. Mad Clan have a pure approach to music and this has earned them a cult like following. The plan is longevity. Mad Clan are on a different level in the Kenyan music scene and what is scary is that they are just getting started.
