Over the weekend, singer Eddy Kenzo real names Edirisa Musuuza while at a press conference bragged about his songs being better than legendary Philly Bongole Lutaaya’s.
According to Kenzo, none of Philly Bongole Lutaaya’s song is bigger than his and that no one can tell him otherwise.
“Nze natuuka dda nina enyimba eziweza 100m ku YouTube, olwa Philly lulina akakadde kamu oluvanyuma lw’emyaka ejiwerako.
Abantu balina okunsiima okudamu oluyimba kuba ntunda legacy y’omugenzi ne family ye kubanga nga nze Eddy, olwo oluyimba(Born in Africa) lwenazemu sirina kyendufunamu” – Eddy Kenzo.
Translation:
I made a remake of Philly Lutaaya’s ‘Born In Africa’ not because I wanted it to elevate me to another level. Personally I have achieved my goals in music. I have songs that have 100s of millions of views.
His song has just a million veiws after so many years. That means Philly has no song that is bigger than any of mine. Numbers don’t lie. And I respect him so much and that is why I made a re-do of his song. I re-did the song to push it further to nations that don’t know it.
Eddy Kenzo made such remarks as he was returning to the country to a heroic welcome from his fans after scooping a Grammy Award nomination medal.
However, after such comments from the BET Awards winner, several internet users felt that Kenzo’s statement was inappropriate and took umbrage to it. These among the many included Kenzo’s fellow artists like rapper Big Tril who reacted to DJ Nimrod of Galaxy FM who had asserted that “Kenzo is bigger than Philly in all aspects”
“Okay! .. You’re better than the late Dj Alex Ndawula in all aspects to … Smh! Y’all need to Oba keep quiet sometimes”, Big Tril reacted to DJ Nimrod’s tweet.
Big Tril went ahead to make a couple of follow up tweets that were aiming at protecting legacies of legends like Philly Bongole Lutaya as he was sarcastically comparing various subjects of the new generation to that of the old generation.
Another singer Bruno K was in advising moods to Kenzo as he pondered on how numbers might be misleading in the build up of such debates.
“With all due respect, my big brother Eddy Kenzo, it’s not the views that show that a song is big. Despacito has more views than most of Micheal Jacksons songs, but when it comes to greatness, it can’t match MJs songs”.
Social media comic, Sam Manini was also disappointed in Kenzo’s remarks and he asked the artist to be taken to a mental hospital.
“I know Eddy Kenzo has broken musical boundaries no musician in Uganda has ever broken, but he should visit Butabika Rehabilitation Center if he thinks any of his songs is bigger than “Born in Africa” by the late Philly Bongole Lutaaya”
Baboon Forest Entertainment CEO and Artist GNL Zamba also came out via his socials to tell the public of how he is the only Ugandan artist who has done poetic justice to some of the legendary songs in contention.
“There is only one Ugandan artist who has redone legendary songs and done them Justice. That Hiphop Rap god GNL Zamba did Wololo and Ani Yali Amanyi and left no one “Toming” – Munansonyiwa okutoma sikumanyi muluzungu”, GNL Zamba said on Saturday.
When Philly Bongoley Lutaaya died of Aids-related complications on December 15, 1989, he had established himself in less than two years as not just the face of the fight against HIV globally, but also the beautiful voice of Christmas.
Every December, there are nostalgic comments about the memory of Philly Bongoley Lutaaya from many households in Uganda as they remember the legend once again. As his enduring Christmas album, Merry Christmas (1987) blares through speaker after speaker for the third decade and counting, fans and those who were born long after his death marvel at the quality and depth of his music, and wonder what/how he would be singing now, had he lived beyond his 38 years!
Lutaaya has made Christmas such a joy to all – or so we assume – and even when we had a covid lockdown, his songs did not failed to evoke festive feelings amidst the harrowing devastation.
On the other hand, by unveiling his HIV‐positive status at a time when AIDS patients were ostracized, Lutaaya used his stature to mobilize consciousness around the epidemic. He gave a human face to living with AIDS and helped to counter the perception of the disease as a monstrous thing, suggesting that even a city‐based social icon was not immune to problems that someone in the village could have.
While being criticized for not following or not staying within the ‘lines’ Artist today like Eddy Kenzo are making music that they feel a particular audience will pay attention too even if they are in a different region of the world.
As much as we would like for another afro-soul, afro-pop or afro-beat movements to happen, its best to let the musician be who they are. People complain about things like; a lack of music about social change, the lack of Ugandan singers who can hit high notes or about how all modern artists sound the same.
The impact these statements have can be harmful when we are not giving the creator a chance to grow into their own.
Many yearn and expect for another coming Mowzey Radio or Paul Kafeero. On the other hand, you have those calling for another Herman Basudde when no one can be Basudde but himself. We are calling for these newer artists to bring us back to a nostalgic point in our lives that no one can purely fulfil.
In Ug’s Hip-hop for example, it can be harmful to proclaim someone the next GNL Zamba, that would create unachievable pressure. When artists today are trying to record music, they produce what represents them artistically.
Take the USA’s hip-hop artist Rapsody, she’s asked others to stop comparing or using her as the embodiment of being a woman in rap who doesn’t about sex in her music. Rapsody likes to make music that where feels comfortable discussing within her music.
When it comes down to it, everyone can have their critiques. However, newer artists now like Kenzo are either placed into a box, are being pressured to stand out, or must share a similar sound as Philly Lutaaya or Maddox Ssemanda. All of our favourite past artists had influenced. Past artists that we give praise too needed time to find their style to be not compared to or sound similar to their peers.
Let these newer artists find their niche and the particular style that fits them. Thus, giving the musician the free reign to make their art to be about whatever they want. Let us allow the newer rappers, singers and producers to find a space to where they believe they can best express who they are.
