‘OG Must Be Respected’ – Khaligraph Jones Claps Back at Tanzanian Rapper Fido Vato’s Criticism.

Kenyan rapper Brian Omollo, popularly known as Khaligraph Jones, has responded to criticisms from Tanzanian hip-hop artist Fido Vato.

Khaligraph took to his Instagram account to post a mock video, showing a lady whom he jokingly referred to as American singer Rihanna, destroying a music system after hearing an English rap song in Tanzania. The self-proclaimed Original Gangster (OG) used the video to call for respect from his Tanzanian counterparts.

The response came after Fido Vato, during an interview with a Tanzanian media station that went viral, claimed that Khaligraph is not an international rapper. According to Fido, Khaligraph only raps in English—a language unfamiliar to many Tanzanians—and has never performed in the country. He added that Khaligraph’s songs do not receive airplay in Tanzania unless he is featured by Tanzanian artists.

“Hata tukiangalia Khaligraph, nani anamsikiliza hapa Tanzania? Hata ukitoka hapo nje umuulize mtu yeyote kama anamjua Khaligraph. Huku Tanzania hachezwi sana alafu Khaligraph hajawai kuwa na show Tanzania; yeye anabebwa tu na wasanii wa Kitanzania wakimueka kwenye ma feature,” Fido said.

Mimicking Khaligraph’s style, Fido argued that many Tanzanians do not understand OG’s rap due to the language barrier. He suggested that to be considered an international artist, Khaligraph should be able to rap in both English and Kiswahili.

“Anarap maenglish yenye haieleweki, nani anataka maenglish? Tunataka Kiswahili. Do you know how to rap? Tupe pia Kiswahili,” he added. “Khaligraph hawezi kurap Kiswahili; he thinks he is international, but he is not. Khaligraph ni huko Kenya.”

OG’s Beef with Tanzanians

Reflecting on the heated exchange between Khaligraph and Bongo musicians in 2023, Fido mentioned that Khaligraph had disrespected Tanzania and could have handled the situation differently.

“Khaligraph ali disrespect Tanzania, so I have a right to defend my country. I just want to send a message to him that we can do it in different ways; it is cool,” he said.

The conflict began when Papa Jones claimed to be better than Tanzanian artists. However, the beef ended after Khaligraph apologized and expressed regret for the misunderstanding during a live interview with Wasafi Radio.

“My statement was taken out of context a little. For the longest time, you know when it comes to Tanzanians and music, we can never discredit the fact that your music is superior in general. Personally, when I saw how that interview was edited, I wasn’t pleased because it showed me in a bad light, and I knew it wasn’t supposed to be like that. I know other people will not understand it. That is why I’m apologizing. That was not right. My statement was taken out of context. For the people who took it the wrong way, please accept my apology,” OG apologized.

Article By Suzy Nyongesa.