From Chiwawa to Xiengo CXXV: The Rebrand of One of Kenya’s Finest Rappers

To many Hip Hop fans and heads, one might be confused as to who Xiengo is and why his tracks have started doing rounds on various platforms. Xiengo is a rebrand from one of the best rappers Kenya has ever produced, Chiwawa. This rebrand popped up recently when he dropped his new album Early Bud.

Xiengo, probably from his original name Gachiengo, is a breath of fresh air and might resonate with the new generation of Hip Hop heads. Old heads will still refer to him as Chiwawa but through his new album, you can tell there’s a shift of sorts in the way he’s delivering.

However, the bars that he came through with when he did Mnafeel Aje? 16 years ago haven’t changed at all. The rapper etched his name into the Hip Hop hall of fame with his flow and dope rhyme scheme when he came up.

Rappers like Khaligraph Jones lately are still praising him for being one of the pioneers of mainstream rap. This respect led the OG to include him in his Khali Cartel 3 cypher that happened two years back. Their first official collaboration came 9 years ago when Khaligraph Jones was on the come up.

Xiengo CXXV worked closely with Abass Kubaff coming up and was on multiple project with the KSouth legend. He’s also had a collaboration with King Kaka on a track called Massacre that came out two years ago.

The rebrand has also changed his YouTube channel to Xiengo, now sitting at 85 subscribers and climbing. The rapper has also uploaded four tracks from the album that are already up on various streaming platforms including his new YouTube channel.

This move has not attracted much attention from other rappers and Hip Hop heads but it has not gone unnoticed. The new name might be a little difficult to catch on but the music is still there to be enjoyed.

Exit Chiwawa, enter Xiengo CXXV.