Collo, also known as Collins Majale, a popular rapper, has revealed how he recovered from debts of millions of shillings, unemployment and drunkenness.
The rapper, who is one-third of the famed trio Kleptomaniax, said in an interview that he used to earn roughly Ksh 250,000 per month as a copywriter at a leading advertising agency.
Collo revealed that he would frequently present jingles to many clients, at least ten every month, earning an additional Ksh 700,000 per month.
He admitted that at the time, he felt lost and was seriously involved in alcoholism before his fortunes changed significantly for the worse.
“I was a copywriter earning Ksh 250,000 every month. And so, I also believed that it wouldn’t harm to present a jingle idea to any of the client services within whatever account at any agency, thus I was a provider
“In a month, I would write at least ten jingles for different brands, which would earn me an additional Ksh 700,000. Money was never an issue, but I never saw it since my spirituality was not strong. That money ended up creating more debts,” he explained.
Collo revealed that while working on a marketing campaign for one of their major clients, he got into an altercation with one of his supervisors, which resulted in his losing his job.
“There were those who were giving the client a hard deal at that time. I said something I shouldn’t have said, or rather I said it innocently, and it offended one of the bosses,” he stated.
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Collo said that he owed a bank roughly Ksh 3.5 million at the time, leaving him bankrupt and unable to support his small family.
He revealed that his daughter stayed at home for three months due to a lack of school payments, and that his home’s electricity was turned off for four months due to a failure to pay the utility bill.
Opening up, the rapper said that he had considered moving to the United States to live with his mother.
Auctioneers arrived and took his assets after he failed to pay his obligations, which included a car and title deeds to plots he had purchased.
He revealed that his wife prayed for him and invited him to accompany her to church, which led to his final conversion.
Collo maintained that being saved completely transformed him, stating that he realized many of the people he called friends in his previous life could not be trusted.
“I had a phone book with over 5,000 contacts that I believed I knew. I thought I knew a real estate mogul, or so and so. My friend, know Jesus,” he said.
Collo said that he once begged God for only one song because he wasn’t getting anything substantial from his excursions to the studio.
During this period, the rapper collaborated with Bruz Newton, a dance choreographer, to create Bazo Kizo, which became one of the most popular songs of 2016.
Collo revealed that the video release was delayed because he did not have enough money to pay the people who shot it.
The song also landed him an endorsement arrangement with one of the world’s largest phone manufacturers, which sold new handsets in Kenya.
Since then, Collo has released several singles and pursued other artistic endeavors.
