Mombasa, Post-Election
Deeply disturbed by the post-election violence in 2007/08 in Kenya, the young James Masaii starts voicing his pain and anger about his divided nation as a Hip-hop MC aka Hustlajay MauMau. Inspired by his grandfather being a powerful teacher and preacher in his county, and international artists like Common, NAS, and Immortal Technique, he turns his poetry into deep, metaphorical, and deadly rhymes.
With his first album in 2010, Minyororo ya Haki, and early stage performances in 2011 at AmaniLazima meets Wapi in Kibera — supported by Sarakasi Trust and the Norwegian Embassy — 2014's Blankets and Wine in Nairobi, and Fête de la Musique and the Annual Hip-Hop Summit in Uganda under the mentorship of Babaluku in 2015, he began to establish himself within the ranks of conscious Hip-Hop MCs.
Through his mostly Kiswahili lyrics and socio-political themes in songs and videos like Uhuru Africa (2012), Hewani (2012), and Continental Scars (2015, produced by Tedd Josiah), the rising Street Philosopher from Mombasa becomes known under many more names.
For the next years, he focuses on giving workshops, facilitating international collaborations, and hosting events. He sheds all his former artist names from here on and brands himself as Jay MauMau, the conscious Hip Hop artist.
Building Africa Is Now
In Zanzibar, he gets to work with the Dhow Countries Music Academy (DCMA) on workshops for Hip Hop. On the Kenyan side, he ensures the smooth running of Africa Is Now in Mombasa: Jay attends the Epilepsy Afro Fashion Fair to propel the myth of epilepsy out of the shadows of being a curse and into the truth about the condition, thanks to Fredex Events Creations, Maha Events, and Dr. Eddi. Together with the Albino community in Kenya and their event Beauty Beyond Skin Colour, the network around his community projects concerning Hip Hop and Health grew, and he continues working to intensify international exchange and to enlighten marginalized groups on various health conditions, issues, and possible treatments.
The East African media, like Spice Magazine Kenya, keeps picking up on his moves in activism and promoting Hip Hop as the new frontier for social change.
And truly, Jay MauMau is taking his message beyond Kenya: in 2018, he was invited by the Austrian radio station FM4 to be interviewed on their Hip Hop podcast. With this, he starts his Hip Hop journey across Europe, with Austria as his base.
Later that same year, Greg from the World Hip Hop Market network referred to Hustlajay as a Human Rights MC re-shaping the image of Hip Hop as a whole in Kenya and beyond. By this time, Hustlajay had already established Africa Is Now, a foundation for social change in Kenya and a platform for appraisal among unprivileged ghetto youth. He initiates the movement Hip-hop Beyond the Mic, with its first demonstrations and community activities in Malindi — beach cleanings, active support for voter's card registration, and open discussions about drug abuse and health care in the region. His foundation and movement intend to use the power of art and culture as an instrument for edutaining and enlightening people without formal education, who otherwise seem voiceless in their society.
The Label Years
In late 2016, Hustlajay became the manager on the ground for Masa Music East Africa, one of the biggest music production labels in the region, under the Swedish rapper Kenring. He ensured the smooth running of the studio in Mombasa, arranged media tours, launches, and other events, and oversaw artist development for acts including Duane Stephenson, among others. With his experience managing Nyota Ndogo, X Plastaz Kamaa, Mstaafrika GP, and Mamalao, he was the perfect fit for the label.
He performs at the Bbanga Hip Hop Show in Vienna and gets to shake hands with the former chancellor of Austria, Sebastian Kurz. Through his charisma, he's invited to more events in Stockholm, Sweden, to perform with Kenring, and to Portugal, Switzerland, and Germany. He shares the stage with Mobb Deep in Zurich and performs at major cultural festivals in Vienna, Munich, and Bern.
He initiates the movement Hip-hop Beyond the Mic, with community activities in Malindi, Mtongwe, and Diani — beach cleanings, active support for voter's card registration, and open discussions about drug abuse and health care in the region. Together with fellow MC GP Rowdix (Mstaafrika), he reignites the Arusha Poetry Club, holds conscious cyphers, and initiates hospital and street cleanings. Through spirituality, he grounds himself deeply at Mount Meru.
"Through sharing, people come together, and solutions can be found, and wisdom gained." — Jay MauMau
Wisdom & Lineage
His genuine struggle and achievements are picked up by Professor O'Connor, president of Rhyme and Reason in the U.S.A. Hustlajay is featured in her book Telling Our Own Stories (2016), which traces the growth of Hip Hop as a way to voice socio-political issues and protest non-violently.
As an indigenous Hip-Hop practitioner, Jay sets out for Tanzania in 2016 to meet one of his great idols, the Black Panther Pete O'Neal, to gain more wisdom about the academic concepts behind Conscious Hip-Hop — Pan-Africanism, socio-political identity, and bottom-up activism. During his stay, he pays his respects at the grave of 2Pac's godfather Geronimo in Imbaseni village, who did community work with the O'Neals' United African Alliance Community Centre (UAACC).
With scholars like Julius Nyerere, Marcus Garvey, and Martin Luther, and other critical thinkers like Credo Mutwa and herbalists like Dr. Sebi on his reading list, he continues expanding his knowledge of African visionary minds.
Artist Management & Collaboration
Jay also hosts a radio show on WhatsGood Radio Kenya, "Tafakari Kwetu," where he interviews and presents Hip Hop artists and speaks on current socio-political affairs, trends, and culture. In 2017, Jay released Nani Sio together with GP Rowdix, on the teachings of telling our own stories — expressing that the beauty of Africa isn't only poverty and hardship, but rich cultures and a lush, diverse environment.
Later, he intensifies his artist management of Nyota Ndogo, X Plastaz Kamaa, Mstaafrika GP, and Mamalao, pushing their social media content and guiding their online presence. All of them focus deeply on his vision that Hip Hop should follow an agenda of culture, nature, and spirituality.
Jay takes part in new artist collaborations like the Soultrain Project — an art-filled train ride from Nairobi to Mombasa with musical and artistic output through a free exchange of styles, ideas, and art forms. He performs at the Green Peace Festival and KINASA, a Kiswahili-promoting event hosted by Nash MC in Dar es Salaam.
Austria & What's Next
In Austria, he works with youth on Hip Hop projects and launches a song with them in 2020. Together with professional videographers, he releases new songs with a fresh style in his music videos — recognized by local media and podcasted again on major platforms.
Looking at Hustlajay's story so far — we might just be lucky, and witnessing the making of a legacy.
