‘Fathers, reason with your children’
Members of reggae band Kuzikk raised on reasonings
Published:Sunday | June 18, 2023 | 12:47 AM
“Children live what they learn and you have to learn how to love,” said Kamau Imhotep, a percussionist and vocalist of rising roots-reggae band Kuzikk. “It is since I get to be a big man, I start to understand certain things; I recognise that every family not just function and learn differently, but is formed and loves uniquely.”
That uniqueness is what makes Kamau and his bandmates, whom he also calls family, stand out.
For the past five years, Kuzikk, which comprises Kamau, Kool Johnny Kool (KJK) and Krysi Webb, have spun fantastic connections with their love of music and lucid legacy dreams against a cultural backdrop that could be intimidating for artistes like them.
“We’re all parents,” Kamau shared. “I’m [the] father of four beautiful children, who are all grown and in university. I have 20-year-old twins (a boy and a girl), a 25-year-old and a 27-year-old. The youngest son is a producer, following my footsteps. The way I interact with each of them, especially the males, is very crucial to their development and to their understanding of my role in their lives and what I do.”
He added, “One of the best and greatest lessons I can give to my children, or any man that is becoming a father, is that of self-love. A lot of the crimes we are seeing against our children and women is because of a lack of self-love; and I know that because I love myself, my own children will see what that means and not go that undesirable path.”
Kamau’s face, as he speaks about his children, has his musical family sharing broad smiles, even KJK, the hardcore dancehall deejay of the group, who surprisingly has a soft spot.
“Fathers, reason with your children,” KJK said.
“I reason with my children ... and my grandchildren ... in a way that when I’m on the phone with them, people don’t even know it is them. Is all about creating boundaries. That’s life – understanding boundaries enough to know when and how to break dem. Dem know boundaries. This is how my father raised me.”
When he speaks about fatherhood, being a patriarch and his own father, there is much to reveal. He said that being raised in a blended family required a lot of communication, something which his father did “an amazing job at”.
“It was eight of us first and he married a woman with four children; and he dealt with her children same way he would deal with any of his children. He was committed to the role and imparted values of being honest and what it means to love. When I speak of him, is like he is [the] biggest man on earth, but our society is so used to fathers being absent that when people hear of a man speak of his father certain ways, dem tend to look pon dem like is something unusual. People look pon me weird,” KJK said.
The group, Kuzikk, has yet to write a song dedicated to good men, but they anticipate there will be more creative opportunities for them to make music that highlights to society, the importance of the male role model and fathers.
“Men are some of the most misunderstood creatures and some kinds of behaviours are not accepted as normal. I believe it is a way of reasoning that can change society’s view of man and his roles. Reasoning has helped each of us here to grow up as individuals, then for us together to mature musically,” KJK offered.
The three recording artistes chant as one, having synced their energies into one bold idea, all while challenging each other’s way of thinking. According to Krysi, being the “sole lioness” is a challenge alone, but she is comforted knowing her male counterparts continue to be a support system for her.
“I use Kamau and Kool as models; I watch their families – how they interact and raise their children and treat their women and it is the type of environment I want my nine-year-old daughter to be raised [in]. I look to them for guidance and reason with them daily. Kool said it. How we reason as adults is how they reason with their children. I admire them for this, and more,” Krysi remarked.
“They treat me similarly; they give me the knowledge I never got from my father, but I wouldn’t say they are like fathers to me. They’re more like protective brothers. I also believe that some men need to know how to be brothers first before they come into the role of a father. It’s important for men, for fathers, to be emotionally available for their children and not just rely on the mother, grandmother or aunts to give them that,” she continued.
When the pandemic hit and live shows ground to a halt, Kuzikk took to the studio to reason, write and put finishing touches on numerous singles. At this juncture, the hard-working trio is catapulting towards the limelight with an acute awareness of the high standards set by the pioneers before them.