Is Being a Music Producer a Good Biz?
What Is the Story Behind His Hustle?
“I started off first as a rapper, tulikuwa wasee wawili, tulikuwa tunajiita Kunta & Kinte, but later nika venture into production once I realised niko na hio passion ya ku-produce, because I loved beats a lot.”
“So nika-get my first computer when I went to uni. That’s when I started my production. Actually, I am a self-taught producer. I never went to school to study production. Nimekuwa niki-build on that, just learning off tutorials, other producers who I have been working with and just improving on my game day by day. So hivo ndio nilicome nika improve up to where I am now.”
Who Was His First Client?
“Actually, one of my first customers, who even reached out before KRS One, is my good friend and brother, all the way from the United States. Shout out to Chad hapa, my best client of all.”
How Much Was His Starting Capital?
“The laptop nakumbuka nilibuy around 40k, it was a mini laptop, a HP mini laptop, headphone was around 5Gs. So capital nilikuwa nayo ya kwanza ilikuwa 45k. So that’s the basic capital I had when I started off production.”
What Money Habit Has Helped Him Survive?
“Everything that I do, I have to save a little bit for the rainy days and the other is I have to reinvest in my gear, because gear nayo with technology inaenda ikichange — now we have AI. Still, I am back in school studying online so it’s all about reinvesting on something yenye ita-boost career yangu to go to a higher level.”
Did He Ever Feel Like Giving Up?
“I think one of the lowest points in my production career was during the corona epidemic, around 2020. Everybody was indoors, there was no interacting, so that was one of the lowest moments.”
“But what I can say, ilikuwa like a blessing in disguise because hio time tulikuwaga indoors and ndio nilikuwa na practice a lot, working on my craft and honing my skills and once we came out, nilikuwa sharp na nilikuwa na jobs mingi sana after that.”
What Challenges Do Music Producers Face in Their Hustle?
“I think one of the challenges we face, especially as producers, is being able to recoup whatever we have invested.”
“Wasee wakitoa ngoma you are not able to get the royalties that you’re supposed to get. Kuna teething problems with our collective management organization.”
“Nilikuwa najua nikiuza a thousand CD’s at 100 ntapata this amount of money. Now, if we make a thousand streams, it’s not even... hauwezi hesabu hio doh.”
Are There Low Seasons in Music Production?
“Just like any other business, kuna high and low seasons. For most businesses zina pick up during the festive season – December, but for us I think that’s one of our lowest seasons. Actually, for us January is not that bad because people want to come and create around that time.”
“Zile vitu zimekuwa zikini hold up during the lowest seasons imekuwa the savings that I had. Nilikuwa nime-make savings because I don’t totally depend on music. I have other businesses that chip into my income, that I use when the season is low in the music production industry.”
When Did He Realize This Hustle Could Make Money?
“KRS One gave me a shout out and recognized my beats as one of the best beats in the industry especially coming from Africa. So that KRS moment exposed me to the whole world up to where we are today and also I started working with Khaligraph Jones.”
What Is the Biggest Lesson He Has Learned?
“One thing I’ve learned with international clients is keeping time and you can lose a client by not keeping time.”
“It’s all about being professional. I love being professional, systematic and methodical in whatever I do.”
What Advice Does He Give Aspiring Producers?
“First thing is have passion in whatever you do, be consistent and love what you do, and what you do is going to love you back. That’s my motto throughout the game that I’ve been in the industry.”