We’ve seen it more times than we can count: a group of talented musicians comes together with big dreams and great songs, strikes it big, but struggles to sustain the momentum. Eventually, the hits dry up, someone decides to go solo, or tensions within the group reach a breaking point— leading to a split or the dreaded indefinite hiatus.
However, if lucky, some hatchets will be buried, an anniversary reunion tour will lure members out of hiding, or the love of music — and royalties— will help clear the air.
Whatever the case, Francis ‘Frasha’ Amisi, Boniface ‘Bon Eye’ Kariuki, and Gabriel ‘Gabu’ Kagundu insist that none of these familiar narratives explain why the celebrated hip-hop group P-Unit went quiet and is now eyeing a comeback.
P-Unit, which formed in 2005 and rose to become one of the most influential acts in Kenya’s music scene, lost its spark in 2015.
Gabu ventured into a solo career, Bon-Eye transitioned into real estate, while Frasha attempted a political path. After the failed bid to become an MCA for Athi River, he made a brief return to music as a solo artist before announcing his retirement from the craft in 2023.
Two months ago the trio held their 20th-anniversary concert at the Mass House, Ngong Racecourse, Nairobi. They turned back the clock with a mesmerising performance that reignited the nostalgia of P-Unit’s golden era— when they topped the charts, dominated the airwaves, and were among the most bankable acts in the country.
“Back then, in terms of performances, P-Unit would make up to Sh500,000 per concert, which was a lot of money at the time. These days, I see artistes walking away with Sh1.8 million or even more. Licensing wasn’t a major income stream for us — it was mostly streaming sales, performances, and brand endorsements,” legendary music producer Eric Musyoka, who had P-Unit signed under his Decimal Records label, told Nation Lifestyle in a past interview.
When Nation Lifestyle recently met the trio at a café in Nairobi, there was an unmistakable sense of “we should have made more money” hanging in the air. Now in their 40s, the three see life with a different lens. Bon Eye recently turned 47, Frasha is 45, and Gabu—‘the last born’, as they affectionately call him— is 41.
“We would have been millionaires had we known then what we know now about the music business. We didn’t understand music copyrights well enough or how to monetise them optimally. Streaming wasn’t a big deal back then, and digital service providers (DSPs) weren’t as widespread or popular as they are today. If that had been the case, with the number of hits we had, we’d have made a fortune from streaming revenue,” says Gabu.
According to Musyoka, at their peak, P-Unit would make around $3,000 (about Sh300,000 at the time’s exchange rate) annually from streams— an amount that artistes like Sauti Sol and Nyashinski now generate quarterly.
Frasha agrees with Gabu’s sentiment but adds that the imperfections in their music journey are precisely what have immortalised their legacy in the annals of Kenyan music history.
“The masses still recognise and talk about us (P-Unit). That’s why I wouldn’t want to dwell on what we did right or wrong —mistakes or no mistakes —because all of that is part of our musical journey, which I believe has been excellent. We haven’t been forgotten. Yes, there are things we could have done better, but life is about constant learning,” says Frasha.
However, Gabu maintains that if they had received proper financial literacy when P-Unit was starting out, they would have avoided some costly decisions.
“For me, when we started making money, I was a young man with different priorities. Now I’m a father to a 13-year-old, but back then, it was all about looking good. I remember touring Dubai and the US—while Bon-Eye and Frasha were shopping for clothes for their children, I was splurging on expensive luxury designer bags. I didn’t worry about money. I always believed there would be another show around the corner. I’m not saying I’m struggling; I’m okay. But sometimes I wonder: what if I’d invested back then—bought a few properties here and there? I’d be much better off today. Young artistes need to understand that success doesn’t last forever. When things are going well, that’s the right time to manage your finances. Don’t wait to invest in the next gig—invest with the one in hand,” Gabu confesses.
Frasha, on the other hand, struggles to identify any financial missteps. If there were any, he says, they were lessons. “I don’t think I ever made a bad money decision. My first child is 22, the second is 20, and the last is 10. By the time I was 25, I already had responsibilities. Most of the money I made from music went into my children’s education— taking them to schools my parents could never afford to send me to. There’s no greater investment than in your family,” he argues.
He adds: “One of the downsides of being an established artiste is that you get used to freebies, and that can affect your lifestyle. I struggled a lot with alcohol because it was always free—and, of course, with women because of celebrity status. This is still a major problem for some young artistes,” says Frasha, who is now a teetotaller.
P-Unit Hiphop group performing during Sol Fest Event at Uhuru Gardens, Nairobi on November 4, 2023.
Photo credit: Photo | Bonface Bogita
Since the ‘P Unit at 20’ concerts, Gabu and the rest have been on a tour around major cities in Kenya and are currently processing their visas for a Europe tour.
