Kid Fox and Viboyo Ragga's rising stars

By Sebidde Kiryowa Kid fox and Viboyo are not a group. The two are merely buddies who put their musical energies together to come up with a well-blended and enjoyable sound. The sort of collaboration that earned Menton Krono and General Mega Dee nation-wide popularity when they released their mega successful hit, Mwenge. Interestingly, Kid Fox, 22 and Viboyo 20 have more than structural make-up in common with Menton Krono and General Mega Dee. The two artists say they were inspired to work towards breaking into the mainstream local pop circuit by the latter duo's initial success. Kid Fox does dance hall (ragga) blended with a style he calls Kidandali, while Viboyo concentrates on a Luganda hip-hop style. Together, the two form not just a dynamic duo, but an unstoppable music force. "Back in the late 1990s when we used to go to Jinja for shows, we never took our craft seriously. It was just a pastime. Menton Krono and General Mega Dee were among the struggling artistes we saw there. However, when those boys went ahead and hit it big with Mwenge we were like how come? We were surprised," Kid Fox said. That jolt was the wake up call they needed to get them started. "We also started thinking seriously about our careers. We were doing rap in English till then but realised that we were not getting far with that so we changed our style to fit the local taste. We started rapping in Luganda," Kid Fox said. Kid Fox's first break was a ragga song called Wololo, a scathing satirical attack on life at the prestigious Makerere University. This song became popular instantly with radio audiences ladling substantial airplay on radios Simba, Star FM, CBS, Capital and Green Channel. On this track, Kid Fox enlisted the production skills of celebrated local R&B producer Steve Jean. With such an encouraging start, Kid Fox, with a little help from buddy Viboyo, decided to go for a collection. So it was back to Kasiwukira studios. Naakyi, the next song he recorded with producer Ken Lubwama entered Capital FM's KT-20. Viboyo scored with Twambala Blue a theme song about football club Villa. Bamaama, which features Viboyo, talks about the importance of parents in our lives. This song samples the old kindergarten rhyme Tutudde. Other songs include Enuugu and Bakyala Baffe. This might not be dynamite stuff for Kid Fox and Viboyo, but they know with a little hard work and more time that will inevitably happen. "We are not worried about not being big stars. This is just the start. We too have the potential to blow up and when the time comes, we shall," said Kid Fox. Kid Fox started performing in 1997 at Sabrina's Pub's karaoke night. He has since performed at Silver Springs and DV8 karaoke sessions with Viboyo where the two have gained immense popularity. Kid Fox has curtain raised on Jamaican ragga stars Buju Banton, Shaggy and Shaba's shows. The two artists featured in Uganda As One, the Nile Breweries sponsored millennium song that brought all local artists together. Ends.