Shortly after releasing his highly acclaimed single chocha, Kenyan Hip Hop heavyweight Khalighraph has a new freestyle up on his youtube channel. 

In the freestyle, 8 PM in Nairobi, the OG goes hard on various issues, including rappers rapping on backtracks during live performances.

For most music fans, experiencing their favorite musicians performing live on stage is heavenly. 

In some situations, the artists may be forced to use backing tracks to help them enhance their performance. If this does not work to their advantage, it can be detrimental to the live show.

On the other hand, artists who choose to perform their songs live (mostly with the aid of a live band) tend to create a better experience for their fans. 

In his latest track, Khaligraph Jones condemns rappers for playing back their songs during live performances. 

In one of the verses, he says, “And for the sheer act that I  have opened for peer acts who I am bigger than, it is a sign that I am pushing sincere chapters.”

He goes ahead to add, “That line is deep if you would play it back again, exactly how you niggas do it on stage, you play it back again/ain’t rapping on top of vocals.”

Addressing the issue further, Khaligraph Jones admits that using playbacks is not a song but wonders why an artist would record a song and then use it as a backing track.

For the longest time, Mceeing/rapping, Breaking and Djing, have been the most utilized elements of Hip Hop in live performances. According to Khaligraph, a good rapper should be able to perform their songs live without the help of a backup track. 

Elsewhere in the song, Kaligraph Jones argues that nowadays, anything sells because key decision-makers in the entertainment industry pump in a lot of funds to market mediocrity just to get traction, disregarding ethics. 

Khaligraph seems to have started the year with some heavy criticism towards the Kenyan society if  ‘choma’ and ‘8PM in Nairobi’ is anything to go by.