Kennedy Ombima, popularly known by his stage names King Kaka and Rabbit, is a Kenyan rapper, businessman and more recently film director.
King Kaka's Fluent Trauma explores personal and shared trauma with an emphasis on growth and mental health awareness.
Co-written with Scar Mkadinali, the album reflects their Eastlands upbringing and raw lyricism, blending realism with artistry.
What does the album 'Fluent Trauma' mean to you? We can see that you've put so much effort into it.
The name, first of all. We have all been through trauma. It makes us who we are; trauma builds character and how we face tomorrow. Sometimes when you feel like you're going through something, you tend to think that you're either 50/50 to blame or that there's a wild 90 percent chance that it's related to something that happened to you in the past. But when you're 'fluent' it means you want to embrace it (the trauma) and go through it.
We (Scar Mkadinali and I) grew up in Eastlands and went through so many hardships. I've been through so many things since I was young, and part of that is trauma that I had to embrace. So if you're fluent with your trauma, then you'll find solutions to what you're going through. We're also in a time where mental health is such a big issue, and that's one of the things we're addressing; we've been through things, you've been through things, but it's from those scars that we build products.
Kennedy Ombima, popularly known by his stage names King Kaka and Rabbit, is a Kenyan rapper, businessman and more recently film director.
The themes you've tackled on this album are?
We've talked about personal issues, partying, hard times, good times, bad times... the whole spectrum.
In the promo video for the album, you can see Scar handing you a box containing the Beanie Kufi. What was the symbolism of that?
When you rebrand as an artist, there are some of your fans who don't want to leave the previous artist you were behind. For me, that was Rabbit. He was raw, and he talked about struggles. I had to leave that to transition to King Kaka. But this album has Rabbit's pen. The guys are about to have a really intimate lyricism.
Lyrically, people say that you and Scar really fit together. Is that why you worked on a whole album together?
There was a chemistry from the moment we started working together. I have to like you to work with you. I don't want to be in a room with someone and feel like I could have been better off somewhere else. We just started talking to each other like we were 'boys'.I respect his pen game and, with time, we realised we had similar traumas. I would say something about Kaloleni, Jeri (Jericho) or Marish (Maringo), and he’d say he had experienced something similar in Umo (Umoja). It became an easier working area for us.
Even while recording the album, we would meet and drive or walk around the city, have a meal, and when we got back to the sessions, we’d know exactly what we’re talking about. We had already bonded, and it was easier to lay the songs and record.
What do you think has changed in the rap game since your last album two years ago?
I’ve not been really keen about the industry changes, but I’m very genuine in this album, in terms of the album being passion-driven. It’s realism and just me wanting to express myself and reconnecting with the art I fell in love with years ago; reconnecting with my old self. I’m excited because I don’t have many cautionary measures, I’m here for me and not you guys (laughs).
You set aside a whole day to shoot visuals for the album.
It’s (for all of the things I’ve been through and also the passion. I feel like it’s 2008 all over again.
What drives you to be the rapper, Kaka Empire mogul, brand ambassador for Remy Martin and now a director?
Being able to venture into different things solidifies your purpose. At the end of the day, we’re all looking for our purpose. I’m a go-getter. If I want to start a business, I will do it. I will learn on the go. I want to learn as many characteristics about myself as possible. If you feel like you want to do something and you don’t take up the dream, you lose to experience of another of your characters. You may have the capacity to know what pressures come with, say, running a hotel, but you lock that character up by saying you can’t do it. When I’m running Kaka Empire, my spa, directing movies and so on, I get to experience over 10 different characters of me, and it’s a beautiful feeling.
What informed your listening party at Sarit Centre’s rooftop a few weeks back?
It was just an intimate product for Fluent Trauma. I wanted to reconnect with my fans. This year, I’m doing a lot of reconnection products with my fans. I want to do full experiences, performing with a live band for maybe 200 people, so that I build a community and they spread the gospel. I’m a very interactive person, so what if I give you stories in between every song, and I tell you what this was about and so on? It’s more profound than you coming to a concert. Yes, I’ll still do the big concerts, but my heart right now is in having a set-up where I can ask someone in the audience, “You in the back, what are your thoughts?”
Tell us about directing.
It’s a passion I have. I just directed the new Crazy Kennar movie titled My Name is Omosh. It was a really good experience that I’m about to direct two movies and a series next. My Name is Omosh took 10 days to shoot and seven more to edit. The fact that you can take a story from a script and bring it to life; have an idea, write it down, get people to get into character, and someone watches and responds to certain emotions; that’s a superpower.
What would you tell someone who doesn’t do something because they are afraid of trying?
Life is for the living, don’t be shy. Everything you’re holding back, why don’t you say, “I experienced something I’ve never experienced last weekend?” We’re all going to die, so why do you want to live your life as a template? I could have been an accountant working I some office. I’m also launching my cooking show in the next few weeks, “Let Him Cook”. It’s a very interactive show, but I’ll be learning how to cook in front of Kenyans. All the cooking shows are by people who know how to cook. But this will be like, “Hi! I don’t know how to cook, but I’m here to cook.”
Will you have guests come on and show you how to make their specialities?
You just wait and see.
