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“Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
The Great Commission, found in Matthew 28:18-20, has played a big role in shaping the vision of Jesus Christ Squad (JCS) as they seek to positively impact Kenya with the Gospel of Jesus.
Jesus Christ Squad is a Gospel group comprising of three members, Isaac Ogwang's aka Eyezzo, a producer at JSC Records, Timothy Mdogo, a Bio-system Engineering student at University of Nairobi and Mercy Mwaniki, a certified public accountant and student at Kenya College of Accountancy (KCA).
Jesus Christ Squad, within their short stint within the Gospel scene, have achieved a lot. The group released their debut album Narudi in December 2005, and now, one year later, they are all prepped to release their sophomore album, Kwa Imani on December 3rd this year. Both the albums were recorded at JCS Records which the group owns.
Kwa Imani is a 14-track album that features the tracks Naomba Msamaha, Njia Mbili, Vumilia and the title track. It features a good mix of musical genres, from hip hop and R&B, to reggae and traditional Kenyan tunes they refer to as (zilizopendwa).
Formed in 2001, JCS' initial members included Isaac Ogwang's, Timothy Mdogo, Nebert Najori and Roy Mutahi. Nebert and Roy later moved on to form their own production outfit, PHAT Records. Mercy Mwaniki joined up with Timothy and Isaac later in 2003, ensuring the continuity of the group.
As they considered venturing deep into the pursiuit of music, the group started performing at their home church, the Deliverance Church in Eastleigh. Accolades began to come their way, with many urging them to consider putting their sound on record. As they considered this, and the costs they would incur, they took the unusual but highly fruitful step of setting up their own recording studio. As Eyezzo had learnt the trade after spending time working with both Clemo of Carlif Records and Nebert of PHAT Records, he raised his game to become the group's producer.
The group got their first computer in 2003 and established a mini studio at Eyezzo's house. The studio shifted base when the budding producer moved from his aunt's house in Pumwani to Highrise Estate. This move lead to the expansion of the studio and allowed for more recordingm room, enabling other artists to join their label.
JCS now produces for several Gospel artists like BUGGZ (Brothers Under Gods Grace), Perazim Ministry and Mashahidi. Others include Jackie, Sue and Kinyash. Eyezzo is the head producer, Timothy helms marketing while Mercy deals with managing the group and its artists.
Many hurdles stand in the group's road to success but the major one is finding finances to expand their studio. The group has also found it considerably hard to break through the local music industry since they are a small recording house.
However, Jesus Christ Squad is optimistic that they will overcome their challenges and emerge as a successful group.
“Try not to become a man of success. Rather become a man of value.”
These words of the great Physicist Albert Einstein act as the group's road map as they journey through the versatile Kenyan Gospel music scene as honorable musicians.
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