Mugabi Byenkya is an award-winning writer of prose, poetry, comics, essays, drama & songs.
News reaching our website indicate that Byenkya is now very excited to release his debut mixtape “Songs For Wo(Men) 2” that he has been working on for over 8 months now. This serves as a follow up to his award-nominated debut novel-memoir “Dear Philomena,” but also stands on its own. This has been a dream of Byenkya for over a decade, and he still can’t believe it has finally come true! And from a Kansas based record label to boot! Full circle moment, as he received a full tuition scholarship for his undergraduate degrees at the University of Kansas!
“Songs For Wo(Men) 2” is a concept mixtape that bleeds the lines between songs and poetry in the vein of the progenitors of Hip-Hop Gil Scott-Heron and the Watts Prophets, and more personally in the lineage of Okot p’Bitek, who rejected Western labels for his writing and chose to firmly stand in his cultural tradition, moving the center as Toni Morrison would put it.
Byankya collaborated with Prince Muwanguzi (Prnz) who Produced, Mixed and Mastered all but one song on the album, and with his brother (rapper-singer-songwriter) 3-Card who wrote and performed the outro, Produced, Mixed and Mastered by DEANBADDIE.
The songs speak to disability, platonic intimacy, self-love, familial intimacy, emotional labour, toxic masculinity, grief, witchcraft and faith healers to tell the story of a disabled soft body in an able-bodied oppressive world.
Released via the independent American record label “Hello America Stereo Cassette”, You can access the mixtape via the link below:
https://helloamerica.bandcamp.com/album/songs-for-wo-men-2
You can find out more about my work and artistry via my website below:
https://www.mugabibyenkya.com/
