Khaligraph Jones: I almost ‘died’ at Pipeline Estate
Khaligraph Jones, the Kenyan rapper who spits fire like he’s got a score to settle with the mic, has a fanbase so devoted they’d go to bat for him against the Kenya Revenue Authority – and win.
He is a classic grass-to-grace story.
Born in Kayole, one of Nairobi’s urban slums with a reputation for insecurity, he grew up among six other siblings.
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He got serious about music in 2004 when he started rapping gospel content but switched to secular music in 2008.
Earlier photos of him show a young, slender boy growing up in Nairobi’s Eastlands from a humble background. Still, today he is a well-built man who commands attention in any room he enters through his continued work in the gym and in his hit-after-hit music.
In a recent online update, Khaligraph Jones revealed that before wealth found its way to him, he lived in one of Nairobi’s Eastlands estates, known for being overpopulated. He used to live in Pipeline Estate.
He went on to reveal that a near-death experience forced him to leave the estate, where dozens of flats are crammed together on very little land, and there are no adequate social amenities to speak of.
“Panya zinatoshana na Farasi uko karibu nianguke kwa stairs nikufe in 2013, zilinitoa mbio mbaya (Rats as big as horses almost made me fall on the stairs and die in 2013. They made me run for my life),” said Khaligraph Jones, contributing to a conversation about how many Nairobians start their lives in Pipeline Estate.
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Pipeline houses are small, dark and lack proper ventilation. They resemble prison cells where no sunlight enters the houses. There can be as many as 1o0 houses and more than 500 people living in a small area.
Khalighraph Jones was spotted by Pipeline living in some middle-class estates in Eastlands, but today he lives in one of Nairobi’s upmarket estates, Karen. He revealed this when he slapped back at a fan who warned him not to constantly flaunt his wealth and where he lives because he could be targeted.
“Free advice, avoid posting your home address on social media, you never know who is watching,” said call_me_munyasia, to which Jones, aka OG, replied, “Iyo ambia watu wa Kayole bro, Karen ukikuja kulete vurugu ni risasi kwa m*t*** (Give your advice to people in Kayole bro. In Karen, if you bring problems, you will get a bullet in your derriere)”.
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