19/04/2024
TBT: HOW AY ENDED BEEF BETWEEN PREZZO AND JAGUAR
For many years, Tanzanian rapper AY made frequent visits to Nairobi, even when not necessarily performing. He has always had many friends in Nairobi.
But when Kenyan musicians were beefing for real, he had to choose carefully who he hanged out with.
For instance, he could not hang out with Prezzo and Redsan at the same time. Or with Jaguar and Prezzo when they were beefing. Yet, they were all his friends. Fundi Frank was the only constant celebrity he could hang out with.
When Kenyan musicians were beefing for real, guns were drawn, shots fired and others were physically roughed up. Just like in the US. Not the clout chasing we see today.
So, in 2016 while in Nairobi, AY wanted to meet both Jaguar and Prezzo. He organized a meeting with Jaguar at one of his favorite hotels on Dennis Pritt Road.
When Jaguar arrived that evening, he had his usual armed bodyguards. AY told him that he wanted his beef with Prezzo to end that night.
Jaguar agreed, after being convinced by AY.
Prezzo lived just five minutes drive from the hotel. However, when AY called him, he was in Westlands at the time.
Among the friends Jaguar had come with, was controversial businessman Paul Kobia. Wonder who came up with the popular slang ‘Masinemaree’? It was Paul Kobia, when narrating how he used to roll with different presidents other high profile people while doing business.
He kept on using the phrase, “Nyinyi hamjui masinemaree.” And before everyone knew it, it became a popular slang, even used in music by the likes of W***y Paul.
Both AY and Jaguar were very uncertain on what would happen if Prezzo, who also had armed bodyguards, walked into the large hotel room. It was going to be the first time the two were to be seen in one room ever since their beef started in 2010.
Even though there was clear tension in the room, Kobia kept the mood up with his ‘masinemaree’ stories.
AY, on the other hand was confident about this meeting. After all, he had managed to make Redsan and Prezzo meet at a video shoot two years earlier.
Redsan had a song with Shaa, a member of former Tanzanian Coca Cola Pop Star group, Wakilisha.
While Shah and Redsan were on set during the video shoot in compound off State House Road, AY walked in accompanied by Shaa’s boyfriend TZ producer Master Jay, Fundi Frank and Prezzo.
The tension in the location clearly indicated both Prezzo and Redsan had not been in the same vicinity since their long standing beef sort of ended. But they behaved themselves when AY told them he didn’t care if they had beef or not. Video director Enos Olik made it more interesting by including Prezzo in Redsan and Shaa’s video!
However, after the video shoot, Redsan hurriedly left the scene with producer Sappy as everyone else went to party in Hurlingam.
Back to Prezzo and Jaguar story.
Prezzo didn’t show up that night. He got wind about what was about to happen and avoided that meeting.
A year later, Jaguar reached out to Prezzo and they did a song together. That’s how real Kenyan beef season ended.
JOHN MOSH MUCHIRI
Fundi Frank
