Khaligraph Jones, also known as Brian Ouko was born in Nairobi Kenya on June 12th, 1990. He grew up in Kayole, which is a rougher area within Nairobi. His struggles within this impoverished community influences much of his work, and this relatable narrative gained him massive popularity within Kenya and on the international scale. According to a biography on PeoplePill, “Jones”Know Khaligraph Jones In Details”. is arguably considered to be the face of Kenyan Hip Hop and has been through all the obstacles that one can go through when you are surviving in the ghetto. It is through all this that he chose music over everything else that ghetto has to offer” (PeoplePill 2016). Kaligraph Jones is most known for his unique freestyles, and winning the Channel O Emcee Africa competition in 2009 to jumpstart his career and earn him notoriety among some of Kenya’s most popular hip hop artists.
His most viewed music video on Youtube is Yes Bana ft. Bien, who is a member of a popular Kenyan group Sauti Sol. The video features Kaligraph Jones in traditional Keyan attire as well as modern streetwear as he raps in Swahili. It is important to note that Kaligraph Jones raps in his native language of Swahili, which is why he has such prominent support from fellow Kenyans. He speaks openly about mental health, including his own battles with depression. He uses his story as a form of inspiration for the many that look up to him around the world. In a recent interview with the Star, he spoke about how his humble beginnings influenced him to work with many up and coming artists in Kenya, “Out of all the artists in Kenya, if there is an artist that has worked with many upcoming artists it is me. I don’t discriminate and I work with people on the basis of talent and not money and if I am in a position to put you in the spotlight, I will do that” (Musyimi 2019). His passion for music and his craft is evident in both his interviews and songs.