Let’s start with introductions.I'm Tuff Queen. I'm an artiste. I'm Mmyisa, a.k.a. Double M, I'm also an emcee, artiste and I'm part of the big family of Nairobi Freestyle Movement, aka NFM. I'm ZimmSha, and I'm a member of NFM. I'm Slinger Triple One, also part of the NFM family and the current chairman. I’m Young Dee the Beast, I'm a rapper and spoken word artiste. I'm Nginyalo, a rapper from NFM.How did NFM begin, and what inspired the idea of taking rap to the streets?Young Dee: It started with just a few of us: me, Nginyalo, and some others who aren’t here today. In the beginning, we were about 30 artistes trying to figure things out. We didn’t have a clear plan; we were just freestyling for the love of it. That was back in October 2024, and from there, it slowly grew into what it is today.Slinger and I had already been bringing both up-and-coming and established artistes to the studio. We’d host TikTok Lives with five or six rappers freestyling, and people started paying attention.That’s when we knew we had something real. We decided to take it offline and started organising meetups every Sunday at Cardinal Otunga, giving everyone a chance to step up and showcase what they’ve got. It became a platform where talent could speak for itself.How long did it take before people started paying attention to your street freestyles—and how many sessions did you do before things picked up?Honestly, people were already curious before we even stepped into town for the first time. We’d created a buzz online, so when we finally showed up in the CBD, Nairobi, people were ready.We started recording right away and encouraged the artistes with us to share their music. From there, the audience grew fast, some joined us online, while others showed up physically, even travelling all the way to Cardinal Otunga.At first, we didn’t do too many live sessions. It started out small, and it was tough convincing established artistes to show up. Many of them were hesitant, so we had to push harder to build momentum.How many viewers were you getting?In terms of viewership, we could pull in around 1500-plus viewers, and the numbers kept rising. We had a fanbase. Big artistes also came through to support us during the live sessions, artistes like Swat, Ndovu Kuu.So the first time you met the artistes, how did you land on the name NFM?There was an event at Cardinal Otunga. That’s when we said, "Let’s do something." We didn’t even have a name then. We all came together, but there was no name. NFM as a name came later. It was actually coined about three weeks later.At that first meetup, we talked amongst ourselves; like, “What should we call ourselves?” At some point, we thought about “Nairobi Sunday Vibes Crew”; because we met every Sunday. But Deko said no.He suggested we call ourselves “Nairobi Freestyle Movement,” since we were all from Nairobi. So we knew we needed something Nairobi-based. As of now, we’ve had over 3,000 rappers join the movement from across the country.Do you guys meet and practice every day, or is it all off-the-dome, low-end and chill?Sometimes. When we meet, it’s usually with rappers from nearby towns who can make it to CBD. Others plan to meet in places like Nakuru; someone shares a pin and they gather there.When you practice, you’ll find those who freestyle off the dome. Those who come every Sunday usually freestyle. Some are pure freestylers, others do spoken word, and we also have a few choreographers.Who coordinates where you meet?Slinger Tripple One: We have our secretary. We also have a board of members. It includes our director, Tuff Queen, Oshomo, Nginyalo, Young Dee, and myself.We also have a separate group where we discuss what we want to do. Once we agree as a team, we align on the proposal. Then we mobilise the artistes.That’s how we know where to meet and where to freestyle. And then we run the program.Has the movement started to bring in any money, or is it still all about exposure and building your brand?Slinger Tripple One: Right now, it’s mostly about exposure. But with the help of NFM, we’ve made some progress. For example, I entered a certain competition. NFM supported me and I won some money. That money was then used to buy branded merchandise for the group. So, we can say NFM has brought some income.What was the name of the competition?Yamaha Road Music Challenge. Last year, December.How do you divide roles as a crew: the lyricist, the hype guy, the beat maker, the organiser?It depends on the program and the schedule. Sometimes, things get messed up because of time, but we always try to stay organised. We don’t formally assign roles, people naturally step into what they’re good at without being told. We’ve got a videographer, a sound editor, a makeup artist and more. Then we have our host, and everyone just contributes based on their strengths.What keeps you going, especially on slow days when content doesn’t go viral or the crowd doesn’t vibe?It’s passion. Passion is the bigger picture. We have a lot of unreleased