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Redsan: How a football team inspired his famous stage name
21st August, 2026 12:36 PM
For many Kenyan music fans, the name Redsan is synonymous with dancehall, reggae and some of the biggest hits of the 2000s and 2010s.
But while the veteran artiste whose real name is Swabri Mohammed has built a career around music, his famous stage name has an unexpected connection to his first love, football.
As Redsan celebrates three decades in the music industry, the story behind his name offers a glimpse into the life of an artiste who could easily have taken a very different career path.
Genesis of the name Redsan
Redsan’s stage name was inspired by a football team he played for at Parkview Academy.
In an earlier interview, the artiste explained that he was the captain of the school team, which was called Redsan.
When the team eventually parted ways, he decided to keep the name.
His opportunity to enter music came later when he picked up a microphone at F2. When DJ Mdosi asked him for a stage name, he gave the name he already knew well, Redsan.
“Redsan was our football team in Parkview Academy; I was the captain, but the team parted ways, and I decided to hold the name. My first time to hold a mic at F2, DJ Mdosi asked for my stage name; I said Redsan, and the name stuck,” Redsan explained.
The name stuck and eventually became one of the most recognisable names in Kenyan dancehall.
Redsan’s Harambee Stars ambition
Music was not always the only career path Redsan considered.
The artiste previously revealed that he was once on course to be selected for the Kenya Under-17 team after playing in the Coca-Cola Cup.
He played as a number nine and had ambitions of eventually playing for Harambee Stars. However, an injury prevented him from progressing to the next stage, changing the direction of his career.
“I would have been a footballer playing for Harambee Stars; I was supposed to be selected for the teams under 17 back in 2001. We were playing the Coca-Cola Cup; we were 12 teams, and the winning team was to be selected to join Harambee Stars, but I did not advance; I had an injury,” he explained.
“The other boys moved to the next stage; some still play until now. I was a striker playing number nine. Right now I would have been a footballer and musician. The likes of Dennis Oliech and Mariga know me.”
Years later, Redsan would become one of Kenya’s best-known dancehall artistes instead.
Redsan at 30
Redsan is marking 30 years in the music industry with a major anniversary concert dubbed Redsan at 30: Celebrating 30 Years of Dancehall Royalty.
The concert is scheduled for August 29, 2026, at Nairobi’s Carnivore Gardens and will bring together artistes from Kenya, East Africa and beyond.
The line-up includes Jamaican dancehall group T.O.K’s Bay-C, Brick & Lace’s Nyla, Uganda’s Jose Chameleone and Bebe Cool, Tanzania’s AY and TID, as well as Kenyan stars Jua Cali, Wyre, Nazizi and Daddy Owen.
Thirty years after a school football team gave him the name that would define his career, Redsan has turned that unexpected nickname into one of the most recognisable identities in Kenyan dancehall.
