Arusha, Tanzania - Faza Nelly (Nelson Chrizostom Rutta), one of
the founding members of Tanzanian rap group
X-Plastaz,
passed away March 29, 2006. Nelly had been admitted to a hospital with wounds
inflicted by a knife that a psychotic neighbor had used to attack him. Doctors
had hoped to cure him, but the damage to his lungs proved too severe.
Nelly's death shocked his family, friends and the international music community who expressed their grief in the condolence register at the X-Plastaz website. He was buried the following weekend after his brother and group member Gsann returned from the USA to attend the funeral.
Nelly truly cared for the community and the poor & helpless and was never
tempted to go with the trend of Tanzanian rap to become more commercial and less
about the hardships of the common people. At the same time he knew how to enjoy
life and his sense of humor never failed to break the ice with people from all
over the world.
X-Plastaz
have decided to stay together, make music and tour. Through their work they will
continue Faza Nelly's unfinished work: the second
X-Plastaz
album for which he had thought out the concept; the music video to Faza's solo
track 'Nini dhambi' which was completed 3 days before he died; new videos to the
tracks he completed in 2005; and a next level stage show which he had been
designing in his quiet back room in Arusha.
World Music Central
http://worldmusiccentral.org/article.php/20060617195726949