Let me introduce you to TravisTheJunkie– A Rapper and also an entrepreneur of Junkies Junk. He has been on the rise in the music industry trying to forge his within the Kenyan music space. We caught up with him,over Whatsapp, for a few questions.
Tell us who is Travis the Junkie
Your shorty’s favorite rapper, a rapper who when he pulls up shorties get to eat, shorties who love Kashata, Achari, mabuyu, etc upcoming Cannabis activist, here to elevate himself and be the platform through which several other talents can show the world their creativity.
How did the name come about?
The whole concept of the brand has manifested over a number of years, adding pieces together till we got to the masterpiece, Travis the Junkie, the name Travis comes from the hairstyle, inspired by American rapper Travis Scott, a legend, and the Junkie, is cause for those who know Travis the Junkie from the inner circle, he cheats a lot on his gym diet, but it’s mostly cause we have the best supplies of Kashata, Achari, Mabuyu, Pilipili and the rest under the brand Junkies Junk, Swahili Flavored delicacies, who are you not to cheat!!
How did your Music career start?
I loved poetry from primary through high school, and in the process of composition, I would find myself also writing rap bars all over notebooks, class books, random lines would just pop up, almost through all of my schooling life. With time the interest grew, and with more exposure to interviews, professional casts, shows, the passion grew as well and hence the passion to become a professional rapper n make a killing out of it. Then came research, practice, first we were recording on YouTube beats, but as time has gone, Travis now has about a dozen copyrights, international collabos with upcoming rappers, and an imminent EP, EP Name: Travis na Donga ft Kitu Real Records, which is poised to be the highlight of his Music Career this yr, along with freestyles n rap battle, huge diss tracks coming!!! Breeder LW Diss!
Take us through your Music journey
Music is something I just keep going back to, funny enough I don’t do it for a kickback, I find my joy in making records, I know that’s a legacy, I hope someday someone will relate to the tunes still, 20yrs after my retirement. I have grown, seen how diverse artistry is within Music, and am humbled at how talented the youth are, and I know most are clouded in struggles, the kind of struggles upcoming talents face, and my biggest dream is to make as many big artists as I can, not sell collabs, I don’t sell or pay for collabos, let’s make Music, at the end of my career, I hope to see a lot of successes, let’s hustle motivate n elevate.
Am releasing an EP 2021, EP Name Travis na Donga, it’s an EP of 8 songs, Afrobeats, trap, old school hip-hop, bongo, RnB, etc, and there is several genres cause my artistry is diverse, I can write on any beat, so I was tryna flex around n have fun. Next is a Conscious album, dropping early 2022, Insha Allah, Album Name: Wannabe a legend, not a Star ft songs like Numbers. We are here to stay, and we got lots of love to share.
What does Music mean to you?
I’m in Music till I die, it’s a no brainer, I just wanna learn more, n I feel like I can keep writing till whenever cause the more am exposed to Music, and interact with other creatives content, listen to old school classics, my artistry grows as well, and I just want to keep working with more talents and sharpening my skill sets, take our sound across borders, support other people to whom we might be of help through the Foundation, we are working on registering a Foundation soon, we are working on a basketball show, to promote youth into health n fitness as well as entertain, A Saturday morning Run show, among other programs we intend to launch under the brand, to elevate, this brand is about empowerment of as many as we can, the difference between us and some of these successes is time and in the sense of capital, but we are motivated, and at the end I know I would find so much fulfilment in having empowered as many as possible, so may God go ahead of us, Insha Allah.
Which among your songs is your favorite?
🎶Gimmie one chance let me show you how close you are to my heart, everytime I see you girl I feel my heart dance look into my eyes why you do me like that?
Thick thighs pretty eyes never seen a girl like you got me paralyzed thick thighs pretty eyes you got my mind blown girl you got me that smile.. 🎶
In my opinion best song I ever wrote, Thick thighs Pretty Eyes, remix coming soon.
Tell us about Junkies Junk, we have seen you market supplies branded Junkies Junk?
