Kazi ni Kazi EP

Kazi ni Kazi is a collaboration between Turkana, a South Sudanese producer/Deejay, and Mbogi Teams and LCF, South Sudanese vocalists based in Kakuma Refugee Camp. The Project experiments with Genge-Tone, a popular Kenyan music genre, characterized by its explicit lyrics and social commentary that portrays the current life experiences of the urban youth. Gengetone is a sub-genre of Kenyan hip-hop music that has evolved from its predecessor Genge which was popular in the early to mid-2000s. Genge literally translates to 'mass of people'. It is a populist genre, whose signature sounds are inspired by hip hop & dancehall. The songs are predominantly rapped or sung in "sheng," a Swahili-based slang language that continually evolves. By using words with subliminal meanings in their lyrics, Gengetone artists have gained notoriety and appeal among their audience, particularly those living in the streets. Kazi Ni kazi is part of an ongoing music collaborative project that will feature a forthcoming documentary directed by Turkana following the process of creating this EP and another experimental EP with Pogulu traditional instrumentalists. The documentary shares people's stories in Kakuma refugee camp and how music is essential to remaining connected in displaced communities but also preserving/evolving cultural values and narratives that would otherwise disappear with migration.