Take your pick; Sean Kingston, P-Unit & Mr. Flava

Sep 16, 2011

WILL he come, will he not? Isn’t that a retarded question? The highly anticipated concert happens tonight. To dust off a borrowed cliché, all roads lead to Lugogo Cricket Oval for the Sean Kingston Live concert.

By Alex Balimwikungu

WILL he come, will he not? Isn’t that a retarded question? The highly anticipated concert happens tonight. To dust off a borrowed cliché, all roads lead to Lugogo Cricket Oval for the Sean Kingston Live concert.

“Ladies and Gentlemen…, (in a voice reminiscent of WWF emcees) put your hands together for…Sean Kingston.”

I envisage that statement later in the night followed by screams from his star-struck female fans who, in between shouting and craning their necks in the 25k section, will also be whizzing for oxygen like they are in outer space.

Agreed, Lugogo Cricket Oval has played host to a couple of international artistes. From the UB40, Akon, Shaggy, Wyclef Jean, err…I hate it when I include R Kelly on this list. He diddled us.

Each artiste had their own archetypical crowd, but this one promises crowds from all walks of life considering the eclectic mix of curtain-raising acts of Kenya’s P Unit and Nigeria’s Mr. Flavour.

Expect Sean, the 21-year-old Jamaican-American singer and nephew to washed-out Buju Banton, to clamber on to stage on a mountain of hype and swagger.

Not one known for possessing lots of vigour and vitality on stage, his laid-back demeanour is his forte. Have you ever been asked why you like someone and your response is “Just”? Sean Kingston is one such guy. His music is adored by a cross-section of people; from the pre-teenagers to the corporate lot.

Before his time though, we shall have warmed up to the P-Unit, Kenya’s biggest Hip Hop unit comprising Gabu, Frasha and Bon’Eye.

Their predominantly Genge music is one that resonates well with the masses, especially the ghetto youths. Expect those rowdy Kenyan girls and their male counterparts in many universities in Uganda to be in full voice. Kare, their break through hit, is an alluring song that will surely bring on the noise as everyone attempts to sing along.

The last time P-Unit performed at the launch of Club Le Beaujolais, the trio waxed a great performance and exuded effortless charm. Stage fright notwithstanding, a repeat or better performance is likely to be on the cards tonight.

And what’s Mr. Flavour bringing on the table? He is all the rage and has been dubbed Africa’s next big act. His catchy and infectious sing-along hit bodes with the masses. He goes by different names – anything from Ashawo, Waka Waka, Sawa Sawa to Kporokotom, depending on who you talk to. He is Chinedu Okoli a.k.a Mr. Flavour, the Enugu-born musician from Nigeria. Will he Waka Waka at the Lugogo Cricket Oval?

From housemaids to the housewives. From street vendors to taxi drivers. From comedian Idringi to outspoken men of God like Pastor Sempa – they all talk about Ashawo with a sense of excitement.

Just for Mr. Flavour, expect to find the ‘South Kampala’ arcade crowds at Lugogo Cricket Oval with their outlandish dress fashions, the likes that dominate Stecia Mayanja’s Kulya Cash programme on Bukedde TV. I expect Club Beer’s Shem Semambo to break into his traditional dance when things are going according to script.

Expect the Kampala show-offs to buy their club beer in litres and then proceed to sip it with a straw! In the VIP stands is likely to be Latifah Nalukenge aka Bad Black seated at a reserved table with her motley crew, craving for photo opportunities from journalists.

As for Mr. Flavour, I have my reservations. He has graced the big stage. It, however, remains to be seen whether he will remain relevant after performing the Ashawo (Noir Baby) song.

It happened with the RDX crew. After the “Bend Over” song, they appeared clueless and the crowd went cold on them.

According to online sources, Flavour has been found guilty of giving emphatically shoddy performances, like he did in Zambia recently. He spent valuable time miming in his native Igbo, confusing himself and the crowds in the process.

I love Sean Kingston. It is a pity he never came over with Justin Beiber. I know many high school kids from affluent families who think like me on Bieber.

These folks, hardly from Kikubamutwe or Kalerwe and majorly from Prince Charles Drive or Malcolm X Drive, will come armed with 3G phones, capture clips of the show and paste them on their Facebook pages (if they are lucky to still possess their phones – thanks to Ashawo the pickpockets will also be there).

I expect them to chorus all his songs, like they were his backup, take the Eenie Meenie one with Beiber – “Eenie meenie money mo … catch a bad chick by her toe, If she holla let her go...,” bla, bla, bla…

And oh, there is Your Sister, especially that catchy chorus: “If I’m wrong oh I don’t want to be right, I kissed your sister last night, It ain’t my fault, I guess your sister’s my type...”

With over 90 songs and collaborations to his name, it is always going to be tough for Sean to choose songs to make his one-hour nonstop performance. Anything from Face Drop, Fire Burning, Beautiful Girls, Me Love to Rude Girl will satiate the youthful crowds.

For me, it definitely has to be the song riding slow – It always sounds amazing every time you listen to it when high.

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