Get to know Kenyan Drill with Buruklyn Boyz (top Nairobi crew)
I recently found a DM in my insta from Buruklyn Boyz distributor Philo (AKA Philip Koth), asking if I would shed some light on Buruklyn Boyz and Kenyan Drill. I was so excited to receive this - even more when I checked out the sound!!
Buruklyn Boyz are a crew fronted by Mr Right and Ajay from the Buruburu Estate. Their tune ‘Nairobi’ was the first ever in Kenya to drop a Drill aesthetic, and on top of that all their lyrics were in Swahili and Sheng slang. It went viral and became an instant anthem, gaining millions of views on Youtube, Spotify, Soundcloud, etc.
Today, Buruklyn Boyz shows are packed out with fans who chant their lyrics, and they’re picking up global attention too. This includes by the mighty GRM Daily, who listed ‘Dream ya Kuotaka Kwa Block’ (below) as 1 of 7 of the ‘hardest Drill tracks around the world’. Check it out below and you’ll see why!
Dream ya Kuotaka Kwa Block - Buruklyn Boyz
Before we jump into my interview with Ajay, I wanted to shoutout Philo their distributor as our calls were an amazing part of this experience. It was such a vibe chatting about Nairobi and London life; swapping slang and our favourite Grime artists. We might come from different scenes in different continents but I loved how our energies connected through our passion for underground music!
For anyone wondering what Drill is, it originated in Chicago’s South Side in the early 2010s. You could say today’s Drill is like a mix of trap and grime, but you can tell it apart by the deadpan flows and hard lyrics depicting life on the streets. If you want to learn more about the UK scene from people involved in it, I can highly recommend the GRM Daily documentary below [trigger warning - knife crime].
The Drill scene in Africa is different to the UK and US. For example, Ajay said that compared to here in London, in Nairobi it’s more widely celebrated. In the UK and US it’s been demonised and even faced being criminalised and censored by the media and the police, who don’t tend to have a clue where it’s coming from. Ajay pointed out that in Kenya at least, many people are happy to see the success of Drill artists. It’s more widely understood.
Read this next: Kenyan Drill: Top 10 stars changing the game in 2021
On top of that, Africa is the heart of where music originates, and art is a huge part of the cultural identity. So it’s no surprise that artists across the continent - from Kenya to Ghana and beyond - have brought an energy, freshness and creativity which has taken Drill to a whole new level. 🔥🔥🔥 Let’s jump into my chat with AJAY to learn more!
Watch this next: Noisey Documentary on Ghanian Drill and its Chicago influences
AJAY (left) in his CORNS FREESTYLE
Hey AYJAY! So how did you guys meet, was it in Burubu?
Most of us grew up in the same hood. It started with me and Mr Right. We went to school together and did a couple of freestyles, posted them on the internet. People showed us love!
Tell me about the story of how you got big. Was it the Nairobi video??
I think us shooting the city got people’s attention. Nobody had ever shot a video like that before! Plus we came with the Drill sound, which people were not familiar with around here.
Where did you get the Drill influence from? Did you bring it to Nairobi?
I’ve been listening to the UK sound since 2016. At that same time, I was starting to rap. J Hus, Digga D, Central Cee are some UK artists I can mention right now.
Still from their music video, Slide
“people rap in English but we stick to Swahili because for us that’s our language. It sounds dope!”
What about your tagline Kwanini Kesho. It means ‘is it tomorrow/it's not tomorrow’ right? How come it went viral?
We want things to happen today and not tomorrow. We’re doing it today. We said it when we were freestyling on camera. We kept saying that we need to do it again and it needs to be perfect. So we did it again and again.
“In every one of our songs we say ‘Kwanini Kesho’ - so you know its Buruklyn boyz.”
Tell me about some of your events.
The vibes are good. People show us love when we are performing. They sing along to our songs which is a great thing!
I saw you were on GRM Daily. Congratulations! How did that happen?
It was a surprise. Maybe they were looking for Drill artists in Africa and they came across us. Right now we’re very well known in Africa: especially East African countries like Rwanda and Tanzania.
How is Drill perceived in Nairobi? In the UK it can be demonised by the mainstream media because journalists don't understand it. Is it similar in Africa, or different?
I think people here take Drill positively. Because we’re doing something well and it's bettering ourselves, instead of being on the road or just peddling around and not doing anything.
“The authorities and media don't focus on Drill lyrics. I think there is more freedom of speech in Kenya”.
Which other African Drill artists do you recommend?
I’m feeling Ishkevin from Rwanda, Big Yasa from Kenya, and the other Drillers in Kenya who are doing a great job.
Tell me what message you want to give to your listeners?
Continue to give us support and we'll give them more good music. We’ll put in good work and they’ll be happy to hear it!! And stay tuned for our debut album ‘EAST MPAKA LONDON’ dropping this year.
Captured by ©bobmuranda
