| RUFFTONE |
| Sun, 25 Jun 2006 | |
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The following are highlights about Rufftone (Roughtone) NOMINATION AND AWARDS Groove Awards (2004) Africa America International performances: 2003 ARTICLE..... Gruffy-voiced singer Rufftone is the latest sensation on the Kenyan gospel music scene, which continues to churn out star after star. The young singer's arrival was marked with the release last December of his impressive CD, Mwikulu, which has been hogging airtime on Nairobi's FM stations. The title song, Mwikulu, Luhya for heaven, is about how people would like to go to heaven, and yet they forget the simple rules. It is a fusion of Zouk and African ragga.
Mention Roy Smith Mwatia, and you will get blank stares, yet that is Rufftone's real name. A video clip of Mwikulu has been produced at a cost of Sh80,000. To give the video a local touch, Rufftone and a cast of 18 went to Kakamega for the shoot. Rufftone, 24, says the CD, Mwikulu, was the culmination of hard work and sleepless nights in the Sound Minds studio in Queensway House, Nairobi, where it took over a month to put together. "It was a big challenge. A lot of creativity was needed as I didnt want the songs to sound the same," he says. He worked with other top gospel artistes, including Henrie Mutuku, the joint winner of last year's East African category of the Kora Awards in South Africa, with Eric Wainaina of the Nchi ya Kitu Kidogo hit song fame. His unique beat Says he: "I ended up working with Harry Kimani, Daddy Owen, Harry G, Rhoda Kivuva and Henrie Mutuku. They were great and it was fun with great support from producer Robert Kamanzi." The CD has been an instant hit, and Rufftone has hardly coped with the demand. "The unique beat makes some people think that Mwikulu is a secular song, hence the curiosity and increased sales. "I even saw a matatu on the Kakamega-Bungoma route nicknamed, Mwikulu, and was tickled," he says. Mwikulu has overshadowed other songs by Rufftone. His first single, It's up to You, was released in 1999. It enjoyed good radio play, blazing the trail for the second, Real Men, which also did well. Another song, Meeh, was produced by Ogopa DJs in 2000, followed by a Meeh remix (mitumba ya Meeh). Last year, Rufftone curtain-raised for the Holland-based Congolese gospel group, Makoma, and also collaborated on some songs with Kora Award winner Mutuku. He also performed at the "Celebrate Life" concert at Uhuru Park, Nairobi, which featured top American group Kool and the Gang. "I praise God and condemn social injustices," he explains. His interest in music began when he was in Form Two at Kakamega High School. Even at that early age, Rufftone had illusions of performing for a big audience, he says. Besides singing, Rufftone is also an accomplished artist. While at school, he began to toy around with new ideas on sounds or fusions of African ragga, inspired by Hardstone Ngunjiri and the now defunct accappela group, Five Alive. Also to impress Rufftone was the Sweden-based Swahili Nations rendition of the song, Hakuna Matata. On the international scene, Jamaicans Shabba Ranks and Yellowman and Papa San and Gabonese musician Olivier Ngoma embodied the kind of music he wished to purse. Rufftone the artist says: "Because I like drawing, I joined the Buru Buru Institute of Fine Arts in Nairobi, for a diploma course in Graphic Design, but I didn't finish because of my burning desire to be a musician." But he entered a competition sponsored by Marshalls on the car of the future. He came second, winning Sh15,000. The winner was from Lenana School, and the third placed went to an entrant from Moi Forces Academy, Nakuru. What worries him in his music career is pressure from fans. "They want hit after hit after sampling the first song," Rufftone adds. His answer? Patience. "I'm doing music for the message, Gospel of Jesus Christ and not for titles." Market himself He wants to market himself on-line and is working on a website, www.roughtone.com, where his music will be available. This is in response to an item in the Nation's Cutting Edge column in which some of his fans in the United States, sought to know how to get the music. "I'm in touch with them," he says. Equally challenging will be making the music available on STV, Channel O, MTV and MCM TV. Rufftone has established a comprehensive distribution network, which ensures that the music is available at leading supermarkets in Nairobi, Nakuru, Mombasa, Eldoret and Kakamega. |
The musician says he uses Luhya as a way of appreciating his roots. "I was born in Nairobi's Eastlands, but went to school in Western Province. Most people believe that Nairobians are out of touch with their roots. I'm not ashamed of my ethnic group," he says.
