Before moving to Atlanta to finish high school last year, Gabriel Kabengele grew up in boarding schools across Africa, including Tanzania, Kenya, and the Congo. Each year living away from family and friends posed new challenges, but one thing remained constant—his passion for creating music.
“I didn’t grow up knowing family, I just grew up knowing me,” Kabengele said. “I love the effect my music has on people and how they notice me because of it. I’ve lived my whole life not being recognized, and I think being recognized now is what keeps me moving.”
Kabengele’s love of making music sparked during his early childhood before he moved to his first boarding school. When his mom would go to work in the evening, she would lock the house and tell him not to leave because of the nighttime’s “wahuni,” which translates to “troublemakers.” But, drawn to adventure, he would sneak out.
“I would escape at night and go perform music with the ‘wahuni,’” Kabengele said. “It’s one of the biggest things that made me happy then. They considered me a friend and never treated me badly.”
Today, Kabengele independently makes music under the name Ti kabbs, blending hip-hop, Afrobeat, and amapiano genres in his songs. Although his heart lies with music, Gabriel said he would rather make music in his free time while pursuing nursing at Brenau. His ultimate plan is to work as a nurse in the U.S., then return to Tanzania to start a healthcare-based business.
When looking for universities to attend earlier this year, Kabengele said he chose Brenau because he could envision himself here. So far, his favorite activities on campus include making connections inside and outside his major, and playing soccer during the evening. While he’s not busy with school and making music, he can be found working at his two part-time jobs.
“My advice to Brenau students is to have self-discipline,” he said. “Do the right thing, at the right time, at the right place, with the right people, in the right manner.”
