Inside Malawi’s leading hip-hop studio Nyali Muzik

Malawian hip-hop’s leading and loudest revolution may be in a little studio in Lilongwe’s Area 49, called Nyali Muzik. Started by rapper KBG (real name Kelvin Before Gumbi), what Nyali Muzik is doing is not just inspiring for the hip-hop scene, it's a game-changer for Malawian popular music in general.

Nyali Muzik’s concept, according to S.A.M.U.E.L, one of the original members of the crew, is to create excellent art, at the same time promoting good values and a positive message. Their mission is “to create art that is more than art. As the revolutionary religious leader Jesus said, ‘light cannot be hidden under a table’. We are just trying to be that light.”

The studio has produced music for artists like Afro-soul singer Shammah, rapper Liwu and Jeremiah, among many other great upcoming acts.  Earlier this year, Nyali Muzik also released an EP called TMC (Tradi meets Chikoloboi), a blend of raps by KBG and Afrocentric sounds by Dali Msosa, one of Malawi’s most respected producers. The project was a success, with downloads from places as far as Norway as well as neighbouring Zambia. The studio later collaborated with well-known Zambian videographer, DJ Traffik, to release the ‘From Malawi’ music video, which many regard as one of the best music videos to ever come out of Malawi.

Nyali Muzik’s idea of success, it seems, has never been based on money. It’s like they are just happy to release good music that a generation can bump to. So by any means, Nyali Muzik has rebelled expectancies, but the road has been a demanding one.

To hear KBG speak, however, finances haven’t been easy. “We often do not know where the money for our next project will come from. Sometimes we don't even know what we will eat, but God has been faithful,” says the ever-smiling dreadlocked KBG. “We can’t change the world with excuses. We do the best with what we have been given...”