Junkies Junk is another initiative from Travis out of love for the shorties, we supply Mabuyu ya Greata, the best Mabuyu, Achari, people love our Kashata, our Pilipili sold out the first time we brought stock! If you love the Coast, we are here at your service, Swahili Flavored delicacies, feel free to make your order contact, 0776248105, we deliver all over Kenya, so don’t be shy to order cause you are not in Nairobi, we are based in Nairobi, but contact us, we will be glad to be at your service.
The music industry is now a competitive market, how do you plan to maintain your relevance in the industry?
Stay consistent with our top tier Client service under Junkies Junk, maintain our quality and standards, stay innovative with our packaging and adaptable to all market dynamics, stay diverse and keep learning and growing within Music, do several collabos, international and local, have other entertainment shows under the brand, we mentioned the Basketball show, The Saturday Morning Run show for health n fitness, and hopefully a rap battle show soon after, Nairobi is full of rappers!!
We also plan to support as many urchins, kids who are abled differently, and other marginalized groups within our society under our Foundation.
Who do you look up to in the industry?
First has to be Ynot, who was my first manager, and the person who really exposed me to most basics of the Industry, Travis Scott, look how first he came up n how creative he’s stayed all through, Khaligraph Jones, who’s made a platform for younger Kenyan rappers, the likes of Wizkid and Burnaboy, flying the African flag high, we are very much inspired by every creative who’s making a killing out of Music, may God keep opening our ways to much bigger successes.
Tell us about your current jam Kenyan Girls got the Juice, how did you come up with the creative process for such a jam?
I have a lot of love for Kenyans, Kenyans are very hardworking and literate, out all over the world making a killing, I felt like doing a song for our shorties, I generally prefer Kenyan Girls, so the song was a no brainer.
How has the pandemic affected your Music even with the current lockdown?
I have stayed a long while without releasing Music because honestly I prefer releasing Music at a time I can tour and perform live, for an upcoming artist I feel the tour is very important to affirm your grip on your fanbase, interact socialize, have live experiences together form that relation. We are forced to go virtual with marketing Music, and that requires capital making the Music process more costly, personally, I’m considering selling my Ep as more of physical copies, cause the online world favors you when you already made a name, it’s so costly to join some platforms, and getting sustainable royalties as an upcoming artist is a big challenge.
Which artist would you wish to collaborate with?
Every artist who’s down to do a record, I wanna collab with everyone big n small, bring our creativity together n entertain, do Music as more of a service than a business.
If you could change something about the Music industry what would it be?
There is a lot of diversity underground, and most artists who are underground and talented the issue is capital, I would love to create a platform that can market upcoming creatives, make sure everyone gets a chance, bridge that gap in terms of promotions, then their success will depend on their hustle rather than the struggles.
Apart from Music what else do you do?
Travis is majorly a student, Bachelor of Engineering in Civil Engineering at TUK, specializing in Traffic and Highway, Travis is a Hairstylist, professional barber, a business owner, a brother, and a friend.
Who inspires you the most in your life?
My family, my pops has an incredible biography, my mom as well, and my siblings, their successes inspire me to wanna do more for myself, I’m also inspired by the daily life struggles so I can only imagine how it is for the marginalized groups in our society, and I’m inspired to empower myself so I can be of more use to their service, and I want my legacy to be written all over the hearts of people I inspired and empowered.
What’s your plan for the near future?
Some big diss tracks!! Surprise diss tracks that are going to hit the Industry with a surprise. We also plan to better our logistics, and find how to lower prices for our supplies even further, we understand the struggle since Covid, and we are here to be of support n service to our Community.
What advice would you give to your fans?
You are my family, not my fans, and we are one, let’s empower each other, reach out, I will always show support in every way possible, so let’s grow together, success is ours, let’s be of support to each other, together we can!
Parting Shot?
Stay strong during this Covid era, stay safe, there is light behind the tunnel however dark it may get, when you feel like it’s starting to take a toll on you, do not think too much about your struggles, and do not feel so sorry for yourself, just keep doing things that will make your circumstances better.
With love Travis the Junkie.
Social Handles
Youtube: TravistheJunkie
Instagram: TravistheJunkie
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