Francis Macharia Gachucha, alias Odi wa Murang’a, is one third of the popular gengeton band Boondocks Gang.
The boy band has released several hit songs and, in the process, earned millions of fans.
From very humble beginnings, Odi has established his music career, enabling him to lead a comfortable lifestyle.
He’s also ventured into the farming business. Here is his story as narrated by YEA.
Odi hails from a humble background. He attended nursery and primary school in Murang’a before joining high school in Nakuru.
He was expelled from Njoro High School and Shiners High for indiscipline.
The artiste sat for his Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education at a day school named Mahiga in 2016 and scored a C plus.
After high school, he moved to Githurai 45 where he stayed with his sister.
He also met Ex-ray and Maddox who introduced him to the Catholic church. The three would often do spoken word in church.
He moved to a Sh. 1,500 monthly rental house in Githurai and worked as a construction worker to pay his bills and support his music career.
Even as he worked hard, his goal was set on music, which was the same for his two friends.
At the time, Maddox was into dancehall, Ex-ray into R&B and he was interested in rap.
READ: Fena Gitu: The Queen of Music
The trio began recording music with their first being Peleka na Rieng, a massive hit among the youths.
They had to have a friend steal the song for them at a studio to release it since the producer wanted money they did not have.
Initially, he hadn’t told them about paying anything, but according to Odi, once the producer saw the song was good, he demanded cash.
They released the demo version of the song, not even knowing it would be that much of a success.
The group became very successful and he made Sh. 30,000 on his first major performance, a far cry from what he used to earn as a mjengo guy.
The group’s popularity increased and so did their pockets.
From working with the group, Odi wa Murang’a has also pursued solo projects and collaborated with various artists, including Mejja.
He also shares some of his music via his YouTube Channel, which has over 2.3 million views and over 60k subscribers.
The musician was featured on 2mbili TV show two months ago showcasing his Toyota Prado TX which he said was worth Sh5 million.
Apart from doing music to survive, he also has taken to farming various vegetables including sukuma wiki (Kales) and selling charcoal. He also rears pigs to earn extra money.
