Nairobi News

Renowned rapper Khaligraph Jones has extended an apology to the Tanzanian music industry and its supporters following recent online battles between artists from the two countries.

The rapper, known as Papa Jones, expressed regret for a statement he made that was perceived as demeaning to Tanzanian musicians.

The controversy arose when Khaligraph Jones stated that Tanzanian musicians could not be compared to their Kenyan counterparts.

However, he clarified during an interview with Wasafi FM that his comment was taken out of context.

He explained that he had been defending his fellow Kenyan artists after being questioned about the state of the music industry in Kenya compared to Tanzania.

“For the longest time now we cannot dispute the fact that Tanzanian music has been superior and even when you come to Kenya, you will find that the top songs on YouTube are from Tanzania.

And it’s not a bad thing but sometimes when you are doing interviews one wants to show you that you are not doing okay on the market. So in that context, I have to defend my people.”

He further clarified that his intention was not to demean Tanzanian music but rather to address the competitive nature of the music industry.

Reflecting on the incident, he acknowledged that the interview had been edited and that he hadn’t heard his statement clearly at the time.

Khaligraph Jones went on to extend his apology to those who had been offended by his comments, saying:

“Hata venye mi mwenyewe niliona ile interview imekatwa sikusikia vizuri, because it had put me in a bad situation because it was not supposed to be like that because not everyone will understand. So for that one I apologize, that was not okay, wale walikua wamechukulia vibaya poleni kwa hiyo.”

While he expressed remorse for the misunderstanding, Khaligraph Jones maintained his stance in the ongoing rap battle between Kenyan and Tanzanian artists.

“But kwa mambo ya rap battle, wacha tuchane, weka beat tuchane,” he said.

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