Hip-hop game in Uganda has seen several battle platforms organize raw and uncut battles where rappers face off each other in several challenges, over the years. However, we are going to dissect the most notable ones to make an impact over the years.
The HipHop Night Tour: This movement was born out of the love of the battle game and it caught up with a loyal fan base of Mutungo Bbiina, Luzira and the surrounding areas, between 2014 to 2016. Shemy B, its head, and a prolific battle emcee, has been a street battle emcee way before he started organising the challenges. He would meet up at the half basketball court with other challenging emcees like the Double Cross Crew members, Gang X Terror members among others, and all would show-case their skills of how to exploit an opponent, they did this lyrical exercise on a regular basis, later they took this game to Twins Centre community hall and started up a weekly Hip-Hop event to start entertaining the entire neighbourhood every Friday.
The first organised cast on their schedule was a Rap Galla in 2015. Shemy B teamed up with his Portbell Drive family and invited all tribes of rappers to audition for the Galla. The guest performers of the event were Mulekwa, Bigsam, Bonsta, Bigvein, Dymz, Abigaba, Lyncz and Karah and Akongo.
Many emcees came up to flex with each other on the microphone and T Ryder Mc was the last man standing. He won himself a recording deal at Portbell Drive Studio. After the galla, Shemy B kept on hosting the weekly rap battles every Wednesday at Swagger Lounge Luzira, fans who were lucky enough to attend the nights still talk about matches like Mafioso X Black Vs Keizy Zulu, Phitzo Kiganda Vs Entrance Mc, Pryce Teeba Vs 207, Entrance Mc Vs Smiles P, Payne Keelah Vs OJ Millz among others.
Later in 2016, the event had gained clouts and the management of the Hip-Hop Night Tour movement decided to start moving the event to various areas out side the Mutungo circles.
The first and the official Hip-Hop Night Tour event outside was held at Club Venom at Mazima Mall Nsambya and they kept on moving places until 2018 when one of the members “Mulekwa” died. Shemy B went on his social media and announced that they wouldn’t be doing tours for sometime, mourning their brother , and they have never got back on the road to date.
When contacted, he confirmed that the Hip-Hop Night Tour movement will be back with a Rap Marathon project as soon as authorities open up happening places.
Naawe Osobola Rap Battles: On the other side of the city, the Galaxy Dance Project collective came up with “Naawe osobola rap battle; editions in 2015 and 2016.
The event was more unique and it was hosted during day in the community centre which gave kids a chance to attend, get inspired and learn how to play with rhyming words.
In an interview on the Talk and Talk show at Dembe Fm, rapper Da Agent appreciated Naawe Osobola rap battles as the platform that paved the way for him. He is currently one of the most paid Lugaflow rappers in the country.
In the 2015 editions, many hot and fresh emcees stepped up to challenge and showcase their battle skills but the finalists were Niina Mc Vs Dmc Vinikizo, and Vinikizo was announced as the champion. The official host of the event was Spyda Mc and judges were Jora Mc and Taye. The second editions took place in 2016 at the same venue of 2015, Kajaani community centre, Kawempe division of Kampala.
The finalists of the second editions were Da Agent Vs MMP, and Da Agent was announced as the champion of 2016.
From 2016, the event went silent but some of the emcees kept on practicing from places like Sharing Ground Nsambya to keep in shape. Spyda emcee and his new team are still cooking, they will be launching Entalo Z`ebigambo battle challenges.
The Uganda Rap League (URL): This was an event organized by Oki Foeva and friends. He was once part of the hottest underground rap group called Luga Flow Army and together, they terrorized the game with hot bars and blessed it with several joint projects. After he left the group or more precisely, after the group disbanded, he chose to focus his rap creative energies into putting up a hip-hop event in form of rap battles.
One of the biggest fights on his card had Mutungo rapper Shemy B vs NTV ‘reporter’ and End of the Weak mic champion Jay Sentino that brought about enough heat to prompt the host to change and start hosting at a bigger venue. There came a series of more rappers and the final event had Bakuli Mcee Big Sam face off with Ntinda rapper St. Nelly-sade and then Covid brought everything to a halt!…
256 Barz Battle League: This battle was a brainchild of an OG Che’no Billy and and Shemy B as the battle emcee. Since he already had a following that had some of the dopest battle rappers, that had together recorded the best cypher of the year called the ‘Gritty Cypher’, he recruited his friends on the card. The earliest shows had Payne Keelah from Mbale, Keizy Zulu Mcee, X-Black Mafioso from Mutungo, Black Mcee from Gulu face off each other at a time.
The biggest show judging by the hype and the crowds was organized at Lumumba Hall grounds at Makerere and had Undefeated champion Payne Keelah face off with ‘mainstream’ rapper Play 01. Many bloggers on social media sites and hiphop pundits had staked on the Champion to have a walkover on this one but Play 01 came out strong and wittier and took the W at the end of the day. This battle even escalated into a studio fight when both rappers recorded diss songs for each other after the lyrical fight. Their last battle before Covid had Bunkz No Doubt vs Reezy Mcee.
