Contents
The Kenyan comedy industry is flooding with so many comedians believing they have what it takes to make it. People in the industry have slowly grown to become household names but it hasn’t been an easy feat. When anyone decides to venture into it, its either a hit or miss. Kenyans will either love you or hate you but for Flaqo Raz fans just adore him.
Flaqo Raz is a singer, scriptwriter, dancer, and comedian. He has distinguished himself from every other Kenyan comedian by playing more than one role in a video.
His style of comedy is just on another level. A year ago, most Kenyans didn’t know him but today the first rising comedian is making waves in the industry. The comedian is hilarious and his jokes have resonated very well with most people. His YouTube channel has 105k subscribers and the latest video featuring Azziad Nasenya is a hit among fans. Some are even requesting for a part two. Kenyans can only hope that he continues to shine.
Genuine name
His real name is Erastus Ayieko Otieno and he was born in Agha Khan Hospital on Christmas day.
Flaqo Raz School Information
The entertainer went to Xaverian Primary School- one of the oldest day schools in the country. He then proceeded to St. Mary’s High School before joining Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University and graduating with a degree in Public Health in 2018. Back in Primary School, he was a serious learner that didn’t want anyone messing with his zeal for education, basically the teachers’ favorite. Nobody would have thought he had a sense of humor.
Before fame Information
After high school, he moved out of his parents’ house to try and discover life. Then, he tried his hand at music but the industry was so flooded making it impossible to easily gain recognition. RnB was his preferred music style and August Alsina was his inspiration. After feeling like his music wasn’t going anywhere, he decided to focus on comedy. He found out most Kenyans love things they can relate with and decided to do relatable content.
Walk to Fame Information
During his earlier days, he reached out to many celebrities but was ignored. Raz then decided to venture out on his own. The video that escalated his fame was when he did celebrity impressions of Kaligraph Jones and Bahati. The clip was so on point and hilarious he ended up earning 10k Instagram followers in just two days.
Flaqo Raz Comedy Profession
After doing celebrity impressions, he decided to slowly introduce other characters like Mama Otis, Baba Otis, Bakari, and Otis. He plays all the characters so effortlessly. Bakari is the dancer while the other three characters symbolize how African parents relate with their children. Mama Otis; character inspiration came from his mother who was very skeptical about his comedy at first. The character also reminds many fans of how most African mothers behave.
Also, Read – Dr. King’ori Biography and Background Information
Difficulties Faced
At first, people in his area around Kisumu thought he was crazy after uploading a “Mama Otis” video. The comedian then took a break and watched online videos about video editing. The content creator also got mistaken for being rich soon after his video went viral. Most Kenyans equate fame to money. This is the reason most famous people live a fake life.
He’d show up to board a matatu or eat in a Kibanda and people would be like “Why are you doing this, aren’t you rich?” This put a lot of pressure on him that he started googling people that were once broke and famous. Trying to ascertain whether he was the only one. He had to go back home to Kisumu after staying in Nairobi for a while because it just wasn’t working. Later, he’d come to realize that it doesn’t matter what people think.
Brand endorsements didn’t come as quickly as he expected. Despite having a fast-growing channel, brands weren’t approaching him leading him to believe he was cursed. Fellow comedians like Mulamwah, Crazy Kennar, and Brenda Jones seemed to be making it while he remained at the same place. At one point Brenda Jones reached out to encourage him to tell him when the time comes his phone will be ringing off the hook. True to her word, it started happening and offers came in one after the other. Popular brands he has worked for include: Samsung, and Airtel.
Flaqo Raz Self
Flaqo Raz is humble and very funny. He even laughs at his jokes. The fast-rising comedian also advises others not to give up on their dreams. They should also go out and fight for what they want because success does not come on a silver platter. No one will just hand it to you. Erastus also values his fans’ comments. He goes through them and takes note of what they like and what they don’t. In an interview, he reveals to reading his DMs because some are job opportunities he doesn’t want to miss.
Flaqo Raz Interview
It must suck being a Christmas-baby, right?
