In Conversation With The Rugbones

There’s nothing I quite fancy like music collectives. However, what’s not to like? It sounds like music to my ears when diverse musicians’ styles blend together, exhibit variety, and create new sounds in the process. It’s been proven right time and again with the likes of Odd Future, The Internet, Brockhampton (scandals aside) and to my delight, I learnt that one of our very own from Nairobi was fresh on the scene forging the same path; The Rugbones. Who could pass up the opportunity to interview them?

If you’re yet to be familiar with the Rugbones, let me get you acquainted. The Rugbones are a music collective made up of producers, rappers and singers. Mars Twin, a producer and rapper, sought to build a group with like-minded musicians in Kenya’s underground scene, and thus the Rugbones were formed with KayKhali, Ouko, capespring. (Polo), Ndung’u Mbithi, Brian Wachira, Mars, and violetcrimes (Jack). I managed to get a chance to have a sit down with some of these artists to let us know more about themselves and celebrate the release of their new EP, Gumbo.

We are familiar that Rugbones is a group but I would like you to let us know a little bit about yourselves as individuals.

Mars: Hi I’m Mars Twin, a member of The Rugbones. I’m a producer, songwriter and rapper

(He’s a man of few words)

Leroy: Hey I’m Leroy. I’m a rapper. I recently released a song called Purple Becky, production by Mars Twin. I’m sure you’ll like it. Go stream!

Kaykhali: My name is Kaykhali aka Mohyne Mohan. I make Hip-hop and R&B. My main focus right now is R&B and Afro jazz fusion, that’s what I’m working on. There’s not too much currently out but that’s what you should expect.

Mbithi: Hi, I’m a Rugbone. Fun fact I’m the only Rugbone who can’t rap. I’m a singer, songwriter and instrumentalist. Alternative is the safest category that I can box the genre of my music.

capespring.: My name is capespring., I am a singer, songwriter, producer and graphic designer. I make alternative R&B; I am not trying to confine myself to one genre but if I had to explain my style it would be Avant Garde.

How did you come up with the idea of The Rugbones

Mars: The idea to start a band came to me last year in September. I wanted people to help me make music because I’ve been working alone for a long time and thought it would be a good idea to take some weight off my shoulders and have some helping hands. I made a list of artists I’d worked with before and enjoyed our collaborations and hit them up in the DMs. Some made it and some didn’t but I’m happy with the final outcome because we’re family now.

Leroy: Mars came up with the idea of course but believe it or not he never called me

(Insert The Office type camera work panning to Mars giving intense side eye and muttering)

I was doing a lot of shows with Ouko and he asked me to just pop by and rock out with them. I was later added to the group chat. It wasn’t an official invite, it’s just by chance that I’m here which is crazy. I didn’t even want to join at first because I had just started taking music seriously and thought being in a group might disrupt that if they aren’t as motivated as I am and I just didn’t want to kill my psyche but it’s one of the best decisions I’ve made.

Kaykhali: Mars just texted me and asked if I want to be in a rap group chat. At first, I thought that it was just a group chat where we discuss rap and I was so hyped because I had hella rap opinions that I couldn’t keep burdening my friends that don’t care with. But later I found out I was chosen to be part of a collective and I’m glad to be part of this.

Mbithi: Like I said I’m the only one that can’t rap so I don’t know what criteria Mars was using for the recruitment process.

capespring.: Mars hit me up and asked me if I wanted to be part of a rap group and I agreed because I didn’t really have much going on at the time so I was added to the group chat. I was still in session at the time and I school in the States so it was weird and difficult to communicate due to time zones, when I’m asleep they’re awake and vice versa. I was never really active until I came back to Kenya in May and that’s when it started being real for me. I was just happy to be in a group where people know what they’re doing and we’re all talented in different departments. No one has the same flow or the same lyricism so I found it amazing because it felt like it was specially curated so that everyone sells a different thing to the bigger picture. It has allowed me to experiment more because I don’t rap that much. I also don’t make music every day for instance I can make a project in 6 months and not make music for the rest of the year, it has made me start being consistent. I get to practise writing, producing and mixing more, Gumbo is the first project I’ve mixed that’s not my own.

What’s your favourite track off Gumbo

My favourite track is Two Phone. I didn’t know we had that song and one day I was looking through our google drive and heard the beat and wondered yo, why is this not on the project. At the time it was only Kay’s verse, Mars’ verse and Ouko’s verse so I hopped on at the end because I felt like I had to be on the track.

What do you think makes you so cohesive and able to meld well

Mars: I think it’s the fact that we have a similar vision, share similar taste in music, culture and we’re basically different variations of what could be the same person. That has helped us bond and create an amazing work environment.

Leroy: I think it’s because we’re friends now. I knew Mars and Ouko before joining and that made it easier. We took time to know each other and know how everybody works.

Kaykhali: Hao ni ndugu zangu. We spent so much time together and developed a good relationship before we even started making music. We’re open and honest with each other and are just homies before the music.

