Operation Somalia Express
Ladies and gentlemen, I present the East African Colombians.
According to The Sunday Nation (Sunday July 30), 44 arrests in New york and 18 in Seattle were simultaneously made on July 26 2006 as the FBI moved to smash a miraa smuggling operation they have been monitoring for the past 18 months (code name: Operation Somalia Express). They're saying jamaas were stacking up to $10 mill a year at $900 a kilo. A kilo goes for kshs 700 back home, about $10. The goods were coming over from Europe through couriers on commercial flights in suitcases and also express mail deliveries.
The report didn't specify the nationalities of the arrested folks but it said they were getting their work out of Kenya and Ethiopia, the miraa hotspots.
The Feds also bagged 5 tonnes of miraa during this swoop. They're saying 25 tonnes have come in in recent years.
Miraa contains Cathine and Cathonine which are controlled substances in the US. Ati now they want to follow the money trail back to East Africa and find the real bossmen of the operation. Good luck, lol. But Fed indictments are usually built airtight (the 18 month surveillance is testament) so these dudes they bagged are going to go away for a minute.
I'm thinking if there was an American/European outfit like Del Monte or Nestle that was making mob bakes off miraa export they would have got miraa off that controlled substance list and we could be out here handling biz with a quarter kilo in the front pocket just like we do in the Jiji. But it hasn't happened yet so jamaas are facing up to 20 years apiece for conducting grand hustle.
Is miraa banned in Canada?
I'm saying, miraa was originally goat food, just like coffee beans. Is caffeine a controlled substance? Na zama za kale when coca cola was first on the US market it actually contained cocaine. Well, they didn't know the white like they know it now but still.....
Imagine if miraa became the new thing. White boys with baggy cheeks asking you if you've got some gum, or for a sip of your cocaine free coke....
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The INC in NBI
So Ja Rule got himself in Nairobi and Dar this past weekend (Fri and Sato respectively) for what were probably sold out performances. Apparently dude is still the shizzit overseas, seeing as I've not heard or seen Ja do any shows Stateside in a while. He probably lipishad a premium fee for these performances too and milked the perception that he's still riffing real hard with G-Unit for what it's worth.
This is the first big name rap artist since The Lost Boyz to rock The Robbari. A damn shame. Someone goes and brings in an akata who is more washed up than debris from the Titanic still floating in the North Sea. Face it, if he was still hot he would not have even thought of fikaing. He would probably be too busy shooting some type of movie or flossing new rims on a denali truck at some car show, drunk off the remy. Watch, now that LL Cool J isn't as hot as he used to be, he'll be making these type of trips, and there will be a traffic jam on Langata Road.
One of my partners was at the Crackhouse Studios, New York, the Murder Inc studios, in early April. His report was that Ja is plotting a comeback of sorts with a return to his original gangster swagger of his early Cash Money Clique and Venni, Vetti, Vecci days. So far I've heard a G-Unit diss track and a club banger. The diss track, 21 Gun Salute, was strong enough for me to put on my mixtape which, incidentally, is how G-Unit first heard it (a story for another day). The reasons it made the cut were:
(1).True story, I was probably one of the first DJs in stato with the full track and I may be one of 3 and a half DJs to have even put the track out.
(2). Lloyd Bank's Cake was on the mixtape and I wanted to contrast the two songs and also play on the beef...I know....real original. It came off vizuri though. This was the diss track he should have put out immediately after Fifty chongoad him.
The other track, Get Up is an attempt at a hard club banger. No one has bothered to break this record yet. My partner had been at the session when they cut this track. Actor/ R&B hopeful Jason Weaver (last heard on a Chingy single) sung the hook during that session but the version I've heard doesn't feature a singer.
His whole bubblegum crooning thug steelo that helped generate over 100 mill in revenue still works in some parts of the world. It doesn't on me. I used to kunja my sura everytime I sikiad "What would I do without yoooouuuu...." or such other hot messes on the radio or in the club. I'm going to have to learn to enjoy his new raw persona, and old boy must bring some seriously bangin' tracks. Don't get me wrong, I don't hate the guy, he just made some tasteless TRL/106 & Park hits, and now he has to bring the heat to impress. He will be dropping a mixtape or 2 sometime in the fall. Check for that.
With that said, I'm sure the chic game at Carni on Friday night was wazimu. If you know how much the damage (kshs) was to partake in the festivities, hebu tushow. I'm curious.
Would I have fikad if I was home? No.
Is Jigga headed to Nairobi as part of his planned world tour?
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Sunday, July 30, 2006
Friday, July 28, 2006
Harro Harro....
Niaje, what's goody, asalaam aleikum, walapa! I'm sending a Katyusha rocket to where you at with some love. Can I get a raah, raaah!!
This blog will be for some regular rants, trying to connect with peeps from the Grand Jamhuri, music (and kenyan music) in general, plus I'm trying to find someone to hook me up with some kunde to go with this western hemisphere sembe and mushy nyaks....
Oh yeah, that up there is a cover of a mixtape I dropped earlier in the year. Rugged Street music of the rap or reggae persuasion is something I enjoy. My idea of a romantic evening might include some Wu-tang hewas. Or some Capleton. I mean I've got r&b and soul on lock too but a gutter rap joint or a rude tune is my first inclination. Don't worry ladies, I'm accomodating. I pull out the D'Angelo to keep things easy. It has to be Brown Sugar though, he haribud Voodoo kidogo doing that naked thing.
Anyways, I'm djing, producing, managing some artists here in exile and making some music of my own as you can find out here.
It's Furahiday so you must excuse me as I fanya other things. Enjoy yourselves.
Ningependa kutumeko salamu kem kem to my main man Kama, the boy Kallous, the whole INF, Smalls, Heist Int., my brethren and sisteren doing their thing and you, oh most wonderful reader of the blog. Give yourself more than a pat on the back, kiss yourself...
I keed, I keed.
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