Batabazi with Vamposs and Ragga Dee
1 on 1 with Batabazi
Batabazi is comprised of remarkably young talented individuals, rappers Jerome K Jjooga (aka Jerome Black) and Mpagi Kironde (aka PG), Anthony Bbosa Balagadde (aka The Mayor) a talented pianist, an up-coming producer and a cousin to renowned Ugandan producer Steve Jean, singers Roseanne Kawesa (aka Tasha), who sings the hooks to their songs Uganda Nka and Turn it Up and Namagera Kiwanuka (aka Gera K) who has a new single Omukwano Mungi which features Jerome Black and PG. Jerome Black is a lugaflow rapper and talented writer who has been in the rap game for about 10 years and PG raps in English, Luganda and occasionally will throw in patois in some of the reggae-fusion tunes. Batabazi's style of music is a fuse of hip-hop, R&B, and reggae. The group is currently under the management of BaSe Entertainment of Boston, MA which comprises of Batenga Nakisozi aka "Batenga TheMyth" and Senteza Kironde aka Sentie, both of whom are established DJs in the Boston area. Under their management are Batabazi, Gera K and a young up and coming Ugandan artist known as Garvin.
When PG met Jerome Black in 2005, the pair started featuring on tracks together. They later linked with Salim Ssesanga a.k.a. “Phase” in 2007 to just hang out and freestyle in the basement. This was the subtle beginning to a group that is now known to many as BATABAZI. The name was chosen because they wanted something to symbolize who they are as individuals, the movement they stand for as a whole and to appeal to both the Ugandan and non-Ugandan crowd. The word “Batabazi” is a Luganda word from the phrase “okutabaala” which means to wander or move from place to place looking for greener pastures like nomads do. Jerome Black describes Batabazi as “a movement that extends beyond just the artists and the music we make, somewhat an army fighting for a cause; fighting for positivity and togetherness amongst our people.”
A lot of people get caught up in the hype and tend to forget where they came from or where they are heading. Over the years, Batabazi have stayed grounded, humble and true to their roots, both morally and spiritually. Even though they are out in the diaspora, Batabazi is trying to represent Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Africa all over. PG says, “We carry Africa on our shoulders everywhere we go. Our music transcends different barriers and reflects on places we have been to like Jamaica, Haiti, Europe, The Middle East and Asia.”
Batabazi’s music hopefully will be heard all over the globe because the Batabazi Movement is a global one. Down the road, the group has had it's ups and downs and has evolved and been blessed with talented individuals such as Shalto “Surgeon” Byamugisha an upcoming hip-hop artist and features onTurn it Up and Uganda Nka, Patrick Ssozi a.k.a. “P Ssozi” a vocalist and producer who was featured on the group’s latest hit single Mukwano Sembera and Nasar “Nazz12Gs” Kasirye who also features on Mukwano Sembera, Turn it up and Uganda Nka, he is a producer and rapper. The latest addition to this dynamic movement is Namagera Kiwanuka a.k.a. “Gera K.”, an upcoming solo artist who is currently putting finishing touches on her debut album which has numerous collaborations with Batabazi. Gera K and Batabazi launched the debut single titled Omukwano Mungi at a recent Vamposs show in Washington D.C. in July and the fans loved it! Omukwano Mungi is a reggae tune with a catchy Luganda hook and rap verses by Jerome Black and PG and is definitely a tune to groove to with that special someone in your life. There is more in store from Gera K. and Batabazi.
Batabazi, recently performed at the UNAA Convention in Chicago, where they awed and surprised the conventioneers. They performed four songs including a new track featuring Vamposs. Opiyo Oloya, a writer with the New Vision, had kind words to say about them in his column "...there were also some wonderful encounters such as meeting up with a group of young musicians from Boston. Known as the Batabazi which, I was told, means “wanderers”, they perform reggae, hip-hop, R&B. They performed Sunday night at the banquet and showed the level of versatility that I have always wanted to see in the performance of African music—the deft mix of tradition with modern...Batabazi certainly meets this high mark. They plan to hit Uganda stages in December this year—I am confident they are going to be a big success."
Currently, the group is in the studio putting finishing touches on tracks that feature Blu3, Ragga Dee and Vamposs. Also in December 2009, they will be shooting the Uganda Nka video, a feel good song about Uganda. They are currently finishing up the filming of 4 other tracks. Turn it Up is the first video that was completed and is now receiving airplay on Uganda television. Look out for their tracks soon available for download on Music Uganda, Uganda Nka, Mukwano Sembera, Nakupenda Sana and Cheater featuring Peter Miles. Recently, the group has started working with Goodenuff Records and Fenon Records and are working on new releases.
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