People have called me Emmanuel or Noel, all my life. On my birthday, people celebrate Jesus so I also just join them.
Why do you call yourself an entertainer?
I’m a singer, dancer, comedian, and scriptwriter.
Which one came first?
I always wanted to be a singer, but there are a lot of talented people out there. So, I was looking for a way to get people to notice me, and the comedy gave me that breakthrough.
What genre do you do?
R&B, but it’s really hard to break out with that in Kenya. I molded myself after August Alsina; I’ve listened to all his songs.
Did you know you had a funny side to you?
People I went to school with, all the way to university, are shocked by this. I was very quiet and contemplative. But these are the kind of stuff that we’re going through my head. Whenever I saw something happening, I would script it in my head. Doing comedy has just given me an avenue to express those thoughts. (Laughs).
What were you pursuing in university?
I have a degree in public health from Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology. I graduated in 2018 but I just needed the papers. God has proven to me that I was created for entertainment.
Elaborate on this, please.
Some people have done this for many years but struggled to come up. I started in August 2018, and by February 2019, I had hit 35, 000 followers on Instagram.
How did you start in comedy?
I used to watch Vines before the app was taken down. I followed King Bach, Kenny Knox, and Dope Island. I told my brother that I could do the same. Using an outdated phone, I’d shoot and edit the videos; switching from one character to the next. When I posted my first video, people who knew me thought I was going crazy because that isn’t how they had known me. I stopped posting but started watching editing videos on YouTube and putting those skills to practice.
Which was your breakout video?
I was experimenting on different characters and Mama Otis’ character stood out. I realized people were feeling that “mum vibe” because it seems all mums are like that. People shared it on Facebook, WhatsApp and I was getting so much feedback from it. But that was just from people in my hometown of Kisumu.
Then, which video put you on the Kenyan map?
My brother told me to try out celebrity impressions since I was always doing it in the house. My mum was leaving for the shops and I decided to shoot from a script that I had, of Khaligraph praying, before she came back and found me doing weird things; she didn’t know I was doing comedy then.
After posting it, I gained 10,000 followers on Instagram in two days.
What do you think makes your videos stand out?
When I do a script, it is down to the last detail; even how long a facial expression should take. That’s the art in my style. I also try to put scenarios that would be weird if celebrities were actually found doing them.
How do you develop the characters?
I test them over time. I try to read every comment below my posts, to get people’s minds about every character I introduce. That’s how I know people like seeing this character more and doing certain things. That’s how I ended up with Mama Otis, Bakari the choirmaster, Khaligraph, Eko Dydda, and Bahati.
Is Mama Otis a real person?
I picked a few characteristics from my mum and two aunts. I don’t know at what point women become Mama Otis because it seems like all mums are “extra” like that; they will stare at you weirdly or just make you do anything just so you don’t look like you’re idling in the house. It’s my favorite character because that’s what started this whole journey. I introduced Mama Kinston later on, as an ode to Brendah Jones’ Mama Plezdent Kinston character. I don’t script Mama Kinston’s responses though. I just leave spaces while shooting Mama Otis, then just do real reactions as I’m listening to the video.
Do you read all your comments and DMs?
I have to because some of them are from businesses and I could miss out on the money.
Which brands are you working with?
I had worked with Samsung before a seven-month dry spell ended in November 2019. I’m now working with Yola and Airtel. I have to make sure that the ads don’t exactly look like ads because I would lose my fan base that way and that they also don’t skip the videos. So I maintain my style even then.
How did you stay afloat during the dry spell?
I have a music studio in Mambo Leo, Kisumu, called Hittites (a play on tight hits), where artists come to record. I also record my music there, which will be released in due time.
Which comedians do you look up to?
I feel like Eric Omondi is very hilarious. I’ve also worked with Crazy Kennar and Seth Gor, who is very good.
You’re the eldest of three children. Do your brother and sister take you seriously?
They understand that this is just me in character, but they still know me to be somewhat serious.
Final word?
Content creators should study their market, and see what you can do better. Don’t just try to go viral, think long term. Be humble, disciplined, and have consistency with your output.
