RIP: It is now a week since singer-songwriter Mowzey Radio passed away. Despite the circumstances that followed his death, the tributes and mammoth crowds that followed his body until he was led to rest told a lot. He left a musical legacy and without a doubt deserves to be remembered as a legend of this generation.
Imagine Ugandan music without the genius of Mowzey Radio. Empty! His voice was so convincing that it had you missing a partner who did not exist. It felt real. You could touch his voice, hold it and even take it for a walk. It was your companion. When Radio sang about love, he gave it meaning. It did not matter whether you were serving a life sentence of singlehood, you instantly resonated with him and wanted to love anyone at gunpoint. And when he cried about the girl that got away, you sympathised with him. As in, you felt the urge to take him tissue to wipe the tears or pat him on the back to convince him everything would be fine.
Radio became our ka friend in our tiny little heads. For this reason, his death has touched many, unsurprisingly. It was as if they had lost a BFF they did not even get to meet. Strange, right? Well, death is shameless and has robbed us of one of the best vocalists and songwriters of this generation. May his soul rest in eternal peace.
For Mowzey Radio, it has been a life fully lived. At 34, he had traversed the world with his music as part of the dynamic duo, Radio and Weasel. They thumped anything in their path from music charts, tables to even people’s jaws in a span of 10 years. It has been a fight throughout. A fight to stay musically relevant, a fight with the haters, a fight to stay in our hearts and up until now, they always won. The Radio has been turned off for now but the music will play on forever. To be like the iconic Radio, copy my notes.
Always Speak Out
An avid debater from his high school days in Kiira College Butiki, Moses Nakintije Ssekibogo aka Mowzey Radio always gave his opinion regardless of who cared to listen. He did not coil in fear or hide behind Bible quotes on social media to get things off his chest. He just said it as it was whether you hated or loved him. If he felt an ounce of disrespect, he fought back through his music with telling lyrics, wrapped in sarcasm and playful metaphors.Bebe Cool, Chameleone and other egoists can testify to have suffered the wrath of Radio’s poison served in a jelly jar.
Radio’s lyrics soothed and stung with the exact same effect. You just never saw it coming. “Getting things off his chest” sometimes meant taking off his shirt for a fist fight. It was his way of speaking out, or getting clarity across. If you did not get the message through the music, the multi-coloured bungles rattled through your jaws to make things clear. Risky stuff!
To be like Mowzey Radio, always be real and speak your mind whether it will earn you blows or not. Be ready to look like the biggest fool while standing on top of your office desk to protest low pay or bad treatment.
Be creative/versatile
Forget the clichéd lyrics that have become a custom in today’s Ugandan music. Mowzey Radio had something different in his repertoire of lyrics. The lyrics were cheesy yet infectious. In fact, that Bread and Butter song has got to be the catchiest tune of the last decade. Like who even calls a song Bread and Butter to begin with? But honestly speaking, the playful lyrics and catchy chorus in that song always made sure the elderly, the youth, the slay queens ran to the dance-floor. Actually It is only Mowzey Radio who was crazy enough to think about “pollination” and sing about it. The creativity was evident in many other songs such as Ability, Taxi Money, Ekyama among others. And just when you were fine with your fruits being plucked off trees, they magically dropped in the hit song Juicy, Juicy. Too sweet.
To be like Mowzey Radio, look for your creative bone. It is sad some of you are as creative as the colours on a zebra-crossing. Be different and choose your path, not follow what is trendy. If all your friends are shacking in Kiwatule, Ntinda and the like, take your limbs to Mutungo. Defy the norm. Please ladies, there are other businesses besides boutiques and salons. Think outside the box.
Naughty Radio
As talented as Mowzey Radio was, he often got carried away by the pleasures of this world. Who wouldn’t anyway? Some of you strike a small deal and want to be coronated as kings in your villages. So anyway, the fame was sometimes a little too much for Mowzey Radio to handle. The ‘frothy drink’ got sweeter, his attitude changed and life became a permanent boxing ring. Exciting right?
If you wanna be like Radio and set yourself on a downward spiral, I am afraid you are on your own.
Twitter: @InK_era35
editorial@ug.nationmedia.com