With the anniversary concert, which many deemed a musical comeback for the group, P-Unit says that is not the case.
“This is not a music comeback; people shouldn’t expect to see us releasing new music in the near future. The anniversary marked a new phase in our music careers. After 20 years as studio and performance artistes, and with the experience we’ve gathered, we now want to be on the other side of the business. Before, we were like actors in front of the camera — now we’re moving behind it, more like film producers. Our new purpose is to support the industry as investors,” explains Bon Eye.
Bon Eye says that even with changing times, where music has become more lucrative, corporates and investors are still very sceptical about putting money into music and musicians.
“Even when we (P-Unit) could guarantee a return on investment (ROI) at our peak, it was still very difficult to find investors or even corporates willing to put money into our craft. This is what Nigerians have done well. You no longer see Don Jazzy singing —he became an investor, and the success of artistes like Rema and Ayra Starr under his wing speaks for itself,” he adds.
Besides scouting, nurturing, and investing in talent with ROI in mind, Frasha says plans are underway to start a P-Unit festival and trade fair.
“We saw Nyashinski with his Shin City concert, Sauti Sol with Sol Fest, and our own concert gave us a feel of what the P-Unit festival and trade fair could become. The festival will be a platform for other artistes— especially emerging ones — to perform, not necessarily us. It will also include a symposium to bring together investors and young creatives with concepts and business ideas to network. We believe having more of such homegrown festivals will eventually encourage more investors to get involved and create opportunities,” he says.
For the ‘P-Unit at 20’ concert, the group had to secure a loan to put up the event, which generated Sh26 million.
“We took a loan and also had two private partners come on board. The idea was to celebrate P-Unit and Kenyan music, but also to prove a business concept—that we don’t always have to wait for corporate gigs. The investment paid off, considering we were selling a table of five at Sh65,000 and had 2,000 attendees. We created 200 jobs, both directly and indirectly, from vendors, security personnel, dancers, backstage crew - all of that,” Frasha adds.
P-Unit duo Gabu and Frasha performing.
Photo credit: Nation Media Group
Although P-Unit is currently raising funds to realise their new endeavours, the group say they are also looking for corporates to partner with.
“Because we’ve been victims ourselves —through our own struggles over 20 years — we’ve learned everything on the go. I truly believe we can now guarantee our partners a strong ROI,” notes Bon Eye.
Frasha argues that thanks to investors, the Tanzanian music industry has been able to overtake Kenya’s and stay ahead in recent years. In recent times, there has been an influx of Tanzanian musicians flying into Kenya for shows— earning millions—while the same cannot be said of Kenyan artistes.
Frasha says this is not by fluke. He believes the current crop of Tanzanian artistes is leveraging strategies set up by investors who saw opportunities in their market two decades ago.
“There was a time when our music industry was bigger than that of Tanzania and Uganda. For context, I remember when we were nominated for the Channel O Awards in 2012, several other Kenyan artistes were also nominated. Kenya had 10 nominations, Tanzania had only one, and Uganda had two. But when we travelled to South Africa for the ceremony, the Tanzanian contingent was bigger than Kenya’s. The only Tanzanian nominee was rapper AY (Ambwene Yesaya), but he was accompanied by a team of music executives and investors including SK Sallam (Diamond Platnumz’s manager) and Chief Kiumbe. They were not only there to support AY, but also to network. From Kenya, it was just us artistes—no investors. Those Tanzanian investors went back and took care of their industry,” Frasha says.
He recalls a similar scenario during the 2010 MTV MAMA Awards held in Nigeria, graced by American rapper and entrepreneur Rick Ross.
“Diamond had just broken through with his first hit “Kamwambie” in 2009. We were doing ‘Road to MAMA Tour’ shows in East Africa, sponsored by MTV, ahead of the Lagos awards. When we were in Tanzania to perform, Diamond approached us. He wasn’t nominated for the awards but wanted to attend the ceremony with P-Unit. Since he was paying for his own flight and accommodation, we agreed. What we didn’t know was that Diamond and his manager had a plan. In Lagos, while we were having a good time with Rick Ross and other artistes, Diamond and SK Sallam were busy networking with Rick Ross’s management team. That’s how the Diamond-Rick Ross collaboration came about, which elevated him as an artiste.
“If Kenya had similar investors behind artistes, our industry would have turned out very differently. This kind of backing is common in Nigeria and has long existed in South Africa. That is the gap P-Unit is now trying to fill for future artistes— with a clear return on investment in mind. Just look at people like the late Ruge Mutahaba and Joseph Kusaga, and the investments and influence they brought to the Tanzanian music industry.”
