Stopa (real name: Jerome Frank Mgaya Mhina) was born in Arusha (Tanzania) at Mount Meru hospital. He grew up at the street called fire in arusha. he started school January 87 at Themi primary school. He finished standard 7 in 93 and went to secondary school in 94. In 1993 he started music as a solo mc, three years later Stopa teamed up with his two friends, Ally Hussein a.k.a Lukago and a brother called Fredy Jebby a.k.a Fredy je (R.I.P) from the same hood of Fire. Together they formed the group Underground Niggaz, that..s when they started to be famous in Arusha town (a.k.a. A Town). They had songs like Hatutafika which was recorded in 1998 at Soundcrafters studios in Dar es salaam and Duniani kuna mambo, Hatukatu and Kwanini ubake which made them the no 1 group on the rap competition in 98 and 99.
Then the group split up after Lukago left to Dar in 99. Fredy Je died in 2001, now stopa was left all alone. He went to Dar in 2002 to drop a remix of the song Kwanini ubake which he renamed to Kero no 1 with his former group mate Lukago at Bongo records, produced by Pfunk one of the big producers in Tanzania. The track was Stopa..s introduction as a solo mc. Then he recorded a song called Aliye juu at MJ Records in Dar es Salaam. Produced by Said Comorien, the song made people know this artist from Arusha as a hardcore rapper. Stopa also worked with one of X Plastaz artists Gsan Who produced a song called On Stage at Aang Serian studio in Arusha. Since 2001 Stopa also worked as an electrician, a profession he was taught at technical college in Arusha.
Stopa had a busy time for a while but he came back again in 2005 with a song called Ni Soo. The song he did as hip hop ragga at metro studios in Dar was produced by commorien said Stopa. He decided to record in Dar because there were no studios with good quality in Arusha at the time.
Stopa started a group of four emcees called Waturutumbi: Emanuel Paul a.k.a Em..a Nu or M3, David Mmbaga a.k.a Videdevi a.k.a M2, Emanuel Xsuper a.k.a X a.k.a M4 and Stopa the Bad Nuz a.k.a Yokoi or M1. M stands for Mturutumbi so the group goes by the name of Waturutumbi which mean wizards (wachawi) in Kuria, a language from the western part of Tanzania. Waturutumbi were now assisting Stopa on show.
Together with Waturutumbi he finished recording his debut album called Shule ya Bure, an album of seventeen tracks on cd (or ten on tape). They put the album on the local market by selling cds by their own. Now they are planning a launch starting in their home town Arusha with guest appearances from their friends including Juma Nature, one of the big artists in Tanzania, also Joh Makini, Nako 2 Nako and Watengwa. Stopa's second album is being recorded with 11 out of 15 songs ready. now the first single called style tatu is out to promote stopa's new album wich is already done,the album been done by producer Q the don the Kenyan producer who now works with BONGO RECORD. NEW RELEASES STOPA has now release his third song from his up comin album which was first itroduced by his hit song style tatu then hatuuwezi urafiki which he featured farida and now he has released the song na-hustle which he featured rnb singer rama d the song has now being played on radios in tanzania see his song list to listen to it STUDIO ISSUES STOPA as now workin on his song which he has not give a name but he was planing to call it mpango mzima the song to be recorded at BONGO RECORDS by producer P FUNK
