Festus Hamalwa

Mutilifa Ndalinoshisho Paulus, also known as ‘Ree-Kay’, recently released a 10-track album, titled ‘Meme Okwati’, paying homage to his parents for the powerful life lessons they taught him.

Paulus said he chose the title, especially for his late mom for being strong enough to bring up a guy like him.

“This is not only for me; anyone can relate because we were brought up in so many different ways, but parents are at the forefront of our upbringing,” he told VIBEZ!

He does mostly kwaito but also Afro-pop, Shambo and reggae dancehall.

Paulus, who is a teacher by profession, said people should listen to his music to remind them of their culture and also remind them about good parental guidance, which they have to pass on to their children.

He said he fell in love with music at a young age and recorded his first song in 2011 while in grade 10.

Hoping that a move to the city of bright lights (Windhoek) will see him become famous in music, Paulus travelled to the capital after finishing matric, but he found the going tough and encountered many obstacles. 

He returned to the north, where he later discovered a good professional studio that brought him back to music in 2019 when he dropped his first mixtape, ‘Hope, Faith and Courage’.

Through that mixtape, he gained experience, which gave him hope to work on the album he dropped earlier this month.

The 27-year-old, who hails from the small town of Ongenga, said people are going through a lot, and he wants to help them heal through music.

“Music is all I ever wanted to do, and I just had to make sure I go for it since I believe music heals,” he said.

His album also features Kid O.G on the songs ‘Uudano’ and ‘Okundadja’, and Nessy J on the song ‘Believe in yourself’. 

He released a music video last week for his song ‘I took a step’.

Musically, he is inspired by many local and international artists, citing Legg-Ghetto and American rapper Bow Wow. 

Paulus plans to do more music, and he is pushing to establish a strong record label to help other musicians. 

But he reiterated that funds are needed to make music, and another source of income is vital. 

Paulus can be reached on his social media pages: Facebook @Paulus Ree-Kay, Instagram @ree__kay, YouTube @Ree-kay, and Twitter @ Ree-kay.

-  fhamalwa@nepc.com.na