Having had the Grammys Recording Academy’s attention twice with his two bodies of work MPITO EP and SAINT JOHN album, Kisumu-based rapper and singer Gabiro Mtu Necessary is not only grabbing his space on the world stage but also cementing his name on it.
Being a Kisumu city native, a city that is home to very many big names in the entertainment scene of Kenya, Gabiro boasts a high following in the region particularly because he runs all his business from there.
His debut album was released a year ago and has since sold over 100,000 physical copies and over 1 million streams across all digital platforms.
“I almost gave up doing music in 2021 after I released my extended playlist, MPITO, then later on it got a Grammy consideration and recognition. That pushed me to realize that it doesn’t matter how many views or streams your music gets, what matters is that if you are doing the right thing then someone somewhere is most definitely seeing you,” says Gabiro.
He continues to talk about meeting Javada and working on a couple of songs together including Kus Kus Remix;
“I first met Javada in 2018 and we kept the artistic friendship going until 2021 when we decided to hit the studio and we worked on this song together because he loved the chorus and the beat.”
Javada is a Jamaican singer known for his 2015 hit single “Wake Up Beside You” and “Oh Na Na” featuring Chris Martin.
Kus Kus was written by Gabiro and Javada and produced by Brian Robin for Jodifa Studios.
Watch Kus Kus on YouTube:
ABOUT GABIRO MTU NECESSARY
Starting as a traditional band member in 2013, Gabiro Mtu Necessary drew his earliest inspirations from Octopizzo, Lucky Dube, Khuli Chana, Juliani, and a host of others.
He is steadily building a reputation as Kisumu’s best lyricist but also shares his struggles through his art. From working as a matatu tout to battling drug abuse, Gabiro’s ability to tell stories separates him from rap music’s status quo.
“Music inspired me to persevere. Persevere and self-educate myself. When I was going through it, the thing that held me down was an old computer at my uncle’s place where I stored thousands of downloaded beats. That’s why I’m so loyal to the cause and loyal to the culture. I feel like I owe it to music to do the best I can” – Gabiro
While many rappers tell us their stories, Gabiro can bring you into his world and show it to you. Perhaps his most notable song, “Story”, is a story of stories that happen in real life but are often ignored. Dramatically, this song discusses bullying, police shootings, drug abuse, and political injustice. Few artists connect with such issues through their music.
Gabiro’s diversity has seen him transition from not only being a rapper but also being the best lyricist as is on his current releases ‘Bad Girl Loving’ and ‘Kus Kus’. He portrays himself as the best export from the lakeside town of Kenya; Kisumu city where he has always made sure to be top of the class by being ahead of at least all trends and lifestyles in music.
To date, Gabiro has performed and toured with several renowned artists including Octopizzo, and SautiSol during “Made In Kisumu”, Jose Chameleone, and Macklemore, as well as shows like “2jinyce Concert” which holds sentimental value to Gabiro being that he is a Kisumu City native.
His show that meant a lot was when he opened for Diamond Platnumz in 2016.
He has worked with both young and well-known artists across the globe in both musical and nonmusical collaborations including and not limited to Kidis, Wyre, Ketchup, Owuor Arunga, and most recently Gengetone artist OnlyOneDelo on the song Twak Makende.
In 2021, Mtu Necessary got recognized by the Recording Academy and had his project JENESIS considered for the 64th Grammy Awards as the Best Global Music Album.
Again in 2022, he was among the African creatives who were appointed as voting members of the Grammy’s Recording Academy making him the only Kenyan in that 2022/2023 class.
Also in the same year, he released his debut album, “Saint John” a 12-track album with features from Jamaica’s Javada and Grammy-recognized producer Blakangel.
Early Life & Education
Gabiro was born Gabriel Washington Ogonda in Kisumu, Kenya where his father was a professor at Maseno University and his mother a tailor at the local market. He is the 4th child in a family of 5 children.
He moved from one high school to another before settling in Chulaimbo High School. Soon after moving to Chulaimbo, Gabiro was appointed the school choir soloist where he began to write and perform his lyrics during music festivals.
His stage name is derived from Gabriel, shortened to Gabiro when younger schoolmates found it hard to pronounce his name.
By the age of 17, he was regularly recording his music at Starbell Records. The management of the studio was so impressed by his lyrics that they allowed Gabiro to record for free.
At this time he was a student at Maseno University pursuing a bachelor’s degree in finance and marketing. He later dropped out of campus in his third year to pursue two other degrees in BSc computer science and BSc Anaesthesia.
Personal Life
Gabiro lost his father on September 9, 2019, to cancer of the colon. He has since dedicated his music and art to his father who greatly impacted his music career as his second manager after he parted ways with Starbell Records.
He continues his legacy by crediting him as the executive producer of his projects and even released his debut “Saint John” to pay homage to his late father.
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