Mbithi: I feel like it’s more of a collaboration than business. It’s also not too high maintenance and we have the leeway to pop in and make music whenever one is available. They give you that freedom.

Describe Rugbones’ sound

Mars: Our current sound is mostly influenced by 90s Hip-hop, current electronic music, R&B and soul.

Kaykhali: I think we’re inspired by Odd Future, A tribe called Quest, ASAP Mob, just the idea of like-minded artists banding together to make art. We modelled the concept based off Hip-hop groups but when we get in the studio it’s more of what we’re feeling.

Mbithi: We don’t even have a specific sound that we’re gearing towards, it’s just a coincidence that it’s mostly made up of rappers. We plan to make a rock album, an electronic album etc. It’s just about making music, even the EP was just a cocktail of songs.

capespring.: When I think of the Rugbones sound, it’s separate from my solo sound. When it comes to the Rugbones, I think of Brockhampton. Personally, I channel Mad Champion from Brockhampton. He raps very chill but says some really interesting stuff.

Who are your individual musical influences

Mars: My influences are Kanye West, D’Angelo, Prince, Mike and Aphex Twin (see where the twin comes from).

Leroy: I have a lot but off the top of my head: Kendrick Lamar, Erykah Badu, Bob Marley and Octopizzo.

Kaykhali: My dad was a DJ, if there’s anything we see each other eye to eye on it’s my career. He put us on to Fela Kuti, Anita Baker, Michael Jackson, Luther Vandross, Earth Wind & Fire and Prince. They influenced my childhood musical palate. Currently I am inspired by Indie Arie, Lauryn Hill, Luther Vandross, D’Angelo and a lot of rap savants like MF DOOM. I think my biggest strength is that I have a lot of influences.

Mbithi: My first inspiration is Radiohead which goes without saying. As far as chord progression goes, I take so much from Daniel Ceasar. Those are my top two influences

What happened to your The Weeknd phase

I think I just grew up. LOL. I still love him though, I even listened to House of Balloons on my way here but I think I just grew up. I don’t have any yet but when I do write songs about sex it will definitely be influenced by The Weeknd.

The same Weeknd talking about, “fuckin stretch that tiny, little pussy”?

That’s not The Weeknd that’s Tedros. You finally watched The Idol?

No, I have dignity.

capespring.: I’m inspired by a lot of R&B. I love Dijon and a bunch of experimental music like Aphex Twin. I’m very experimental with wordplay, flows and cadence to bring something different and that’s how my influences affect my work.

What’s your vision for the Rugbones, what audience are you trying to cultivate

Mars: I’m tryna bring in everyone. My vision is us doing what Wu-Tang, Brockhampton, De La Soul and A tribe called Quest have in our own unique way. Where everyone can branch off and shine just from us working together and sharpening our skills.

Mbithi: I want us to have a Rugbones show where we perform our individual music and the group music. It would be crazy.

Mars: I think a Rugbones show should be a rager, people just rage then towards the end we transition into some nice R&B.

Capespring.: I want fans who want to learn about the music and pay attention to the details. I want people who will come back, soak in the songs and decipher the details; fans who make their own meaning of the song and make it personal to them. I would like fans that care and dive into the world we’re trying to create.

What’s your favourite Rugbones studio session

Mars: Back in December at Kaykhali’s place definitely. A lot of good music came from those December sessions. Those were our first meetings with each other and we got to bond and knew for sure that we’d hit it off.

Kaykhali: There has been a lot but the most legendary one is when we had everybody at the crib, we barely even made music, we made music for about two, three hours. We don’t always meet up because people have other commitments and other people are far so it felt like a family reunion. I also remember Mbithi’s first or second time coming over, we were working on a bunch of tracks earlier and we decided to try and make something new. We got really high and Mbithi played us Radiohead, I got my guitar out, started playing some chords and got the tune for our song, When It’s Over, it was a very fluid process. Every idea worked, we were all writing our verses at the same time and what I find so cool about the Rugbones is we were hearing the same thing but each person was taking it in a different direction.

Mbithi: The first session, I did not know any of the others but Mars but I met Remi and Ouko and they made their song Two At Once on that day, it was also the same day that I heard the Purple Becky song. It was in February or January, we were cooking. We were really cooking. I also put them on Radiohead and we made When It’s Over so Rugbones is influenced by Radiohead, you heard it here first.

capespring.: I’m usually away so I usually make music remotely and send but I think on the run up to the Meet Me Festival, we used to link up at Ouko’s place and finalise the mixing and mastering for Gumbo. The chemistry just popped then, as performers and so much magic was made.

Tell us a little bit about your creative process to make a song

Mars: I usually hear a really cool song that I like and get inspired to make something like that. Catch the vibe of the song, make a beat and let it evolve over a couple of months or weeks till it takes a different form from the original.

