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While many celebrities in the music industry have gained a large number of followers through their glamorous music videos, behind the scene, however, stories are not always so glitzy. It is blood, sweat, extra miles and so costly.

And for Steven Spenser Otieno, popularly known as Tripple S Kenya, the story is not any different. In 2015, Tripple S was out and about in Narok town with a team for a video shoot when the least of the expected happened. He was arrested during a video shoot for one of his songs. The shoot was cut short when police arrested them for using fake currencies for the video shoot. Because it was his music production, he had to carry the cross for everyone in the scene.

 “The team had all plans well laid out to ensure all the elements needed for the shoot were in place. The script needed him to have a lot of hard cash, which he did not have, so he took an Sh1,000 note and photocopied it. He just wanted to use the fake money on the video then burn them later, but the police would hear none of it,” his cousin Jacob Otieno narrates.

He was arrested and charged with possession of fake notes. He remained in police remand cells for some months as the court proceedings were ongoing. On November 30, 2015, he was sentenced to three years behind bars and taken to serve his term at Narok Main Prison.

Fall and rise

“It took three months for Tripple S to get used to the fact that he was in jail. While serving his prison term, he was attached at the prison’s dispensary where he helped care for sick inmates as directed by medical officers. Prison wardens termed him as hardworking, dependable and cooperative,” Jacob shares.

After serving his jail term, Tripple S came out and jumped right back from where he had left, releasing some top hits, with the recent release Vile Unataka featuring Kenrazy, one of the best in the game. As Jacob shares, his resilience is what has kept him going in the music business this long.

As his cousin shares, the artist’s mum, Meresa Akoth has been supportive of his career. His arrest and three-year jail term took a great toll on the family.

“It wasn’t easy for the family to accept that he was imprisoned. They were worried that he would suffer while serving his jail term. So, they were happy when he was released. When he insisted on still pursuing music, his family still supported him,” Jabob says.

Tripple S says he sees things differently since he came out of prison. “I no longer put my hopes on people, because they can fail me. I no longer hold grudges. If someone doesn’t help me or come to my rescue when I’m at my end, it is okay,” says the artiste.

Jacob concurs that his cousin has changed. “It’s so painful that he doesn’t plan for tomorrow as such, since he got out of prison. He likes to live one day at a time and leave everything to God. Before the jail term, he used to have a lot of future plans, say in five to 10 years, he would do this or that. Nonetheless, he is a focused person and I know that he’ll go far in terms of music, business and everything in life,” Jacob says.

Growing up, Tripple S was a humble child who liked to crack jokes both in school and at home.

“Like many lastborns, he was a mummy’s boy, which he still is to date. He liked dancing to all kinds of music including traditional songs; I think this is where the music passion gained life. His music career started in secondary school where he recorded his first song in 2012 while in Form Four at Migori Boy’s High School. He did a school anthem called the Migori Anthem. The song was followed closely by his second release Unatoka wapi,” he says.

Jacob shares how the family is proud of Tripple S since he is the only member who is a musician.

 Aside from being an artist, Tripple S is also a businessman, managing his clothing line shop- The Migorian Boutique and his music studio based in Migori- Migorian Music Entertainment.

His best moments are when everything goes smooth in his shows – from deposit payments, getting VIP treatment, being paid in full and coming back safe from a show.

“He likes chilling with his friends too, as he cracks jokes and makes people laugh. That’s definitely his happy place. And of course, when he is in the studio recording and listening to music,” shares his cousin.

Aiming high

Like every other Kenyan artist though, payment is always a major challenge, especially for the gigs that Tripple S gets.

“There is a day my aunt asked him where he spends his money after shows, not knowing that her son was doing charity shows all that time — challenges of the arts. Other challenges include a lack of airplay.  Plus doing quality songs and videos is not so easy because they require enough money, which is a lot of money,” shares Jacob.

Despite money being the biggest obstacle, it has also become a big push in all his businesses; it drives him to work even harder. And this has had a huge influence on his cousin-brother’s daily dealings as well.

“He doesn’t like begging and depending on people. That is what has kept him working hard on his own to keep all his things running. This has influenced me in a great way too – it has taught me to work hard and that one should not put their hopes on human beings because they also don’t know about tomorrow,” he says.

As much as he has not won any awards yet, he has had a lot of nominations on his music for Migori Awards, Vybez Awards (Kisumu), Nyanza Awards and Nairobi awards. His cousin is sure that he definitely has a bright future in the music business.