Remember the days when a week without a fight between musicians seemed like an impossibility? For some reason, most of the so called “top shots” wanted to dominate the area code to the very end and had issues accepting young talent, especially if it seemed like a threat or a potential threat. I mean we had it all, from Bebe Cool spitting fire at Bobi Wine (and vice versa), Jose Chameleone’s wars with his own brother Weasel and an extra Radio from the Good Lyfe Crew, Good Lyfe’s recently alleged fight with a one Khalifa to Kawesa’s go at bullying Esther Nabaasa, and the “Battle of Champions sessions” that were really getting to my head.
Truth be told, I was getting used to all this until I saw this interesting collabo. Yes, one that can easily make it to “Ugandan music’s entertainment book of records” in this era. I am talking about Navio’s collabo with Yung Mulo in the track Omu ku Omu. I believe that I am not the only one who was surpised by this move. Whoever thought that Navio would team up with Young Mulo (a young upcoming artiste) of all people to come up with a track?
What immediately came to my mind was the look on the faces of all those artistes who have constantly believed and blown their trumpets as the “biggest”, “heaviest”, “wealthiest” name it, while their actions spoke otherwise.
I further questioned the thoughts that linger in their heads when they see acts as defining as these? Such acts that sift the gold piece from the sand and look at it as an opportunity as opposed to competition. Such acts that look beyond age, experience, fights but unity for all hence defining one’s character and way of life without even saying much or trying hard to prove to the world that they are this and that?
It is at this point that I keep hoping that the rest are indeed borrowing a leaf. No wonder this Navio dude has been to places and had a number of solid and international hook-ups with the likes of R. Kelly and Keith Sweat among others.
He is probably more focused on torching into the future than dwelling on the present. He will probably look at a fellow artiste win an international nomination or award and genuinely wish them well as opposed to trashing their effort, chewing sour grapes only to consent after, and give in to reconciliation (read- accept defeat) with the tail between their legs, when it is too late to make a lasting or solid impression.
Today’s generation of artistes should emulate the way the old school guys did their thing. The likes of Shanks Vividee, Rasta Rob, Emperor Orlando, Ragga Dee, Menton Summer (R.I.P) and many others of their era had less feuds but more of music, fun and collabos that have built lasting relationships to date, as opposed to a decade of fights, average music (because the weak lyrics based on the beef for one another) and eventual reconciliation when the damage has already been done.
I am glad that one of them, in the form of Navio has set the lead and picked up talent in Yung Mulo as opposed to bullying him through stealing a sound track, beating him up whenever they cross paths, or barking so hard that the little boy is intimidated and left at crossroads because the tough dawg is threatening to bite, ahem!
