Kenyan Singer Rigga real/full name is Charles Righa, He was born on September 14, 1987. He is a Christian Hip Pop Artiste,A rapper, singer, songwriter, actor and spoken-word poet seeking to reflect God’s love in all he does. Rigga hail from Nairobi, Kenya.
Early Life and Background
Rigga Born Charles Righa, few could pull
off the Taita pronunciation of his second name; hence the stage name
Rigga.
He was Brought
up in a small and very tightly knit family, where Rigga was the only
child in a single parent home, it’s not so hard to see how his mother’s
spirituality could rub off on him. He might have known about God from an
early age, but it wasn’t until the 2000 Extreme Weekend that he finally
made a decision for Christ.
His mother, whom he credits as a
major influence in his life, took an interest in his musical abilities
from an early age, even signing him up for piano lessons at the tender
age of 8. Yet it was not until high school that Rigga begun
experimenting with Hip-Hop music. His mother’s work made her travel a
lot, and each time she moved with her son. Even though this very
importantly exposed him to many different cultures and lifestyles, all
which he readily claims he benefited from; it didn’t help his studies
too much. Moving from school to school and criss-crossing various
education systems didn’t augur well for him when he finally settled at
Sunshine Secondary School . Not only does he claim his Swahili was very
poor at the time, he also realized that he had to play academic catch-up
with the rest of his class-mates.
Yet amazingly, it was this
scholarly tension that led him to try his hand at lyricism. He felt like
he had to seek an avenue that would relieve the strain and even
temporarily reroute his attention from his studies. It proved to be a
masterly stroke, as Rigga soon rhymed with the best of them in school.
Upon
exiting high school he sensed the need to take his talent up a notch by
seeking out a production house. He attempted both Sakata and Blu Zebra
recording studios but realized neither was the place for him. It was not
until Babz, a producer he had met whilst in high school introduced him
to Kijiji Records C.E.O Kanjii Mbugua. Babz convinced Kanjii to allow
Rigga to record a single there usig a non-Kijiji track. Even though it
was against company policy there, it was approved. The song, titled
About Us was a secular collabo between three upcoming acts, and did very
well –receiving considerable air-play at Y FM.
If You Love Stories and Facts, Join this Whatsapp Channel
Yet secular was not the path Rigga’s heart longed after. He soon chose the gospel music path, one he still follows to date.
Prior
to Kijiji, Rigga had recorded a number of tracks with various upcoming
acts, working with people like Babz, Gittx and Soulchild Studios. His
first single was titled Umenitosha , and featured more the prominent
rapper Jael.
This opened the door for him to record an amazing
single with KORA winner DNG titled Anza Tena . He also appears on the DJ
Moz mix-tape and the track Heal Their Tears by Mellow Dee (a song that
he’s performed at the Miss India Kenya Beauty Pageant as well as the Kenya Fashion Week ).
Kijiji Records has also opened him up to the world of advertising, where
he’s done a number of ads with both Kijiji as well as the producer
Ennovator.
The latest edition to the effervescent
K-Krew, may just be starting out, but his vision is crystal clear. He
would like to see Christian music ministry develop both inside and
outside of the traditional church setting. His goal is to see people’s
lives and situations transformed as a result of music ministry, and for
people to encounter Christ and his love through music.
Facebook: Rigga
