Maasai

In recent years the X Plastaz have become known for being the first hiphop crew to use Maasai music and culture in their performance. Maasai singer Yamat (also known as Merege) is now a full member of the group who has joined on tour and in the recording studio.

X Plastaz grew up up in Arusha, a city in the heart of Maasai land surrounded by steppe, savannah and other climates, most famous for its wild reserves like the Ngorongoro crater. There are many different peoples living in Arusha, and some of them have chosen to preserve their traditional cultures. The Maasai, nomadic cattle herders, live in scattered settlements around the plains surrounding Arusha, while their territory reaches deep into Kenya and south towards Dodoma.

The rappers (themselves of Haya and Pare origin) had been familiar with Maasai culture, but in 1997 when they were invited to stay in a Maasai boma (kraal or settlement) 60 kilometers south of Arusha, they first experienced the uniqueness of the Maasai ways of life. It was in this boma that they noticed the similarities between rap and traditional Tanzanian music, and they decided to look for a way to merge the two.

Yamat a.k.a. Merege
Now that their eyes were opened to the incorporation of local music, X Plastaz teamed up with Yamat (artist name: Merege), who had enrolled in the Aang Serian cultural conservation project (also see the links page). Yamat is from a small Maasai village near Monduli, to the west of Arusha, quite isolated from the bustling city life. He grew up in the traditional nomadic way lof life. Yamat is the champion singer of his age group, knowledgeable of all aspects of Maasai singing.

After some practice sessions in which X Plastaz and Yamat tuned in to each other’s musical experience, Gsan and Yamat started performing together on a number of occasions around Arusha and Moshi. By January 2001 they had composed two songs which for the first time in history linked up hiphop and Maasai vocal music. Yamat sings exclusively in Maa, a language which sounds quite different from the Swahili and Haya that X Plastaz use.

On tour and in the studio
X Plastaz invited Yamat to come along on a European tour which led them to Holland and Belgium in May and June 2002. Performing on stage was a new experience to Yamat, and it took him a while to find a good balance between his jumping dance and the hiphop inspired moves of X Plastaz. Meanwhile the X Plastaz learnt the deep, growling singing that accompanies a Maasai lead singer which can be heard in the single ‘Ushanta’. While in the studio, Yamat performed the chorus on two album tracks: ‘A-ha’ and ‘Dunia dudumizi’. He also did the album intro as well as the backing of the Ushanta song.

To X Plastaz, their tour and recordings with Yamat were the first fruitful experiences on a new path into the merging of different musical styles which are all important and meaningful to their audience. Yamat adds a sharp edge to the work of X Plastaz, giving a new meaning to the concept of ‘keeping it real’.