Rusangano family on a roll with unique musical mix

Groove Tube with Jimi McDonnell – tribunegroove@live.ie

One of the most exciting Irish acts to break through this year, the Rusangano Family come to the Róisín Dubh on Thursday, December 8.

The Limerick band released their debut album Let The Dead Bury The Dead earlier this year to rave reviews, and it opened a lot of doors for DJ MyNameIsJohn and MCs Mulri and GodKnows.  The trio were invited to play the prestigious music industry showcase South by Southwest, a trip GodKnows says was a highpoint from the last 12 months.

The hip-hop and rap band were playing in the Irish pub BD Riley’s, which had an open window that looked out onto the Austin’s bustling 6th Street.

“We were performing, so people walking past could see us,” says GodKnows. “Outside, there were people who were just going about their day. Inside, there was a load of Irish people.  They were serving free Irish breakfasts!”

Emboldened by the performance, GodKnows decided to go from the stage to the street.

“I decided to show the Americans what’s up,” he recalls. “I remember there was one guy with tattoos all over his body.  He looked like some real gangster! He was right beside me, and I was scared for my life because I was rapping right in his face. I thought he’s either going to punch me, or he’s going to shake my mind. So he shook my hand – I was very relieved!”

GodKnows also cites the album launch in Cork and the Electric Picnic as other highlights for the band. The rapper is of Zimbabwean decent, John is from Clare and Mulri is Togolese. Rusangano Family are an Irish band with a unique mish-mash, and their live shows are always memorable. Indeed, the journeys to the gigs keep the songs coming.

“You’re in the car, there’s ideas being thrown back and forth,” GodKnows says.  “We respond to life. For all of us, it’s natural. Whatever life is throwing at us, we write it down on paper. Or, in John’s case, he makes incredible music on the laptop.”

GodKnows is based in Limerick and works with Music Generation, an initiative that encourages young people to express themselves via music. It’s something he gets a kick out of.

“We basically do workshops in secondary school and also at our creative centre,” he says. “There’s a band called Same Difference, who are incredible, that came through Music Gen and a guy called Jordan DK. We mentor some of these young people, especially when it comes to the rapping. We just give people space to find their artistry. I know what it’s like to have all this music and nowhere to record it. We have the facilities there.”

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.