THE GROUP ONE BY ONE Four of the six X Plastaz are blood related, but all have shared the same house in Arusha for many years. The little 'getto' as it is called in Swahili slang is always open to visitors, and whenever Yamat comes to visit from the Maasai steppe, he stays with the rest of the group. Each group member adds his unique flavor to the stew called Maasai hip hop, a flavor which gets more refined by the day.  Ziggy Real name: Abdalla Minja Born: 1979 A Pare from Tanzania's Tanga district with part Greek ancestry, Ziggy ended up in Arusha after his secondary school where he stayed with the other X Plastaz. Like no other rapper he knows all about the hustle that life in the big city in Tanzania involves, and the audience respects him for bringing his streetwise attitude to the stage. Ziggy is currently staying in Sweden.  Faza Nelly Real name: Nelson Rutta Born: 1976 Died: 2006 Faza Nelly was the oldest of the group, and he was the brain behind much of the group's core philosophy. His styles were energetic and full of expression as can be seen in the music videos. Ruff was responsible for the Tanzanian promotion of the group, and he had been crafting his beatboxing skills. Having spent part of his youth in his parental village near Bukoba (western Tanzania), he was fluent in the Haya language and knew much about traditional customs. Faza Nelly was stabbed to death in March 2006 as he was trying to negotiate in an argument between two neighbours. His passing away shocked his friends, family and fans around the world. See the guestbook for condolences and click here to read the story behind the tragedy.  Gsann Real name: Godson Rutta Born: 1978 Gsann started out as a solo emcee, writiong his own tracks but always performing with the X Plastaz. Gradually his solo work was mixed in with the X Plastaz tracks. Gsann is taking care of Steve and Dineh, teaching them and writing their lyrics. He is a board member of the Aang Serian project for which he does research and runs a hip hop recording studio in Arusha. He's also the Tanzanian country coordinator for the Baobabconnections network. In 1998 he won the Arusha Mr Retro 70's dress competition.  Merege Real name: Yamat Ole Meipuko Born: 1976 Merege has been with the group since 2000, and first came to Arusha in 2000 on invitation from the XPS. His home is in Monduli in a traditional Maasai dwelling overlooking the Rift valley facing Ngorongoro crater. In his region, Yamat is known for his singing which ranks high in competitions. He is very fluent with language, learnt to speak Swahili in less than 6 months and is currently studying English. If you understand Swahili, you can read this biography of Merege.  Dineh Real name: Diana Rutta Born: 1986 Dineh started rapping when she was eleven, inspired by her brothers Nelly and Gsan who she overheard during their practice sessions and at the nearby Mawingu disco. Soon, her skills were at the same level of older emcees and after a while she was fit to step to the mic. After some time her younger brother Steve started joining her during performances, and in 2001 they won an Arusha rap competition, defeating dozens of adult emcees from the region. In that year she first went on a trip abroad to perform in Holland. She can be heard on various X Plastaz tracks and featured on a song for the new album of Mr2 (Sugu).  Steve Real name: Steven Rutta Born: 1989 Steve was nine years old when he started performing with the group, and in a festival held in Dar es Salaam in 1999 he captured the hearts of the audience. Looking like six, people couldn't believe he was such a skilled performer. His hours of dedicated practicing paid off since nowadays Steve can rhyme over any beat. When not listening to hip hop, Steve is in school studying or giving gym class to the kids in the neighbourhood.