X Plastaz Founder Faza Nelly Dies After Brutal Attack

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.