The Cool, Wine And Chameleon Bond
Jan 09, 2003
IT is akin to extracting honey from red pepper berries.
Sebidde Kiryowa
IT is akin to extracting honey from red pepper berries. The bitter wrangles between local artistes Bebe Cool, Bobi Wine and Chameleon are no more. Now, a local fete involving the trio is being organised and it promises to be the biggest and most exciting show since the Christmas season festivities.
Come January 25, the three artistes will team up with a host of other local musicians to give an extraordinary performance in a bid to foster unity among themselves and raise money for musical instruments. The artistes also seek to form a common front to beat increasing competition from young Kenyan and Tanzanian urban artists like Ogopa DJs.
Ogopa DJs have edged out a number of struggling local Ugandan artists. The artists whose songs are popular on Ugandan FM radio stations and dance clubs attracted capacity crowds when they flew into the country recently.
According to Roger Mugisha “The Shadowâ€, a Capital FM presenter and one of the organisers, they are yet to decide between the Nile Gardens and Lugogo Oval Grounds for the venue of the concert. He said, however, that it would cost about sh10,000 to see the stars who are expected to start performing at 8:00pm.
The concert, aptly dubbed “Reunion 2003: Firebase Most Fire — Unbwogable†will feature the youthful Kenyan Luo musical duo Gidi Gidi Magi Magi whose recent release Atoti is popular on Ugandan radio.
Another single Unbwogable also from their Ismarwa Album was used as an unofficial campaign song for (now)Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki. The word, a concoction of Luo and English. The artistes will adopt the concept as the theme of their reunion concert.
The singers who have mostly performed from playback in previous concerts will also perform to a live band all the way through this time.
“Our music has taken over the local music scene but we’ve not been playing live music. With this concert, we hope to fund-raise for live instruments in order to perform live,†said Bebe Cool.
Bebe Cool and Bobi Wine fell out with Chameleon over issues pertaining to the cut-throat competition between them.
Later the former duo went ahead to form a coalition with rising new ragga artists Tool Man and Black Boy which they called Fire Base Crew with the sole aim of discrediting Chameleon. At the height of the conflict, the Firebase Crew released a single Funtula, a scathing attack on the Mama Mia singer. Fire Base Crew performed the song at live concerts and publically declared their resentment for Chameleon whom they refer to as omubabyloni.
In the most recent episode of their fracas, which has attracted a lot of public criticism, Bebe Cool publically trashed Chameleon in a WBS TV interview. Chameleon on the other hand, publicly talked the former’s alliance down and called himself the fire brigade.
At a press conference convened last Tuesday to announce their reconciliation at Sabrina’s Pub, the artists were tight-lipped about the exact cause of their differences. They instead expressed their willingness to work together.
Said Bebe Cool, “Firebase Crew is a group of musicians just like Ogopa DJs. Jim Studio is behind it. Chameleon on the other hand has his Leon Island label.
“We want to combine the two labels and call it Most Fire, under which we shall all be performing. There will be no more performing alone as individual artists. Look at the Ronald Mayinjas who join up with the Kafeeros to make a stronger force. If we do this, we can take Ugandan music beyond the borders,†he said.
All the artists apologised to their fans for the “senseless†feuds and promised to be at their best behaviour.
“This marks a new chapter in the history of music in Uganda. These are some of the most talented young musicians. We shall have a powerful musical force,†said Mugisha. Ends
IT is akin to extracting honey from red pepper berries. The bitter wrangles between local artistes Bebe Cool, Bobi Wine and Chameleon are no more. Now, a local fete involving the trio is being organised and it promises to be the biggest and most exciting show since the Christmas season festivities.
Come January 25, the three artistes will team up with a host of other local musicians to give an extraordinary performance in a bid to foster unity among themselves and raise money for musical instruments. The artistes also seek to form a common front to beat increasing competition from young Kenyan and Tanzanian urban artists like Ogopa DJs.
Ogopa DJs have edged out a number of struggling local Ugandan artists. The artists whose songs are popular on Ugandan FM radio stations and dance clubs attracted capacity crowds when they flew into the country recently.
According to Roger Mugisha “The Shadowâ€, a Capital FM presenter and one of the organisers, they are yet to decide between the Nile Gardens and Lugogo Oval Grounds for the venue of the concert. He said, however, that it would cost about sh10,000 to see the stars who are expected to start performing at 8:00pm.
The concert, aptly dubbed “Reunion 2003: Firebase Most Fire — Unbwogable†will feature the youthful Kenyan Luo musical duo Gidi Gidi Magi Magi whose recent release Atoti is popular on Ugandan radio.
Another single Unbwogable also from their Ismarwa Album was used as an unofficial campaign song for (now)Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki. The word, a concoction of Luo and English. The artistes will adopt the concept as the theme of their reunion concert.
The singers who have mostly performed from playback in previous concerts will also perform to a live band all the way through this time.
“Our music has taken over the local music scene but we’ve not been playing live music. With this concert, we hope to fund-raise for live instruments in order to perform live,†said Bebe Cool.
Bebe Cool and Bobi Wine fell out with Chameleon over issues pertaining to the cut-throat competition between them.
Later the former duo went ahead to form a coalition with rising new ragga artists Tool Man and Black Boy which they called Fire Base Crew with the sole aim of discrediting Chameleon. At the height of the conflict, the Firebase Crew released a single Funtula, a scathing attack on the Mama Mia singer. Fire Base Crew performed the song at live concerts and publically declared their resentment for Chameleon whom they refer to as omubabyloni.
In the most recent episode of their fracas, which has attracted a lot of public criticism, Bebe Cool publically trashed Chameleon in a WBS TV interview. Chameleon on the other hand, publicly talked the former’s alliance down and called himself the fire brigade.
At a press conference convened last Tuesday to announce their reconciliation at Sabrina’s Pub, the artists were tight-lipped about the exact cause of their differences. They instead expressed their willingness to work together.
Said Bebe Cool, “Firebase Crew is a group of musicians just like Ogopa DJs. Jim Studio is behind it. Chameleon on the other hand has his Leon Island label.
“We want to combine the two labels and call it Most Fire, under which we shall all be performing. There will be no more performing alone as individual artists. Look at the Ronald Mayinjas who join up with the Kafeeros to make a stronger force. If we do this, we can take Ugandan music beyond the borders,†he said.
All the artists apologised to their fans for the “senseless†feuds and promised to be at their best behaviour.
“This marks a new chapter in the history of music in Uganda. These are some of the most talented young musicians. We shall have a powerful musical force,†said Mugisha. Ends