From BFE`s Correspondent In Northern Uganda, Emmanuel Obua
Northern Uganda is one of the areas in East Africa which has experienced significant growth and
development in its Hip Hop scene over the past few decades, local artists begun to explore and push the
boundaries of what this genre can be by creating in the Luo local language.
Most artists from Northern Uganda focused on making Dancehall, Reggae, Ragga and Afrobeats music
as they were some of the most popular genres at the time. In the 1990s after people became exposed to
global iconic rap stars such as The Notorious B.I.G , 2Pac, Snoop Dogg, Naughty By Nature ,DMX and
others, they began to take an interest in hip hop too.
The journey of local artists embracing hip hop music started during the time when Lumix Da Don and
others began to rap in Luo Dialect.
It wasn’t until Lumix Da Don’s songs started playing on the radio that the first traces of northern hip hop
emerged in the late 90s and early 2000s. He rapped exclusively in Luo which had not been heard before
due to the previously English hip hop dominated airwaves.
The culture started to grow with many people getting involved in freestyle and Rap battles. In Gulu City
crews from different hoods would often meet to battle in Alobo Night Club. In Lira City the West Coast
Vs East Coast rivalry started with emcees from the west side of the city competing against those from
the eastern side of the city. This is the period where the underground Gangstar style grew the most in
the Region.
The movement continued into the 2010s when another artist named Judas RapKnowledge coming out
of Lumix Da Don’s Valley Curve Records entered into the fold around the same time Toobi Smallz, Mc
Wang Jok, Lobby and others made their debuts. This opened up doors for a new breed of lyricists
emerging in the 2020s such as StayPut and Tim Darsh who have brought even more energy and
creativity to the scene.
Hip Hop’s journey in Northern Uganda appears to have no end with new generations getting involved
with their own unique sounds thanks to modern technology making it easier for aspiring artists to create
better quality music and Videos. Plus many of the fans can relate to a lot of lyrics in the songs by the
artists given their shared tumultuous past involving periods of violence and instability. This only goes to
show how powerful Hip Hop can be used to raise awareness on a variety of social issues.
The future looks very promising for Northern Uganda’s Hip Hop community considering how its
recognition across both national borders and among different communities has been increasing due
largely to rappers honing the ability to rap fluently both in Luo and English – something that will help
catapult their music further towards the top.
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