Bebe Cool lifts Uganda’s music flag
Oct 09, 2008
He may not have released the biggest of hits this year, but 2008 could well be Bebe Cool’s most successful year in his international singing career. A few months ago, the self-proclaimed King of the Jungle, put up a first-rate performance in front of 46,664 people at Nelson Mandela’s 90th birthd
By Sebidde Kiryowa and Gilbert Mwijuke
He may not have released the biggest of hits this year, but 2008 could well be Bebe Cool’s most successful year in his international singing career. A few months ago, the self-proclaimed King of the Jungle, put up a first-rate performance in front of 46,664 people at Nelson Mandela’s 90th birthday celebrations in Hyde Park, London.
Now news from the Pan-African Kora All-Africa Music Awards indicates that Bebe Cool is the only Ugandan nominee in this year’s non-regional categories.
Cool has garnered two nods in the Best Reggae Artiste and Best Spiritual Artiste categories thanks to his Born in Africa and Praise God respectively.
Born in Africa, which was originally done by the late Philly Bongole Lutaaya, also earned Cool a standing ovation at the Mandela concert in July.
Other Ugandan nominees in this year’s Kora Awards are Michael Ross, Susan Kerunen, Blu*3 and Klear Kut, all of whom are competing in the Best East African Artiste accolade. The awards gala will be held on December 6 in Lagos, Nigeria.
Cool is also up for six awards in this year’s Pearl of Africa Music (PAM) awards and, by the look of things, is a favourite to take home either the Artiste of The Year or the Male Artiste of The Year accolade.
Meanwhile, Cool is also the only Ugandan artiste featuring in the nominations for the first-ever MTV Africa Music Awards with Zain. Nominees for these pan-African music awards were revealed Tuesday at a VIP soirée at Planet One, Lagos, Nigeria.
Cool is nominated for Best Group, as part of East African Bashment Crew (EABC), together with Kenyans Nazizi and Wyre, who perform as Necessary Noise. EABC won Video of the Year and Best Director for Kube at the Channel O Music Video Awards in South Africa.
The winners of the MTV Africa Music Awards will be unveiled at The Velodrome, Abuja, on Saturday, November 22, 2008 and broadcast on MTV base (DStv Channel 322, GTV) and WBS TV from November 29, 2008.
Heading the nominee list with five nods from the MAMA nominations academy is Nigerian R&B duo P-Square (Best Group, Best Live Performer, Best R&B, Best Video and Artist of the Year), closely followed by triple nominees D’Banj (Nigeria) and HHP (South Africa), who go head-to-head in the Best Male and Artist of the Year categories.
Wahu (Kenya) and Asa (Nigeria) share the honours as the most nominated female artists with two nominations each for Wahu (Best New Act, Best Female) and Asa (Best Female, Artist of the Year).
Topping the country roll of honour with 18 individual nominations is South Africa, closely followed by Nigeria (16 nominations).
Kenyan artistes scored three nominations: Jua Cali for Best Male and Wahu for Best New Act & Best Female. Ghanaian artistes were recognised in two categories: Best Live Performance (Samini) and Best New Act (Kwaw Kese), while Mozambique, Gabon, Tanzania and Uganda all scored one nominee, with recognition for Professor Jay (Tanzania), East Africa Bashment Crew (Uganda), Movaizhaleine (Gabon) and Dama do Bling (Mozambique).
Selected by an independent voting ‘academy’ of 150 music professionals and opinion leaders from 30 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, the nominations for the MTV Africa Music Awards showcase the wealth of musical talent that Africa has to offer.
To vote for your favourite artist or video, please go to mama.mtvbase.com. Music fans with WAP/GPRS enabled phones may also vote at m.mama.mtvbase.com (standard internet charges apply).
Voting closes on Tuesday, November 18, 2008.
He may not have released the biggest of hits this year, but 2008 could well be Bebe Cool’s most successful year in his international singing career. A few months ago, the self-proclaimed King of the Jungle, put up a first-rate performance in front of 46,664 people at Nelson Mandela’s 90th birthday celebrations in Hyde Park, London.
Now news from the Pan-African Kora All-Africa Music Awards indicates that Bebe Cool is the only Ugandan nominee in this year’s non-regional categories.
Cool has garnered two nods in the Best Reggae Artiste and Best Spiritual Artiste categories thanks to his Born in Africa and Praise God respectively.
Born in Africa, which was originally done by the late Philly Bongole Lutaaya, also earned Cool a standing ovation at the Mandela concert in July.
Other Ugandan nominees in this year’s Kora Awards are Michael Ross, Susan Kerunen, Blu*3 and Klear Kut, all of whom are competing in the Best East African Artiste accolade. The awards gala will be held on December 6 in Lagos, Nigeria.
Cool is also up for six awards in this year’s Pearl of Africa Music (PAM) awards and, by the look of things, is a favourite to take home either the Artiste of The Year or the Male Artiste of The Year accolade.
Meanwhile, Cool is also the only Ugandan artiste featuring in the nominations for the first-ever MTV Africa Music Awards with Zain. Nominees for these pan-African music awards were revealed Tuesday at a VIP soirée at Planet One, Lagos, Nigeria.
Cool is nominated for Best Group, as part of East African Bashment Crew (EABC), together with Kenyans Nazizi and Wyre, who perform as Necessary Noise. EABC won Video of the Year and Best Director for Kube at the Channel O Music Video Awards in South Africa.
The winners of the MTV Africa Music Awards will be unveiled at The Velodrome, Abuja, on Saturday, November 22, 2008 and broadcast on MTV base (DStv Channel 322, GTV) and WBS TV from November 29, 2008.
Heading the nominee list with five nods from the MAMA nominations academy is Nigerian R&B duo P-Square (Best Group, Best Live Performer, Best R&B, Best Video and Artist of the Year), closely followed by triple nominees D’Banj (Nigeria) and HHP (South Africa), who go head-to-head in the Best Male and Artist of the Year categories.
Wahu (Kenya) and Asa (Nigeria) share the honours as the most nominated female artists with two nominations each for Wahu (Best New Act, Best Female) and Asa (Best Female, Artist of the Year).
Topping the country roll of honour with 18 individual nominations is South Africa, closely followed by Nigeria (16 nominations).
Kenyan artistes scored three nominations: Jua Cali for Best Male and Wahu for Best New Act & Best Female. Ghanaian artistes were recognised in two categories: Best Live Performance (Samini) and Best New Act (Kwaw Kese), while Mozambique, Gabon, Tanzania and Uganda all scored one nominee, with recognition for Professor Jay (Tanzania), East Africa Bashment Crew (Uganda), Movaizhaleine (Gabon) and Dama do Bling (Mozambique).
Selected by an independent voting ‘academy’ of 150 music professionals and opinion leaders from 30 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, the nominations for the MTV Africa Music Awards showcase the wealth of musical talent that Africa has to offer.
To vote for your favourite artist or video, please go to mama.mtvbase.com. Music fans with WAP/GPRS enabled phones may also vote at m.mama.mtvbase.com (standard internet charges apply).
Voting closes on Tuesday, November 18, 2008.