For the girl child: He found himself penning the lyrics of Kaleke Kasome after his neighbour defiled a minor, not anticipating that this could arguably be his best track ever. Maurice Hasa meets his fan Natasha.
Besides Kaleke Kasome that everyone fell in love with because of the message, tell me of some other tracks that you have?
I have many songs but to mention just a few, Nkabila Gwe, Nzikiliza, Ngamba Abalala, Warrior, True Love, Neighbour, So High, Okikola Otya, Lwaki Nze and Salawo, among others.
Is Hasa your real name?
I actually removed the first two letters off my real name to come up with it. My real name is Maurice Muhasa.
What tribe are you?
I’m a Mukonjo.
What inspired you to come up with Kaleke Kasome?
The experience of having my immediate neighbour in Namuwongo defiling a girl led to me penning the song. She went missing and we searched the whole area in vain until someone told us to check the locked house next to ours and opening it, the little girl had passed out and was in a pool in blood. The pain of her relatives, friends and parents pushed me to write it. I needed to expose the rampant defilement cases in our society.
Did you feel that the song was going to become a hit?
No I didn’t. In fact it was abrupt and I wasn’t ready when it became a hit. I was even scared to admit to people that I was the one behind it.
How do you define your type of music?
Rn’B fused with reggae.
What can’t you forget in your life?
My breakthrough in the music industry. It was in 2005.
I have been seeing and hearing that you are involved in charity works. What organisation do you work for?
I don’t have a specific charity organisation. I work with several organisations like Reach a Hand Uganda, Child Africa, Unepa and others. But I am soon setting up my own organisation, (Hasa for children).
Together with Reach A Hand, you redid your Kaleke Kasome song with several artistes. How does it feel like redoing your song with them?
I am privileged and I feel like a legend already. Most songs are redone when artistes pass on but mine was redone when I’m alive and as an icing to the cake, I was part of it. Having established artistes on the same track was awesome and their verses had great art and maturity. I felt appreciated.
Among your videos, which is the most expensive?
Your Ways, an all-star track in which we featured Nyanda of Brick and Lace was the most expensive because every artiste had to be facilitated and Sasha Vybs had to be flown to Uganda from South Africa to shoot the video. Even the Kale Kasome remix cost a lot.
Do you benefit from charitable work?
Yes, I do. I’m facilitated and it helps build a foundation for great things ahead.
What drove you to be an artiste?
As a little boy, I always wanted to make a positive change in people’s lives. The Lord finally showed me how to exactly do that through music.
What don’t your fans know about you?
I have a bald head, but I wear caps most of the time, so many of them don’t know.
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