music. There are so many unknown and underground artistes in our space, and our goal is to make them known.Some of these artistes are doing entirely new styles that haven't even been heard before. We want the music to be heard and recognised.Some of the artistes are honestly deadly with talent.If we’re talking about NFM, I’d say we’re the biggest. Some of us could easily be top five, or even the greatest of all time.What’s the bigger picture for NFM?In the next two to three years, we want to create much more than freestyles. We’re working toward building our own studio, maybe even an academy or incubator. We want to produce videos, train artistes, and create a platform that bridges the gap for talent that hasn’t been given a shot. We want stability, for the movement to grow musically, lyrically, and as a business.That means having our own marketing team, our own mainstream artistes; even going beyond mainstream. We already take artistes to the studio, help them make audios and videos, and offer mentorship and training for free.A lot of up-and-coming artistes can’t afford that elsewhere. We don’t just limit it to NFM artistes either. We let them own their music, make money with their sound and understand the business side of music— not just the art. We’re also aiming to partner with corporates down the line.How would you describe the learning environment at NFM?Mmysa: NFM is like a hardcore school. Artistes learn through exposure and self-discipline. You face challenges, but you grow.You learn from experience, like knowing what not to do before you even make a mistake. There’s also social capital here. For example, if an artiste isn’t financially stable, they may struggle to release music. But with NFM, there’s a network. Maybe there’s a producer who can help for free, or a videographer who’ll shoot a video. We rely heavily on that social capital. We may not have much cash, but we have each other.Has NFM helped you, personally?Zimmsha: Yes. Before NFM, I had a lot of idle time, especially on Sundays. That kind of free time can push some people toward bad choices, like drugs. But NFM helped keep me busy, focused, and engaged. It gave me purpose and direction. And I’ve picked up a lot that I now share with others too.Do you think Kenyan rap—especially street-based rap or music—can ever match the popularity of Gengetone or Bongo in the mainstream?100 percent. Freestyling is like a live performance, people feel it. It connects directly with the audience. When an artiste is freestyling, it’s raw, real and unfiltered by trends. It’s about what’s happening now, in the moment. And that authenticity resonates. Freestyling is the next big thing in Kenya. People are already watching and responding to it.What sacrifices have you had to make to keep the crew active and consistent?Some of us gave up our Sundays, told our employers we wouldn’t work Sundays anymore. That meant losing per diems or payments. But we see the bigger picture. We’ve learned to be selfless, sharing our resources, our skills, and working together.For example, someone might want to shoot a video but doesn’t know how to go about it. Another crew member helps, prepares info early, types it out, and ensures everyone is in the loop. We don’t even like to call it “sacrifice”, we’ve simply done a lot for each other.Have you ever faced shutdown, or have the streets mostly supported you?The streets always show up. But the city? Sometimes we get calls from the police or city council trying to shut us down. There’s been no visible support from Nairobi City County or the government. We’re thankful they let us shoot, but we've never received active support, and we wish we did.There have even been harassments, especially because of how we look or where we come from. We’ve been judged and mistreated for being from the ghetto. It’s been tough.As a group, what's your biggest dream? A collab with a global rapper, a tour, or a Netflix documentary?A documentary would be huge. We’re very open to partnerships and collaborations, anything that helps tell our story or expand our reach. It would be a big opportunity, and we’re all focused on that goal. The dream is big. Very big.Do egos ever clash in the group? How do you handle creative differences?Yes, they’re there. Sometimes, artistes come, showcase their talent, and leave. Others disappear without notice, especially when they land bigger deals elsewhere. Communication can break down, and egos get in the way. But we don’t engage in ego battles. We don’t sign artistes, so they’re free to go anytime.Instead of arguing, we often choose silence. If someone’s acting like a star, we let them be. We just watch, listen to their music, and move on. We believe egos are special but they have their place.NFM isn’t about battles. We don’t do battle raps, we showcase talent. If you say you’re fire, prove it through your art. If you’re smoke, be smoke. If you’re acid, be acid. Show it, don’t talk it.
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