Mega Dee, Menton Krono reunite with new album

Jan 30, 2003

The pair want to bring their combination of ragga and song back to the Ugandan audience

By Sebidde Kiryowa

They caused quite a stir back in 1999 with their hit song Osanyukangako, popularly known as Mugulu Teliyo Mwenge. The song, which was taken off their equally popular album Nze Ndeka album marked a turning point for the ragga/song collaboration style.

They were influenced by the then popular Jamaican reggae artistes Chaka Demus & Pliers. But the boys, who were both independent artistes in their own right, soon went off to do their own thing. What followed was a stream of brilliant but not exactly popular albums by each of the singers. Four years down the road, Menton Krono and General Mega Dee are back together with a brand new album firmly under their belt.

Wasi Wasi is the title of the new six track effort. Radio has already picked up on the songs and has been blasting them away. The album is due for launch mid March this year.

The duo first gave us a taste of their new music at the Tevin Campbell show at Nile Gardens on New Year’s Eve. Though the songs were relatively unknown then, the crowd applauded the boys. Their second appearance was at the Bobi Wine, Chameleon, Bebe Cool ‘Reunion 2003’ concert at Nile Gardens last Friday. They performed a medley of tracks off Wasi Wasi like Kampala, Kili Omulangira, and Kauda to popular satisfaction.

Following radio’s interest in this album, and the way revellers have been responding to the tracks in dance clubs so far, the boys might have yet another monster album on their hands.

Monday afternoon found me trudging up Mulago Hill, upper Mawanda Road, where No End Studios are located. Menton Krono and General Mega Dee are now signed to artiste-cum-businessman Hemdee and his mom, singer Halima’s No End Entertainment, a local record label.

I enter the ultra-modern studio to see they boys perched on tall stools. As we begin to talk, Menton Krono, who is fiddling with knobs, sets their music rolling. A catchy, uptempo reggae tune blares out of the speakers as we make small talk: “This is Wasi Wasi, the title track of our new album,” Menton Krono says.

As it turns out, Krono (real names Vincent Kibondwe, 24) who has been training in the past few months to become an independent producer, actually produced this one. The song was co-written by the two.

The song is an adaptation of the Luganda folk song Kili Omulangira, but the boys claim their version has a deeper message to it: “ ‘Never hurry to do things’ is the underlying message in this song,” Krono says defensively. This turns out to be my favourite on the album.

Kampala, the second single, follows the same format as Wasi Wasi, but with a slightly overcast bassline. General Mega Dee (real names Amos Kigenyi) does most of the singing in his saccharine voice, while Menton Krono lends his throaty voice to the dance-hall rap. Though they do not exactly come off as the Born Jamericans, Menton Krono and General Mega Dee produce a brand of their own magic when they blend.

As Menton Krono attests: “On this song (Kampala) and album altogether, we have tried to maintain our original reggae sound and the singing and rapping. This is what introduced us to the public and this is what we know best. It is our style.”

It is the same magic their style generates that has propelled Kampala to the top of many radio stations’ playlists.

Kiri Kiri Mabelo is another one that is influenced by a popular Luganda Children’s song. This song was first sampled by Rasta Rob in 1998, but the boys say they first recorded it on their demo in 1995. The contrast between Rasta Rob’s version and theirs is sharp. Menton Krono and General Mega Dee’s version is characterised by a heavy ragga bassline and complex reggae patterns. The song is tailor-made for the dance floor.

Another song worth mentioning is Kauda, a love song sung in Lusoga about the power of a woman to influence a man in love. The format follows exactly that of Kiki Kiri Mabelo.

Menton Krono says: “We are excited about this project. Most of the albums we have done solo in the past have not been as successful as our first album together. It seems the public wants us to work together.”

The boys were talked into doing the project together by Hemdee Kiwanuka, the album’s executive producer and the group’s manager. Alongside Menton Krono, producers Deno, Trevis Kazibwe, Arthur KD and Kiwanuka worked on Wasi Wasi. It took them three months to put the six songs on the album together.

Although the music scene is more vibrant and competitive now than when the two last hit together, they are not apprehensive: “We are the pioneers of the ragga/sung collaboration in Uganda. We took this into the mainstream. Back then it was not as commercially profitable as it is now. It is going to be very interesting seeing how we tussle it out with other artistes. But we are also big artists in our own right. The public has certain expectations of us. It might be a challenge fulfiling them,” says Krono.

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