Since its inception, Hip Hop has always been a cut throat game. In the 1970s the middle class families in the Bronx were experiencing financial difficulties as sources of employment had decreased with many businesses shutting down.The city’s economic decline was due to the decline of the manufacturing industry and construction on the Bronx Expressway. Fortunately a couple of people saw opportunity in the moment, the youth turned to the streets entertaining themselves with block parties. It was from these block parties that Hip Hop grew from.
Hip Hop has since evolved from then looking for ways to be commercialised but at the heart of the genre stands an original pillar, cyphers. Often with a sense of competition, the cyphers often give rappers a chance to showcase their wit with lyricism. In Kenya, cyphers have been at the back bone with integral cyphers happening at gatherings such as WAPI which resulted to the breakout of many rap stars including Khaligraph Jones and Octopizzo. Ironically, cyphers started getting attention in 2016. Khaligraph Jones released The ‘Khaligraph Jones Presents’ cypher consisting of Scar Mkadinali, Munga Mkadinali, Ridiq, Ares66. Strategically positioned Khaligraph Jones as the torch bearer of Kenyan Hip Hop as from here on, the cypher acted as the hallmark of the ‘Khali Cartel Cypher’ franchise.
With a total of five series, each cypher has acted as a breakout platform for at least an artist as normally bridges the old school and new school hip hop. In the start of “Khali Cartel 1,” Khaligraph Jones starts off “..it’s official what we are about to do right now ain’t something they’ve never seen before..” as if to foreshadow the cultural impact the cypher would have on Kenyan HipHop. From breaking out artists such as Wakadinali,Katapilla,Breeder LW, Shekinah Karen and more to paying homage to veterans such as Chiwawa and Abbas Kubass, the cypher has played an integral role in challenging the status quo in Hip Hop. With each cypher representing a core theme, it is the “Khali Cartel 2,” cypher resonates with more Kenyans till date. Released in 2019, the cypher had a stellar line up with Steph Kapela’s cocky rap, Timmy Blanco and Twenny Eights’ trap influences , Katapilla’s riveting cadence and Xtatic’s iconic delivery. “Khali Cartel 3” followed suit and it couldn’t come at a better time as Kenyan artists were demanding media attention and better pay from the music collecting bodies “..while the people are working hard they busy taking the cake..” The #playKe which was amplified by Khaligraph Jones was the subject matter of the cypher and the presentation took a different look.
With the concept of a courtroom, Khaligraph Jones acted as a lawyer with rappers Bey T, Breeder LW, Silverstone Barz, Rekless and Chiwawa acting as the defendants against the music collection bodies. The rap format also changed as opposed to previous cyphers with Khaligraph Jones taking the back seat in delivering full verses. For me “Khali Cartel 4” was rather a let down after much anticipation. The artists lacked connection making the verses sound random. Despite that Katapilla and Shekinah had a thrilling back and forth that brought umph to the cypher.Unlike the previous cyphers, the contestants were picked off the Odinare challenge that saw hundreds of Kenyan rappers drop a verse for contention. While the mastermind behind the previous cyphers was Motif Di Don, for “Khali Cartel 4,” the beat was orchestrated by Ares66(an alumni of the original cypher), Vinc On The Beat and Khaligraph Jones.
Over the past week, the fifth edition of the “Khali Cartel” cypher was released. Once again Khaligraph Jones was armed with a battalion of rappers and serving a new offering for the cypher. In 2019 Khaligraph Jones won the Best Rapper In Africa category at the Soundcity Awards and in his speech he stated the East has something to say. Once again a foreshadow. In the fifth installment of the cypher, Khaligraph Jones once again proved that he is the OG gluing East African Hip Hop. Backed by Abbas Kubass, Jakk Quill and Dyana Cods from Kenya, Mex Cortez and Fresh Like Uhh from Tanzania and Ruyonga from Uganda, he formed an all rap avengers who were hungry for the microphone.
Produced by Vinz on the Beat once again, the prolific rappers put out their best lines representing themselves and their country.The catchy opener “..it’s been over two years..’ followed with the kick and snare provide the perfect start to the much anticipated cypher that had been hyped for approximately two years. Rising star Jakk Quill ushers the floodgates with a gritty flow that reflects his time in the industry. With four projects to his name Jakk Quill came in hungry and assured to show his preparation for this moment. Speaking on an X space, he describes getting the beat from Khaligraph Jones as surreal. “I was debating whether to go back to Nairobi or to chill with my folks but immediately I got the beat. I packed my bags and wrote 80% of my lyrics on the way back,” Jakk explains in his ever calm demeanour. From his verse on the cypher you can tell Jakk Quill is calculated and intentional. His lyricism is a story of hours of passion and dedication as he accepts his glory with a stern face.
Perhaps the pearl of Khali Cartel 5 if you are not careful some of his punchlines might get past you. From “..same neegers that said they’ll rap over Quill now they liplocked..” to ‘..FL over Pro tools schooling all these neegers everyday like I am posed to..” he might come off a bit egoistic but that’s the burden that comes with harbouring great talent. The selection of the rappers was very timely. Especially for breakout stat Dyana Cods who hit mainstream with timeless hit “Set It.” The exciting aspect of cyphers is it brings new personalities from rappers and we experienced that with Dyana Cods. Toning down her aggressive lyricism and gangsta spitting, she switched over to a sultry like whisper as she delivered her lines. Once again Khaligraph Jones secured a slot for women and we love to see it. Listening to Khali’s connecting bridge to Cod’s verse you get to see the sense of respect towards rappers who are female.
You couldn’t fail to ignore the cheeky punchlines from Uganda’s Ruyonga as he egotistical pumped his chest declaring himself “…the saint atheists idolize..” The linguistic switch from English to Luganda was thrilling as he boasted his proficiency in maintaining his tone and identity even with his language. The “Khali Cartel 5,” was a mix of blended energy and as soon as Fresh Like Uhh flowed on the beat, we saw what a rap protege looked like. With divine wordplay “..neegers on my nuts like oak trees, oh gees, ladies stay falling like oak leaves..” , and a lazy flow, Fresh simultaneously camouflaged with the 808s as he glazed over the kicks.
Mex Cortez’s delivery could simply be compared to a breath of fresh air. Immediately addressing the beef between Tanzania and Kenyan rappers, he brushed it off claiming brotherhood in the industry was too important. Something only someone with a couple of years in the game would know. He gave out a chuckling moment when he referenced turning 22 be, a betting company, into 22 BETS. Listening to Abbas Kubass you get to understand what being a veteran means. He didn’t need to do too much or say too much. His presence was already a blessing to rap fans. His boombap and laid back approach to the beat made him the perfect curtain closer of the fifth edition of the cypher.
Big shout out to Khaligraph Jones for consistently and actively trying to uplift not only Kenyan HipHop but East African Hip Hop. Still maintaining the objective of cyphers while commercialising them, he has been able to break out a number of talents in his sprint as a rapper. All in all for you to get the beauty of “Khali Cartel 5” I would advise you to tap into it more than just once.
Listen to Khali Cartel 5
