Francis Macharia Gachucha, alias Odi wa Muranga, 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 been able to establish his music career which has enabled him to lead a comfortable lifestyle. He has ventured big time into farming as you will see elsewhere in this article.
Here is his story as told by WoK.
Background and Education
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.
Moving to Nairobi
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 Sh1,500 a month 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 and this was also the same for his two friends. At the time, Maddox was into dancehall, Ex-ray into R&B and he was interested in rap.
Music Career
While they enjoyed performing in church, they needed to pay bills. He had come from far and growing up had dealt with jiggers infestation among other difficulties and he wanted to make something out of his life.
The trio began recording music with their first being Peleka na Rieng, a massive hit among the youths. To release the song, they had to have a friend steal it for them at a studio since the producer wanted money which they did not have.
At the beginning, he hadn’t told them about paying anything, but according to Odi, once he 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 Sh30,000 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 more than 60k subscribers.
What he owns and his money making projects
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 the extra money.
