On Monday 19th July 2021, Kenyan rapper Khaligraph Jones partnered with one of Kenya's leading betting firms Odibets to launch a one-of-a-kind online rap challenge for upcoming rappers that has been the talk of town.
The challenge, christened "OdiNare", has seen rappers from all walks of life submit videos rhyming to the phrase Odinare as they aim to win the grand prize of Sh1 million.
“The initiative is about elevating the local music industry and nurturing upcoming talent. Being at the forefront of the whole movement, I felt like it is my responsibility to push this agenda. The competition will run for three weeks and most of the reviews will be done online via Instagram and other social media platforms,” said Khaligraph as he spoke to journalists during the launch of the Odinare rap challenge.
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OdiBets General manager Dedan Mungai (right), Musician Khaligraph Jones and Odibets marketing manager Aggrey Sayi.
Also present during the OdiNare rap challenge launch was Odibets General Manager Dedan Mungai Odibets who said that they saw Khaligraph’s Instagram post in which the artiste offered Sh500,000 and a record deal with his label BlueInk Corporation to aspiring musicians and wanted to be part of the initiative.
"We saw it wise to come in and boost Khaligraph's rap initiative that had created buzz online since nothing of the sort has ever been seen on our Kenyan soil, through our Odimtaani platform we have decided to boost the rap challenge with a substantial amount that will help give life to the rap challenge aimed at nurturing talents," said Mr. Dedan Mungai.
The betting company through it's Odimtaani initiative committed Sh4.5 million for the online competition.
“The winner will take home Sh1 million, the first runner up Sh500,000, and the third Sh300,000. The three will also have an opportunity to sign a record deal with my label, BlueInk. They will also have a song and video produced,” added Khaligraph Jones.
So far, the Odinare challenge has had more than 2000 videos across social media platforms from both renowned and upcoming rappers.
Odinare rap challenge
To participate, one has to rap to the "Odinare" instrumental uploaded on Khaligraph Jones YouTube channel where they will need to fill in the missing verse of 16 bars (40 secs).
They should also make sure they mention "ODINARE" and "ODIBETS" on their verse.
Once done they can proceed with uploading the video on their Instagram accounts using the hashtag #Odinare.
