MY HUSTLE: For the love of my home town, I support local projects

Amos Njoroge, popularly known as MC Emos, is a Nakuru-based gospel artiste and social media influencer. PHOTO | COURTSEY

What you need to know:

  • Emos realised that the residents of the town were very talented; artistes were sprouting up left right and centre.
  • He thought it would be inspiring to have a movement that would unite the locals and make them embrace their roots as residents of Nakuru.
  • To this end, he created a slogan, “Nakuru Stand Up (NSU)” and the reception was overwhelming.

His mother was still in high school when she gave birth to him. An only child and raised by a single mother, Amos Njoroge alias MC Emos has turned out to be a force to reckon with in the entertainment industry.

The 27-year-old wears many hats; he is a gospel artiste, social media influencer, event organiser, photographer, social philanthropist and brand ambassador for 'Wasili' a travel service akin to Uber or Taxify based in Nakuru.

He is also a self-proclaimed avocado ambassador and his love for avocados has inspired him to produce merchandise like hoodies and T-shirts dubbed #AvocadoRepublik with avocado emoji printed on them.

Emos was born and raised in Nakuru. After completing his high school education, he enrolled at the East Africa Media Institute where he majored in videography.

This was a natural path for him to take given that he had always been fascinated with photography. The formal training in college harnessed his natural photography skills that have seen him build a reputable brand as a seasoned videographer.

This created many opportunities for him to work with renowned brands such as Groove Networks, King Kaka and Avril.

In 2011, Emos felt compelled to get more involved in his community and home town, Nakuru. He realised that residents were very talented; artistes were sprouting up left, right and centre.

He thought it would be inspiring to have a movement that would unite the locals and make them embrace their roots as residents of Nakuru. To this end, he created a slogan, 'Nakuru Stand Up (NSU)', and the reception was overwhelming. “Most artistes from Nakuru now recognise and relate with Nakuru Stand Up,” he says.

GIVING BACK

NSU has made significant impact through various community projects geared towards giving back to residents.

For instance, the 'Lishana Vishana' initiative targets the less fortunate in the community, where food and clothes are donated to the needy and they also benefit from motivational talks.

The other project, 'Pink City Reaction', is dominated by young people with an adventurous streak. Its main objective is to promote local tourism as the young people engage in various travel and adventure expeditions. It was named 'Pink City' in reference to the flamingos on Lake Nakuru.

Finally, there is 'Acoustic Moca' that kicked off in 2017. It aims at bringing together local artistes every Sunday afternoon at the Moca Loca Lounge in Nakuru.

Guests are treated to live performances that include acoustic music, stand-up comedy and spoken word poetry as they sip on freshly brewed coffee.

"My passion for art makes it very easy for me to coordinate all these projects that revolve around exploring local talent within Nakuru County,” he states.

At one point in his entertainment career, Emos got a job as a radio presenter at a local station, Hero Radio, where he worked for three years.

His catchy voice rocked the airwaves and he had an impressive listenership.

Through his show, he got to host and interact with household names in the entertainment industry such as Rayvanny, Harmonize, Rich Mavoko, Alaine and Sauti Sol.

Amos Njoroge aka MC Emos. PHOTO | COURTESY

In 2015, Emos won the Flamingo Award—an annual award that acknowledges local artistes in Nakuru—for Best Male Radio Presenter.

In 2016, he quit his job at the radio station. “I yearned for growth and I wanted to focus fully in building my brand,” he explains.

NEW BEGINNING

After his resignation, he started Mc Emos O’clock, an online show where he goes live on Facebook every Thursday to have one-on-one interviews with various artistes.

This has given many upcoming artistes a platform to showcase their talent to a large audience from all over the world.

Recently, a taxi service app, Wasili, was developed to make commute more convenient for Nakuru residents. Emos, being an enthusiast for local products and services, did a pro bono promotional video and shared it on his social media platforms.

This was greatly appreciated by the app owners who also valued his marketing skills, and they made him their brand ambassador.

“Wasili is an application that has revolutionised the movement of people within the Rift Valley. With efficient and reliable taxi services that are literally at your fingertips, travel has never been easier,” he says.

For now, his emceeing and music performances are his main source of income. He makes between Sh80,000 and Sh120,000 depending on the events seasons.

Despite working with many secular artistes, Emos says his true north is gospel music and he remains committed to spreading the gospel to the ends of the world.

When it comes to fashion, Emos is a diehard fan of African designs and clothing. In fact, he is one of the models at CalvoCarlWear that designs African attire. To Emos, his clothes are another way of supporting the local industry and promoting the African culture.

Currently, Emos is working on advancing 'MC Emos O’clock'as a fully-fledged Facebook broadcast and standalone YouTube channel. He hopes to write and produce more songs and plans on establishing a branding agency.

His life mantra? “It is not what you do, it is how you do it.”