Want a rap collabo? You call Museveni

By Alex KiprotichAfrican leaders will never cease to amaze. The number of presidents-cum-musicians now seems to grow by the day.First it was Madagascar’s Andry Rajoelina who treated the world to a drama as the baby-face president swapped the turntables and the nightclubs for State House.Uganda President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni. The president has become the first ‘rapping president’ after launching a rap song that took the nation by surprise. Photo: File/StandardThen in 2008, came South Africa’s Jacob Zuma who electrified crowds with his Zulu dances that propelled him to power.And now, it is Uganda President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni. The president has become the first ‘rapping president’ after launching a rap song that took the nation by surprise.According to a Ugandan journalist Raymond Baguma, Museveni stunned the crowd at Lugogo Cricket Oval when in a calculated move a song was played in the background with the President’s distinct voice on show as he strolled to the stage to wild ululations.This was finally a dream come true for Museveni. Rumours began doing rounds four years ago that he would record a song when he started taunting his opponents to a singing competition. In 2006, Museveni taunted former mayor John Ssebaana Kizito that he could not manage a stanza even if that were what it would take to beat him.“In the past presidential elections, his closest opponents have been known to have hoarse voices. His closest rival Kizza Besigye has a hoarse, natural voice. So, he could challenge him to a singing competition,” says the journalist.He adds, “Former mayor Ssebaana Kizito stood against him in 2006 and Museveni at a public rally challenged him to go for a singing competition.”Gets Stage NameMuseveni’s rap song, which is in the president’s local dialect complete with groove beats, was warmly received by the crowd, which burst into a frenzy of excitement. The song, ‘You Want Another Rap’ has hit the airwaves and the president has been nicknamed Sevo (a corrupt version of Museveni).The song, which incorporates modern musical beats and traditional folk lyrics, has become a hit, especially among National Resistance Movement party supporters who have since nicknamed their candidate ‘the Rapping President’. The song has also been posted on social networks, including Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. It is also being used as a ring tone by some party faithful.“He is charming, it’s a nice song,” an excited reveller Andrew Mukasa said.Baguma says Museveni’s antics have brought some light moments in the country’s tense politics.“People are laughing about it,” he says. The journalist says when the president stepped on the stage on Saturday the crowd went wild over the way he was swaying on the platform. “With his military fatigues, he employed the dance moves while sampling his song to which the crowd cheered ‘Ye Sevo!’” said Baguma.With the song and the style mostly associated with the youth, Museveni wants to attract the youth to his rallies by entertaining and enthralling them alike. The productionThe song was recorded at Uganda’s State House Entebbe where artistes picked his rap and went to the studio and gave it a beat with back up voices. It was produced and mixed at Fenon Studios under the watchful eyes of longstanding producer Steve Jean and folk artiste Richard Kaweesa.Museveni has now lodged an application to copyright the song. His lawyers have lodged an application with the Registration Service Bureau, demanding the use or replication of the song only be conducted with express consent of its originator, Mr Museveni.And it looks like song will be an important campaign tool this season. Democratic Party candidate Norbert Mao is also expected to release his own rap single ‘Your Rap is Crap’. Mao said his song is in its raw stage and would be available soon.Counter Rap“Where Museveni says ‘You Want Another Rap’, I say ‘No Sir, we want term limits’. When he asks ‘you want another rap’, I say, ‘no sir we want good roads’,” Mao said.The presidential hopeful promised to accompany his song with dance whenever he would perform it.Some African presidents who have used music to endear themselves with voters and win their support in the quest to rule include Zuma who sang and danced to traditional Zulu tunes during campaigns that propelled him to power.Baguma says the joke in Uganda is that there might be pleas from musicians to do ‘collabo’ with Museveni. That song may well go down as his election master card if one considers that the bulk of voters are youth. Some US hip hop websites have picked up the story and are saying Museveni has launched a ‘rapping career’.

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