Mars also known as the Charles Darwin of music everybody

Mbithi: My songs always start off as words, they start off as poems. It’s just words that turn into music.

capespring.: For my solo work I just write lyrics first, random lines, poetry, take different parts and piece them then the music comes later because I feel like that’s the best way, I can make meaningful music. I did this four months before I started working on my project. For the Rugbones, I’m not in control of the whole process as there are always beats ready so I hear a beat and channel the idea I want into it. I find it very liberating because I can adapt to both creation styles.

What motivated you to first start making music

Mars: I started making music with my friend Trevor when I was fifteen. He showed me a lot of EDM and FL Studio and discovering you could make so much on a computer, make a nice synth blew my mind. Ever since I’ve been making music practically every day. I’ve been driven by the need to create something to have for myself, just passing the boredom and sometimes it just helps me find answers to things I don’t know how to deal with.

Leroy: I started music in 2018 but used to play drums way before that, back in high school. I was in the same high school as Michael Carpenter and he was producing and I got the motivation to do it then. He showed me this unreleased song called ‘It’s You’ and I felt inspired because how are you the same age as me and able to do this. Then he gave me a beat he’d produced and, we’re here now.

Kaykhali: I started playing guitar when I was 13 and learnt you could record and started producing and composing and it went on from there. I made my first song when I was 16, it was the first time I went to a studio. I’ve always been into creating and art, I tried a lot of different stuff before, I started with acting and painting but when I found music it came easier to me because it combined a lot of things I like about art. I like literature, rhythms, dancing and making people feel and I felt like that was the easiest way I could achieve that.

You’ve acted before, what have you done?

I did a couple acting classes and we performed in a bunch of theatres, I even used to think acting would be my calling. I was in a grasshopper play, I forget the name, I was the grasshopper. I was the Wizard in the Wizard of Oz; I’m really that nigga. I played Gaston in Beauty and the Beast. I’m practically just a literate Gaston. I played the brother in Brother Bear. The one thing I can’t do is dance, my Achilles heel.

Word on the grapevine is that a Rugbones album is in the works, give us a rough idea of what it will be

Mars: I haven’t really thought of a concept yet, personally.

Alright then keep your secrets

I am looking for a more executive role in the album production is all I can say.

Leroy: I’m excited to see how we will create a cohesive album because it will be a challenge yet so much fun.

Kaykhali: I don’t want to say too much but the concept I had was a The Rugbones Day album, where you follow a day in the life with The Rugbones but we’re just trying to be as versatile as possible and try and do as much new stuff as possible.

capespring.: I want to show more of my singing side on the Rugbones and produce more and tap into a Deathgrips kind of vibe, I want us to do some industrial, experimental rap.

Hey Leroy, tell us how you feel about the success of Purple Becky

Leroy: Purple Becky was actually meant to be a joke; it was not meant to be a serious song. Mars played us the beat in the studio one day and we were just having fun with it but I loved it so much I wrote the hook. Mbithi came to the studio and I thought he would be perfect for it so I gave it to him, he recorded it. However, it was quite a frustrating process because it took time because Mbithi was really busy, it was sent out to be mixed and the rest is history

If you were to give yourself a character based on your role in Rugbones, what would it be

Mars: I’d be Batman because we’re the Justice League and there is no Justice League without Batman. If we’re talking The Bear, I’d be Richard.

Leroy: I’d be Mojo Jojo. I just like him and that was my nickname in high school so might as well. If we’re talking The Bear, I’d be Sydney. The role I think I really play in the group is being the hype man, I’m always the homie saying that song is heat.

Kaykhali: Hey Mars! I was gonna say Batman! I would say I am Vito Corleone from The Godfather. There isn’t any reason really, I just wanted to have somebody cooler than Mars. I also think I’m Lauryn Hill.

capespring.: I feel like I’m Darius from Atlanta because he’s drippy as hell but in a weird way and you don’t get to know much about his personal life but when he’s on screen he’s really funny and interesting. That’s how I am. I don’t really like letting people in on my personal life, even on socials, but when it’s time to perform I’ll show out and do the most with a good fit on but after that you probably won’t see me (homie is John Cena)

If there was any show that you wish you could have made the soundtrack to, what would it be

capespring.: Black Mirror or Atlanta. To be specific, the Atlanta episode where Earn and Van went on a camping trip; the conversation where he was telling her to move to LA and they talked about their relationship, I have a lot of songs that would fit well there. For Black Mirror, it would probably be Hang the DJ. I love the episode becaus

e of the idea of being anti-establishment, they knew it was only them for each other and were ready to beat the system to achieve that.

There you have it, Mars, capespring., Leroy, Kaykhali and Mbithi of The Rugbones. They recently released their EP titled Gumbo which you should check out our dear lovely readers as well as brand new solo releases from Mars, Kaykhali, Ouko, Mbithi and Leroy. Till next time, stay Ruggin n’ Bonin!