Ugandan chef Dorcus Kirabo will re-attempt to the record for longest time cooking on June 1, in Kampala. PHOTO | COURTESY/X/MWASUZE MUTYA
On Friday, May 3, Ugandan artiste Zedmonk Ssabatontomi, real name Akram Kabuubi, embarked on a mission to attempt to set the world record for the longest rap marathon by an individual.
The 21-year-old lyricist set a target to rap freestyle for 80 hours nonstop. In the process, he was to beat the record held by Japanese rapper, Poney who stood at 48 hours, one minute, and 10 seconds.
Poney had in 2023 broken Daniel Alcon’s 39-hour record. Upon his record breaker, Poney said: “Now that my record is nine hours longer than the previous record, it will be hard for anyone else to break.”
Perhaps, this is what challenged Zedmonk to submit a request to the Guinness World Record to break the longest rap marathon by an individual in January this year.
According to Kane Matovu, a member of Zedmonk’s team, after his application, Zed was given guidelines to follow, including a stopwatch at the set, video footage, papers signed by different attendees as proof, including media houses, a doctor on set, among others.
After his application was accepted, he also received more guidelines to follow health-wise; what to eat and not to eat as it may lead to disqualification, rest time of five minutes in every one hour, and 40 minutes in a full day. He had a choice to use the time given to him the way he wanted.
With everything set, Zedmonk started his quest a Friday at 5:30pm with a handful of people in attendance cheering him on. By Monday, 8:30pm, three days in, he had clocked 75 hours. He had five hours to the 80-hour mark.
“First of all, it is May 6 and we started on May 3 at 5:30pm and it is 8pm. I have stopped at 75 hours and we shall submit that. I hope they will accept. We have not lost. We have proved that we can do it and if it requires us to do it again, we shall do it. If it requires us to set a new date, we shall do it again,” the rapper said after the attempt.
Zedmonk had rapped for 75 hours and 21 minutes. He said he still had the energy to go on if it was not for the medical experts who had to stop him, citing health ‘future’ complications from the feat.
Zedmonk now awaits official confirmation from the Guinness World Records team to approve his attempt. When approved, he will be the new world record holder.
Born on November 18, 2003, Zedmonk Ssabatontomi is an award-winning artiste, freelance actor, freestyler, and humanitarian under the office of the Ambassador for Women and Girls Uganda, an influencer with RapAdverts, Founder/CEO TRT Entertainment Africa, Founder of the Zedmonk Foundation and host of an online hip-hop show called RapWithZedmonk. He started rapping in 2019 during his Senior Four vacation and released his first song, Byokola. His other songs include Amazima Agakaawa, Chama, Nakkoze Ki and Bow Before God among others.