Barak Jacuzzi is taking not only the Kenyan hip hop scene by storm, but also dominating in America. Getting his start as the “hype man” for Kenyan hip hop artist Octopizzo, Barak Jacuzzi has made a name for himself. He first attracted attention with his cypher in “Nokia Don’t Break the Beat” in 2012. After stepping out of Octopizzo’s spotlight, Barak spent some time in America understanding hip hop on a different scale, but soon realized he needed to be in Kenya to join its revolutionary hip hop industry. When he decided to go to Kenya, where his parents immigrated from, Barak started as a radio host, slowly perfecting his hip hop craft. Barak Jacuzzi has been regarded as not only an artist, but also as a personality and an entertainer who can dance, rap, sing, host, and DJ, just to name a few. His much awaited debut mixtape, The Juice Bar, was released in 2017 and a seven track project, which is heavily influenced by his American roots. Barak’s style is definitely influenced by his roots to both America and Kenya. Most of his songs are in English, however some of the slang and the nature of his lyrics are true to Kenyan hip hop style. His most popular solo song is called “Coco Ma$ta,” with over 50,000 views on YouTube.
Barak also collaborated with his mentor, Octopizza, and another Kenyan hip hop lyrist, Boutross, in one of the biggest “trap” hits of 2017 called “Tergat Gang,” which has drawn over 400,000 views.
Despite his American roots, being born in Columbia, South Carolina, Barak decided to Kenya to pursue music because the Kenyan hip hop market is much harder to tap into. Another component of this idea is that much of the American hip hop battle rap style has been diluted in the new wave of hip hop. However in Kenya, battle rapping has been a keystone and the foundation for many hip hop careers; it is always a new challenge and forces artists to keep on their feet. Although Barak Jacuzzi is from America, his style of hip hop is an American/ Kenyan fusion, but importantly, he considers himself a Kenyan artist and continues to prove he has the “juice.”