Street Kids’ Band Gets Global Nod
Mar 18, 2004
Former street children have stormed the international hip-hop scene. Their debut album, Rising Moon is up for nomination to the 2004 M-Net awards.
Former street children have stormed the international hip-hop scene. Their debut album, Rising Moon is up for nomination to the 2004 M-Net awards. The young artists have been basking in the limelight. They had been invited to Durban to perform along side Beyonce and Bono U2 at the famous ‘46664’ bash. They threw a dazzling concert at Hotel Intercontinental in Nairobi. And they have wooed the crowds on their promotional tour of East Africa and Rwanda. But that’s not all, they are looking forward to bigger concerts in South Africa, India and UK from April 9-12, writes Serunjogi Titus.
So, who are these seeming “rags-to-riches†tale? Well they are a dozen boys, who call themselves the Little go-kool. One of their hit’s Africa streets tells us more:
This is how we used to be
On the African streets
Gambling, scrambling
On the African streets,
The cops chasing after us,
On the African streets,
And now we got a new life,
From the African streets
Before 2001, they were no better than half-starved rascals. They pick-pocketed pedestrians for a living. And when the law got tough on them, they resorted to begging. Only one shop owner, Kalpana Karia, owner of Pel Forex bureau ever felt pity for them. She listened to their stories. Some of them had been abused and driven out of their homes. “I realised that I could not keep on giving children material things.
The children needed love,†says Karia. In 2001, she opened the Little Gokul educational centre in Dunga, Kisumu. Gokulu is Sanskrit word for heaven. The centre has lived up to it’s name as today, the children have a home. At the centre, they are taught to exploit their talents. They have produced an album, Life on the street, which hit the international music scene with a bang. Ishmael Sage, the lead vocalist, says “The Rising Moon album brings hope and light.â€
The album comprises seven songs, a rich blend of English, Kiswahili and Sanskrit. The title track is based on American guitarist, Michael Cassidy’s original. Its delicate melody recalls Western country music. Not so with Mantra, which is done in lively R ‘n’ B (Rhythms and blues). So is ‘HIV,’ the track in which Kelvin recounts his ordeal as an orphan as a result of the HIV/AIDS scourge. When we come to African Streets, we hear exclusive hip-hop or rap, which would be well appreciated on any dance floor.
Ends
So, who are these seeming “rags-to-riches†tale? Well they are a dozen boys, who call themselves the Little go-kool. One of their hit’s Africa streets tells us more:
This is how we used to be
On the African streets
Gambling, scrambling
On the African streets,
The cops chasing after us,
On the African streets,
And now we got a new life,
From the African streets
Before 2001, they were no better than half-starved rascals. They pick-pocketed pedestrians for a living. And when the law got tough on them, they resorted to begging. Only one shop owner, Kalpana Karia, owner of Pel Forex bureau ever felt pity for them. She listened to their stories. Some of them had been abused and driven out of their homes. “I realised that I could not keep on giving children material things.
The children needed love,†says Karia. In 2001, she opened the Little Gokul educational centre in Dunga, Kisumu. Gokulu is Sanskrit word for heaven. The centre has lived up to it’s name as today, the children have a home. At the centre, they are taught to exploit their talents. They have produced an album, Life on the street, which hit the international music scene with a bang. Ishmael Sage, the lead vocalist, says “The Rising Moon album brings hope and light.â€
The album comprises seven songs, a rich blend of English, Kiswahili and Sanskrit. The title track is based on American guitarist, Michael Cassidy’s original. Its delicate melody recalls Western country music. Not so with Mantra, which is done in lively R ‘n’ B (Rhythms and blues). So is ‘HIV,’ the track in which Kelvin recounts his ordeal as an orphan as a result of the HIV/AIDS scourge. When we come to African Streets, we hear exclusive hip-hop or rap, which would be well appreciated on any dance floor.
Ends