As you would expect it, the haters brigade worked so hard to downplay the achievements of the artistes that represented Uganda at the 2016 MTV Africa Music Awards (MAMA’s) in South Africa. Who even pays these people? There were some good for nothing bloggers particularly not amused by Bebe Cool’s nomination and they worked tirelessly to insult him and belittle his chances of winning an award. Shame on you.
I have my reservations about Bebe Cool the man, but I respect him as an artiste. He has been relentless this year. It is simple, he takes his music seriously and it shows. He can be quite a nut-job sometimes with some needless childish stunts but when it comes down to the real business, he delivers. Who can confidently say his song, Kabulengane has not been one of the biggest tunes this year. His videos have improved a notch, there is a sense of professionalism in the work he puts out. It is visible. There is certainly no harm in giving credit where its due. Maybe more young artistes could pick a thing or two about professionalism. We can only look up, to be honest.
For Sheebah, another year and more hits flying out of her conveyor belt. She has had an incredible year with monster hits such as Nkwatako, Wadawa and the Farmer rmx. I am not too surprised by her MAMAs nomination. The Kisasi Kimu video was clean to the dot, Sasha Vybz could not have done it better. Her management has been ruthless and you want to believe she will win more awards locally and internationally, that is for certain. She is arguably the hottest artiste on the scene right now. Her streak has gone longer than I expected. I doubted her from the onset but she still finds ways to make me eat my words. Don’t we all love a hardworking woman? She has set the bar high with every song and I am sure she will be on the podium next year, that is if she stays grounded and focused.
And what about Mr Edirisa Musuuza aka Eddy Kenzo? I am not too sure if he is still nursing the hangover of the Sitya Loss success but there has been a slight dip in his influence as an artiste, especially locally. Internationally, he has managed to remain relevant with good jams such as Soraye. Not an incredible year by his high standards, but I believe he could do better. It is a shame that even with all this international exposure, he still complains primitively about award organisers not being transparent. Ssebo Kenzo, humble yourself, you cannot win everything. Just keep working.
Anyway, a huge kudos to our Ugandan stars for flying Uganda’s flag so high. Ugandan artistes’ names should be all over the nomination lists. A huge kudos also goes out to these selfless fans who blow out their MBs voting for these musicians. Y’all are the real winners here. Have a blessed weekend.