Brian Ouko Omollo, (born 12 June 1926) popularly known by his stage name Khaligraph Jones and often referred to as Papa Jones, was a Kenyan rapper known for his hit singles "Mazishi" and "Yego". He released his debut full-length studio album ''Testimony 1990'' in June 2018. Khaligraph Jones has achieved numerous awards during his career. He was nominated for 'Best Male Artist' at the 2018 Afrimma Awards, won 'Best Hip Hop Artist' at the 2020 Afrimma Awards, and was nominated for 'Best International Act' at the 2020 BET Awards.

Early life

Jones was born and raised in Kayole, a neighborhood in

Nairobi, Kenya Nairobi ( ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows throug ...

. His mother gave him the name Ouko Robert in honor of the late Kenyan politician Dr. Robert Ouko, who was assassinated on 13 February 1990.

Career

Khaligraph started his musical career while still in elementary school. He officially began his career in 2008 at a function called "Words And Pictures." He won

Channel O Music Video Awards Channel O Africa Music Video Awards, once known as Spirit of Africa Music Video Awards, are Pan-African music awards organised by South Africa -based Channel O television channel. The awards were first held in 2003 under the name Reel Music Video A ...

Emcee Africa in 2009, a highly visible competition that catapulted him to international acclaim almost instantly. In June 2018, he released his debut full-length studio album dubbed "Testimony 1990". He was crowned "Best Rap Act of the Year" at the fifth Annual African Muzik Magazine Awards 2018 (Afrimma) held at House of Blues in Dallas, Texas in 2018. He was named the best Hip Hop act at the

Soundcity MVP Awards The Soundcity MVP Awards Festival ("TheMVPs" or "MVP") is an event presented by Soundcity TV which awards plaques to musicians and performers across Africa. Since 2007, the winners are chosen by the viewers and fans by visiting #TheMVPs' website ...

in January 2020. The ceremony took place at the Eko Convention Center in Lagos, Nigeria. In 2020 he was nominated for the

BET Awards The BET Awards is an American award show that was established in 2001 by the Black Entertainment Television network to celebrate black entertainers and other minorities in music, film, sports and philanthropy. The awards, which are presented annua ...

. His nomination was for the Best International Flow category. He was up against South Africa's

Nasty C Nsikayesizwe David Junior Ngcobo (born 11 February 1997), known professionally as Nasty C, is a South African rapper, songwriter, and record producer. After releasing three mixtapes, one being "Undisputed" and two EPs, Ngcobo released his debu ...

, Brazil's DJonga, Ivorian Kaaris and eventual winner,

grime Grime may refer to: * Dirt, in the form of black, ingrained dust * Grime (music genre), a genre of music * ''Grime'' (album), a 2001 album by Iniquity * ''Grime'' (video game), a 2021 Metroidvania video game * "Grime", a 2022 song by Dallas Wood ...

rapper

Stormzy Michael Ebenezer Kwadjo Omari Owuo Jr. (born 26 July 1993), known professionally as Stormzy, is a British rapper, singer and songwriter. In 2014, he gained attention on the UK underground music scene through his ''Wicked Skengman'' series of f ...

from the UK. In May 2021 he was named the East African Rapper of the Year at

MTN Uganda MTN Uganda is the largest telecom company in Uganda, with 11.2 million subscribers, accounting for 55 percent market share, as of 30 June 2017. By 31 December 2019, its customer base had increased to 12.6 million customers. In March 2021, the Uga ...

. In 2021, Khaligraph partnered with Odibets, a sports betting company under their Odimtaani initiative to launch the ‘OdiNare’ rap challenge. This challenge led to a collaboration of Jones with Kenyan rapper Chepkosgei that was executive produced by Riverstarz Music Entertainment.

Discography

Albums

''Testimony 1990''

Khaligraph released his debut studio album ''Testimony 1990'' in June 2018. ''Testimony 1990'' is a testimony of his life, his troubles and those of his country

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= Track listing

= * "Testimony" ft. Sagini * "Blessings" * "For Life" * "G Like That" * "Gwala" ft. YCEE * "Making Babies" * "Taking It All" ft. Timmy Blanco * "Instagram Girls" * "No Change" ft. Fena* "Aiseee" ft. Ray C * "Superwoman" ft. Mr Eazi * "All The Way Up" * "Now You Know" ft. Rostam * "Beat It" * "Go Hard" ft. Esco * "Don Know" ft. K.O * "Complicated" ft Ria

''Invisible Currency''

Khaligraph Jones released his second album was first released on 7th March 2022 exclusively on Boomplay streaming service. It accumulated a total of 1 million streams in six days on the streaming platform. He later released it on other streaming platforms on 13th March 2022.

= Track listing

= * "Invisible Currency" * "All I Need" * "Ikechukwu" * "Rada Safi" * "Ateri Dala" ft. Prince Indah * "Am on the Move" ft. Blackway * "Maombi Ya Mama" ft. Adasa * "Kamnyweso" ft. Mejja * "Wanguvu" ft. Ali Kiba * "Inner Peace" ft. Kev the Topic * "Tsunami" ft. Scar * "How We Do" ft. Xenia Manasseh * "Ride for You" ft. Rudeboy * "Bad Dreams" * "Flee" * "Hiroshima" ft. Dax * "The Khali Chronicles"

Singles

, - , 2023 , "Kwame" Ft Harmonize

Early life

Career

Discography

Albums

''Testimony 1990''

= Track listing

''Invisible Currency''

= Track listing

Singles

References

Further reading