There’s no shortage of wordsmiths in Kenya. With the creation of our own hip-hop style, Genge, and the swiftness Kenyan artists to set hard-hitting words of poetry to afrobeats, we love a good rap song. When you listen to “Lovin’ 254 Always,” you get a rap song and an afrobeat tune that will be stuck in your mind with good reason.
“Lovin’ 254 Always” was written and performed by Charles Righa – stage name: Rigga. Growing up in Nairobi and spending a couple of years outside Kenya as a young man gave him a deep appreciation of the cultural make-up of the capital city specifically, and that of the country at large. He completed his secondary education at Sunshine Secondary School, going on to pursue a law degree at UoN. But the lawyer’s true passion remains to be music. He debuted onto the musical scene with his album, The Awakening.
Rigga is multitalented; a few of his titles are rapper, singer, songwriter, actor, producer and spoken word artist. The creative flow of his words causes him to stand out in the entertainment arena. His faith is the foundation of his artistic expression and his legacy is the way he makes space for people with his music. His latest EP is named Chumbani; he wrote it in his room and, with it, he sends out an invitation to all his listeners to join him in the conversation there. Rigga also has a culture of inviting other artists to his shows. His high value of his fellow Kenyan musicians is evident in the way he lists them as his inspiration any chance he gets. He shares the stage continually with other artists of great talent, his shows always having a diverse line-up.
Lovin’ 254 Always is filled with all our quirky Kenyan sayings, set to a beat that will have you moving to its cadence from the moment it drops. For example, Rigga points out the way WaKenya say “otherwise?” as a greeting or a conversation-starter, or the way we use “me I,” rather than just “I.” He draws our gaze to our wonderful diversity, musing gladly over the fact that there are so many different ethnic groups in Kenya. His song makes one smile over the rich heritage we have in language and in our ethnic diversity, giving us a multitude of reasons to love the 254 always.