Producer, composer, songwriter, actor, multi-lingual charmer, manager and singer R-Kay might look like he has a heavy CV, but this does have a story that is one of a kind. From an evidently humble beginning in a foreign country, through a challenging journey littered by transitions galore, R Kay has finally amalgamated all he has envisioned in life. He is now the CEO of newly formed Moja Entertainment. But what's his story like?

When R-Kay first came to Kenya more than a decade ago, there was little hope for him for a bright future. As a matter of fact, he had just fled his native country, Burundi. Top on the then 18-year-old's agenda was merely to “pick up the broken pieces and make the best of my life.” Be it as it may, he found a joyous solace in music. As he sang for the Lord with all his heart at the Parklands Baptist Church, he experienced an avalanche of God's love and fulfilment. His father had once warned him to be wary of the music bug that stings one.

This kind creeps in slowly like a grandmothers footsteps and before you know it, you are grabbed and held down for life. Despite being forewarned, R-Kay steadily got tangled up, and prolific with music so much so that in 1998, he founded a gospel group Shammah, famed for the hit song, Ukilya Moko. Alongside the likes of Pete Odera, Izzo, and Henrie Mutuku, the group was part of the founding fathers for contemporary gospel music in Kenya. They did well and their fame and impact grew by the day. They had a flood of invitations to perform in schools, churches and concerts. And of course, all eyes were on the leader of the group, R-Kay, and he too found a home in gospel music.

Nonetheless, he had a passion to make music better in all ways. Problem was he was totally, and I mean completely badly off when it came to the workings of sophisticated musical instruments. Good thing is, he was a firm believer that as long as you tap into the inner man for creativity, there'll always be a more excellent way. Therefore, he embarked on making music tracks on the church's keyboard. Word got round that his mastery at making tracks was becoming better and more professional. Young people from various other churches inundated him with requests for tracks. “I obliged and produced tracks for many upcoming gospel groups, notably the All Saints' Cathedral Youth Group, which released the relatively successful album, Ombi Langu.”

It was long before R-Kay found himself mixing his newly acquired computer programming skills and his innate musical skills to make tracks at Maurice Oyando's Next Level Studios, where he worked as an engineer. After this short-lived Next Level stint, he moved to Sound Minds Production in 2000 as a full-time producer, a feat that still surprises him. "I had not expected to be a producer in such a short time." There, he produced album after album for gospel artistes, notably Mary Githinji, Sarah Kiarie and Kimani Thomas. That same year, he joined hands with the late eccentric rapper Poxi Presha to release Shetani Ana Nguvu, in what was controversy-riddled Poxi Presha's stab at gospel music.

By mid the next year, R-Kay had already carved out a niche and image as a formidable producer with an ear for musical detail. It is an image that made him a big hit with the then upcoming musicians like Talma (Tallia Oyando and Alma Tuju), Arusha-based Upendo Kilahiro and Beatrice Mhona, with whom he did a number of albums. Right there comes the question of his stand in salvation and working with non-believers. "I am a born again Christian to the core. Initially, I worked with gospel artistes because they are the only ones who came to me. Now I invite all and sundry because I learnt to be in and not of the world. And this calls for you to be relevant in your times."

They talk about the Midas touch that turns everything to gold. Well, Mida might well be R-Kay. For starters, not only was he the producer, but his stentorian voice could be heard resonating in Kora Award winner Henrie Mutuku and 2003 Kora Award nominee Rufftone on their chart-topping songs, Usichoke and Mwikulu. He also produced Esther Wahome's award-winning album, Furahia, and that of his fellow Burundian Kidum (Nimbona Jean Pierre). The latter's album struck a chord with the over 50,000 Burundians who turned up for its launch at Bujumbura, catapulting him to superstardom in his country. This would be attributed to the pulsating tunes and well-orchestrated music that R-Kay put together. Jo Menace Boys na Band, Deux Vultures, Mercy Masika, Jemimah Thiong'o, Ugandan First Love, Mr Googs and Vini Banton, CMB Prezzo and Tabu Osusa's Kalapapla, have all experienced the enthralling creativity of this musical guru through his music production prowess.

R-Kay admits that he'd rather work on albums rather than singles, “because they are products that artistes can sell and thus they'd all benefit from their efforts.” He has an inclination to albums that will appeal to both the young and the old. He had planned, and actually begun to work on his own album “Kiboko Yao,” which he maintains the promise that “it should change the face of the gospel music industry in this country.” Nonetheless, he held back slightly due to wedding and marriage plans, and the internal change of strategy.

As a seasoned producer RKay, of Shammah Boy Music (now an entity of Moja Entertainment) cites the ability to be able to play music and work well with people as a must for a good producer.
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“When you work well with people, you make them feel at ease and hence you are able to bring the best out of them,” he says.

Nonetheless, he's had his fair share of challenges, the first being lack of direction by the artistes to decide the kind of music they want to do. The producer affirms that every artiste is talented in his own way but many lack an understanding of the music business. He is happy that the stakeholders in the industry are finally smelling the coffee and initiatives like the Kenya Music Week are now perpetually dealing with the ignorance previously experienced.

What of the wages for his labour? R-Kay reckons that in Kenya and in the continent at large, it's nothing other than satisfaction that you are a part of the music industry that counts. “The incentive is nothing compared to the work we do".

He loves his wife and child and will devote relatively ample moments of his tightly scheduled time to the two.

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