BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. – Friends and family honored the memory of former Minnesota Kenyan American DJ Stephen Kazungu, better known as DJ Skratch 1, at an emotional celebration of life held at the Palm Grove Event Center.
Kazungu died by suicide on July 5 in Nairobi. He was 42. He is survived by his wife Ruth and two children – Dylan, aged 6 and Ethan who is six months.
Before moving back to his native Kenya in 2005, he had been a Minnesota resident for five years leaving an indelible mark on the local music scene on how Kenyan music was to be showcased. His older brother Chris Kazungu still lives in Minnesota. He left immediately for Kenya after his brother’s death.
During his years in Minnesota, DJ Skratch 1 was active in the local music scene, brilliant in the way he could guide the dancefloor through a “musical journey without unnecessary DJ talk,” according to serial entrepreneur George ‘Jojo’ Ndege.
Ndege is a long-time music promoter in Minnesota under his Kilimanjaro Entertainment entity and for many years ran Kenyan music nights at various venues, the most famous being at the former Blue Nile. DJ Skratch 1 was the resident DJ at the Blue Nile for the popular Kenyan nights.
“Stevo was the humblest of people that I knew. There was just a calmness around him that attracted others and he had no pretensions whatsoever, (he) never let fame get into his head. He was an amazing DJ dedicated to his work and you could trust that he will get it done,” Ndege said.
Between 2000 and 2010 was the peak of a new generation of Kenyan music, especially hip hop, and the top acts were finding their way to the United States for concert tours courtesy of Ndege’s Kilimanjaro Entertainment. Ndege recalled a famous Kenyan group that his company brought for an eight city U.S. tour, with him and Skratch 1 traveling with the group by air and road.
“From the East to the West Coast, I remember Stevo and myself sleeping in people’s couches in other states as we did that tour and the guy never complained – to him it was part of the work. The eight-city tour was a financial loss and I have never told anyone this, I could not pay him (Skratch 1) when we got back home for like three weeks. He looked at me and said ‘don’t worry boss, pay me when you get it,’ that was the kind of man he was,” Ndege told Mshale.
On Sunday, it was such selflessness and dedication to craft that family and friends gathered to pay tribute to in an afternoon full of dance and fond memories. Afterwards, outside the venue that overlooks the I-94 freeway, they released a sea of turquoise, blue and white balloons into the sky in his honor, with the song “Baadaye” accompanying the ballon release in an emotional scene. Some shed tears and hugged as the ballons floated away.
The afternoon event served as a celebration of DJ Skratch 1’s life as well as a music benefit fundraiser for his widow and children, with attendees paying a $20 entrance fee, with many giving more than that. Different DJs took turns at the DJ deck in honor of their fallen colleague.
Data from the World Health Organization available through 2019 puts suicide rates in Africa at 11.2 people for every 100,000, with men being in the highest risk category. Rates vary between regions, with suicide rates being higher in high income countries according to the data. The global average is 9.0 per 100,000 people.
One in every 100 deaths globally is by suicide. WHO issued a guidance in June 2021 as the Covid pandemic raged, saying its goal is to reduce suicide by one third by 2030. Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization said at the time: “We cannot – and must not – ignore suicide, each one is a tragedy. Our attention to suicide prevention is even more important now, after many months living with the COVID-19 pandemic, with many of the risk factors for suicide ̶ job loss, financial stress and social isolation – still very much present.”
On Sunday however, how DJ Skratch 1 died seemed far from the minds of those who had gathered to honor him. Instead preferring to reminisce on the memories the departed had left them with.
Guests in attendance wrote touching messages on a condolence book. Most wrote brief “Rest in Peace” messages but a few did not hold back, and poured out their feelings with a full page of writing, recalling one or two experiences with the late Stephen that stuck in their minds.
Janet ‘Toi’ Mamboleo came to Minnesota from Kenya in 2001 when she was 14 to attend Richfield High School. Skratch 1 was friends with her older cousin and very quickly Toi formed a close bond with the late DJ who became a “big brother” to her. On Sunday, she was the one in charge of checking attendees into the venue and spoke to Mshale in between guests.
“I tell you that was a man with a generous spirit, very kind and would share anything he had whether it was food or anything you need, if he had it, no problem, and if he did not have what you needed, he will find a way,” a tearful Toi said. “He will spend countless hours in the basement studio perfecting his mixes. Sometimes I would get so worried and I would ask him ‘have you even eaten’ and he will brush me off laughing saying he was okay. But then a few minutes later he will come out wondering if I had eaten and if I wanted to go get something to eat with him, he was just too funny sometimes.”
In the days following his death, emotional tributes have been posted on social media from colleagues from around the globe, including New York based Peter Kerre, better known as DJ Xpect. He worked the Minnesota circuit of Kenyan music with the late Skratch 1. Posting on Facebook, he said he has been in a “state of freeze all week trying to process this unbelievable loss, and unable to find words.”
He went on describe his departed colleague as the “happiest soul ever, always in great spirits, full of humor and laughter, and an overall angel spirit to everyone around.”
DJ Skratch 1 will be interred in Nairobi at the Langata Cemetery on Tuesday, July 16 according to a newspaper announcement by the family.
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About Tom Gitaa Gitaa, Editor-in-Chief
Born and raised in Kenya's coastal city of Mombasa, Tom is the Founder, Editor-in-Chief and Publisher of Mshale which has been reporting on the news and culture of African immigrants in the United States since 1995. He has a BA in Business from Metro State University and a Public Leadership Credential from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. He was the original host of Talking Drum, the signature current affairs show on the African Broadcasting Network (ABN-America), which was available nationwide in the United States via the Dish Network satellite service. On the show, he interviewed Nobel laureates such as 2004 Nobel Peace prize winner, Professor Wangari Maathai, the first woman from Africa to win the peace prize and heads of states. Tom has served and chaired various boards including Global Minnesota (formerly Minnesota International Center), the sixth largest World Affairs Council in the United States. He has previously served as the first Black President of the Board of Directors at Books for Africa. He also serves on the boards of New Vision Foundation and the Minnesota Multicultural Media Consortium. He has previously served two terms on the board of the United Nations Association. An avid runner, he retired from running full marathons after turning 50 and now only focuses on training for half marathons.
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