The mystery between two music production arch-rivals, Clement ‘Clemo’ Rapudo of Calif Records and Lucas ‘Luki’ Bikedo of Ogopa Deejays, is synonymous.
They both rarely or never grant interviews.
The only notable difference is the fact that most people know how Clemo looks like in pictures, while Lucas has remained totally mysterious ever since they started both record labels 25 years ago.
“To be honest, with my over 20 years’ experience as a mainstream entertainment and lifestyle journalist, I am yet to sit down with both producers for just over half an hour to interview them. Even though I have spent lots of time with both,” admits John ‘Mosh’ Muchiri, a long-time Kenyan showbiz reporter now based in the UK.
But after producing hit after hit in the 2000s, and pioneering the genge genre as a distinctly Kenyan sound through “Beat ya Clemo”, just why did Clemo walk away from his famous keyboard and recording equipment?
Money… and more money to be made in the larger entertainment business.
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By the time musician Jua Cali got a Ksh10 million endorsement deal with mobile communication company Orange (now Telkom) in 2009, Clemo had already tasted similar amounts just a couple of years before.
The legendary producer had been heavily involved in the ‘Vijana Tugutuke’ nationwide youth voter awareness campaign in 2007, where he raked in millions by organising the lineup of artists to perform.
Others who benefited significantly in the campaign included the Reddykulass trio of KJ, Nyambane, and Tony; Big Ted and the late Big Kev; radio insider Roy Karuhize; and Jua Cali himself—just to mention a few.
But why is Jua Cali important in this story? Because every coin Jua Cali earns from endorsements, Clemo gets a good share of that pay, mostly believed to be even more than Jua Cali. Lifestyle changes explained it all:
Before moving his studio from Block D5 in Nairobi’s California Estate to a more upmarket apartment on Forest Road, just opposite the Guru Nanak Hospital, Clemo ditched his old Volkswagen Beetle.
He upgraded to a more posh car, a BMW, which he bought from Big Ted. The car featured in the video ‘Kwaheri’ by Jua Cali and Sanaipei? That’s the one. Jua Cali owned it later when Clemo upgraded to modern machines, including a white Mercedes-Benz saloon car.
By the time Clemo moved his studio and offices to Kilimani, he had mastered the art of making real money from the entertainment industry. His first assignment was to become the main YouTube agent in East Africa, through his monetisation company, Ngomma VAS.
Ngomma VAS (Value Added Services) does everything from obtaining copyright, ensuring proper syndication and distribution of content, and managing licensing and sync deals, enabling creators, labels, and platforms to collect, deliver, and profit from their work.
Clemo had already tested the waters with Calif Mobile, where fans would download songs onto their phones. But YouTube offered a better way for creatives to earn. So his first stop was Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, where data charges were considerably lower than in Kenya at the time.
More Tanzanians were watching YouTube videos than Kenyans, and he took advantage of that and struck deals with their top musicians like Diamond, Ali Kiba, and AY, among others, as well as media stars like Millard Ayo.
In case you didn’t know, from the early 2010s up until recently, almost no one could make money on YouTube in East Africa without going through Clemo, who had the copyright gadget!
For every song that is played on YouTube via the Ngomma platform and is monetised, he gets a percentage of that. Why would he be motivated to record a new artist, get a few coins, and gamble on whether they will hit or not?
Having experience in working indirectly with governments, it was not hard for him to get a job in the Nairobi County Government recently as the Chief Officer for City Culture, Arts and Tourism.
Clemo is the owner of the music video TV channel PPP, which is hosted by digital TV broadcasting service provider StarTimes Media.
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