"Most Christians want to sing of Heaven, and the fact that we are going there. Yet before we get to that Heaven we speak of, we are still here on earth, and have to ensure we are real and relevant to the people we are here with. We have to sing about things in context, about the situations as they are here. If not, we become irrelevant."
Lena
Words from Lena, founder member of the exciting hip-hop group Jogg-C. He insists that their group is all about relevance, and ministering the word of God in a timely and practical fashion; one that addresses the needs of the young people in this country, but remains relevant.
This outlook must obviously be working for them. Not only have they established themselves as a creative and entertaining outfit, they gotten recognition along the way. From mentions at the Groove and Kisima Awards,
to the Chaguo la Teeniez and their crowning jewel '96 a nomination at the American Gospel Music Awards.
Jogg-C started off in 1998 as a nondescript grouping of individuals, called upon to perform at their church's ever youth concert. Lena, at the time was a member of the praise & worship team. Peter Kaberere was playing guitar for them, and Nuvine Otieno was leading the drama ministry. Teaming up with one of the young ladies in the church, they performed a short rap presentation.
Many at the rally were impressed, and soon enough invitations came their way for performances at different venues. At this point, they realized they had to be a little more serious if they were to meet the challenge of regular performance. That's when they sat down and decided to pursue this more seriously. That rally is when the group was born.
Still, they had no name, and were often referred to by a title that was much larger than them '96 the Gospel Revival Centre Youth. At this juncture they toyed around with no less than 15 names. That's when the idea of Jogg-C same up. In Luo, Jogg refers to a sense of belonging, and the C stood for Christ '96 hence 'Belonging to Christ'94. They stuck with this because not only did it say something about their new ministry, the name was catchy, and would often get them notoriety as many would inquire as to its meaning.
Soon the demands of the group took its toll on the lady, and she exited.
In August 1999 they had the opportunity to curtain raise for local gospel rap trail-blazer Izzo, where they got the opportunity to meet then newcomer Henri Mutuku, who at the time was doing back-up vocals for Pete Odera. Through that they got an invitation to another gig, this time meeting a group that would be instrumental in their development - dance group Ollovar . These dancers were involved in school and college ministry, and invested heavily in Jogg C, giving them the opportunity to partner in ministry.
Through the relationship with DJ Moz and Ollovar leader Oscar Arigi, they were introduced to producer Robert '91R-Kay' Kamanzi of Shammah Boy Music, who made their very first performance track. This was made with the express intent of performing at Ollovar 's Busting Loose concert, and as such Oscar paid for the track. R-Kay so liked the track that he offered to record the full song for them for free.
The song, Nampenda Bwana, did well in the local media, and soon the performance offers started trickling in. With the appearance monies they made, they were able to save up and record more tracks. Reality Itembee, their first full length album was released in 2004, with production from Robert Kamanzi, Steve Ominde of Soulchild Records, Mike Olome of Sakata Music and Richard Kasika.
Nuvine, a secondary graduate of Eastleigh High School and student at USIU, still had drama tugging on his heart, and sought to be released with blessing from the group. He proceeded to establish Diligent Hands, a theatre & arts troupe.
Since then the group has gone from strength to strength, and are now affiliate members of the K-Krew. They've traveled 
round the country performing at schools, colleges and churches, and have done a number of corporate events. In addition they've curtain-raised and shared the stage with a good number of local acts, including Milele, South Africa's Chosen, and from Uganda both Limit X and First Love.
The two remaining members have gone on to build a name for themselves, even though they have interests other than just music.
Peter, the first born of two in his family, was a professional chef, until he walked away from it. He's had opportunity to work at Ngorongoro in Serengeti, Amboseli Lodge and the Serena Hotel . Lena, on the other hand has done a short-term Bible course, and is looking forward to bolstering that with a ministry degree, majoring in youth ministry with a minor in music.
They admit freely that the challenges have been many, but they keep their heads up and keep trudging. From financial issues, and the lack of steady fellowship because of their heavy ministry schedule, to the ever present concern of warding off overeager female fans, opportunities to slip up or throw in the towel abound.
Yet they ensure they keep their feet firmly planted in the Word of God through constant prayer and fellowship. In addition to retreats they share with other artists, each Wednesday they team up with their contemporaries for a Bible Study session they call the Upper Room. Held at the house of one of the members of Badilika DJs, this is a forum for other artists and ministers to get fed and recharged for the work they are involved in.
Believeing that they have a role to play in bettering their society, Jogg-C have been involved in various community projects with groups such as the AIDS Awareness campaigners ICL (I Choose Life), and US-based CPR (Creating Positive Relationships).
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