“I Can’t Believe I’m a Human Being”

How many kids have you placed in schools so far?
At the moment we have 16 sponsored. I'm sponsoring six. I used to sponsor eight, but it was dragging me financially.

How much does it cost to sponsor a child?
It depends on how much you want to invest. It could be $1,000, $1,200, or $2,000 a year.

So they go to a boarding school?
Private boarding schools are best.

How did you come to know about hip-hop music?
When I was in south Sudan, people used to rap in my village. But the rapping was more in the mother tongue, Nuer. They used sticks and clapping hands [instead of instruments].

Did you see American hip-hop on television in Kenya?
Yes, in Kenya. I used to think they were Kenyans. It took me, like, one year to realize they were Americans.

Your first CD was called "Gua" [which means peace in Nuer]. When did it come out?
"Gua" came out in 2005, February. I did it myself: printed a couple thousand CDs, and they all sold out in Kenya. And I became famous, and I didn't get a chance to print more, because I went on tour and got signed to a record company. We did [a second CD called] "Ceasefire." So there was a lot of hype, a lot of things happening.