Saba Saba and Babaluku to feature in Movie

By Music Uganda Reporter.

The Hip Hop Bataka Squad members Silas Babaluku a.k.a Mr. Africa and Krazy Native aka Saba Saba  are currently the subject of a feature film in production entitled Diamonds in the Rough?. The movie is going to chronicle the day to day lives of these  revolutionary artists aimed to prove to the world that rhyming in Luganda a.k.a Lugaflow is the next big thing in hip hop. They are also showing the world that hip hop can bring about positive change through inspiration. These artists aren't just after respect for themselves, but for their  country. They are a voice for their people and by bringing Lugaflow to new levels they hope to nspire the youth to follow their dreams.

In March 2006 the trailer to the film brought notice to the two members of The Bataka Squad, and hey were invited to perform at the Trinity College International Hip Hop Festival in Connecticut, USA. Saba descended upon the Connecticut Hip Hop Festival without a minute to spare before his  performance. He jumped on stage and showed the huge crowd of American college students that Ugandans Lugaflow is a force to be recognized. Within moments the college kids were chanting Tujababya as Saba unleashed his ghetto classic, which was nominated for best hip hop video at 2005 Pearl of Africa Music Awards. He proceeded to represent Uganda for the remainder of the night and share the stage  with his international hip hop brothers from Iraq, Haiti, Korea, Mexico and many more countries.

The show was over but Saba's journey had just begun. The filmmakers had to return to Los Angeles  and although he did not have more than a penny in his pocket Saba was determined to make the most of his opportunity in the United States. It took a few days for Saba to get adjusted to the  bright lights and fast pace of the American culture, but he quickly made it work for him. Saba proceeded to play shows in up and down the East Coast as well as speak at several colleges. This was highlighted by a legendary show for 5,000 plus at the famous Prospect Park in Brooklyn, New York. Saba left an indelible footprint on the East Coast with his message of hope for change, but it was time to move on.

August called for a west coast reunion in Hollywood, California. The film was in need of translation assistance, and this time Silas was able to join the caravan, making the trip from Canada, while Saba came cross country from the East Coast meeting in sunny Los Angeles.

No trip to Hollywood California would be complete without some star sightings, and the boys were not disappointed. They were invited to several free shows from Hip Hop legends including the Roots, Jurassic 5 and Talib Kweli. Jurassic 5 definitely brought about inspiration as the flow among the 4 main MCs was nothing but polished and professional. More importantly Jurassic did this show for free, promoting a charity organization formed to clean up the ocean. This brought hope to the Bataka Squad members who currently are aiming to build a community center in Uganda to offer similar activities for the youth.

Of course they also had to record some music while they were here to document their journey. The Bataka Squad landed in the acclaimed studio of Rising Sun Reggae producer T, whose credits include Jah Mason and Tricky, to record 2 new tracks. The first track Wallalala features an original member of Bataka, NTO,who just happens to now be living in Los Angeles. The track is a call out to the people of Uganda to speak up and believe in yourself, because you can make this world yours.

The Bataka Squad also received a chance to take the stage in Hollywood, CA as well. They were invited to play on Hollywood Boulevard's famous Cine Space. Cine Space has cemented itself as a venue for live hip hop with acts such as Wyclef Jean, Kanye West and now the Bataka Squad gracing the stage. Similar to Connecticut Saba had the crowd singing along in Luganda within moments, but this time he was able to tag team it with Silas. The other thing that was different about this show is in Los Angeles you never know who is going to be in the audience. After catching the CineSpace Music Plus TV invited the boys in for an hour long interview and showcase.  Music Plus TV is a budding new internet site, which has MTV and VH1 in it's site and it is gaining ground. They got a chance to sit down with the American hip hop audience and talk candidly about their aims, ambitions and plan of action. Check it out at www.musicplustv.com.

After attending a show of American singer Terra Naomi the Bataka Squad invited her to collaborate on a track and sing a little Lugaflow. She said yes, however the boys then had to tackle the small issue of not having a studio. In typical ghetto fashion the Bataka Squad built a studio in an abandoned apartment building, and decided to shoot a music video in the same day, which happened to be Silas's last day. He was heading back to Vancouver to raise some final support  for his impending trip back to Uganda to arrange a series of ghetto concerts. The day started with Silas and Saba patiently teaching an inspired Terra to sing in Lugaflow, and soon enough the song was in full flow. Collectively they wrote an incredible song called Webuzza Lwaki, which talks about the conditions of where they are from. Simultaneously they filmed a music video for a classic Bataka song called Babuzze,which asks a series of questions about why the state of Uganda is the way it is. It was an inspirational day, and seeing the boys collaborate successfully with an amazing American artist again reaffirmed Lugaflows footprint on a global scale.

After a dramatic trip to the airport, and a heartfelt goodbye to Silas, Saba Saba was on his own again. The phone rang again, only this time it was from the narrator of the upcoming film Diamonds in the Rough?, Michael Franti, who is the lead singer of Spearhead. Michael's manager called to invite Saba up to the 8th Annual 911 Power to the Peaceful Festival in San Francisco. Michael is currently planning a trip to Uganda in February and wanted to meet Saba while he was still in the states to discuss the social climate in Uganda. The filmmakers and Saba hit the California coast heading north to the festival, sure to find inspiration and some like minded revolutionaries. Upon landing backstage the boys immediately met Blackalicous front man Gift of Gab. Gift of Gab echoed the words of several artists on this trip (Jurassic 5, Terra Naomi) Yes I want to come to Africa to perform. Call me up and let's do this? Saba proceeded to stand front row and watch the legendary hip hop group perform the festival, immediately followed by the headliner Michael Franti and Spearhead. Following the show Saba ran into Michael and after a brief talk Michael invited Saba to join him onstage at the after party for the festival, which had over 50,000 people in attendance. Sure enough several songs into the set Michael Franti calls out for his comrade from Uganda to rock the MIC. In typical Saba Saba fashion he had the audience chanting one in Lugaflow, but this time he also had Michael Franti backing him up. With the crowd still reeling, his heart still beating, Saba was finally speechless. Saba gave Franti a brotherly pound and exited the stage, but left behind a lot to think about in the minds of the audience.

Saba Saba currently in Los Angeles has shows scheduled for Arizona and a repeat performance in New York. If there was any hesitation before this trip if Lugaflow was for real it has been answered defiantly with a couple microphones and two Bataka Squad performers who are not giving up. More importantly Silas and Saba aren't aiming at commercial success in the United States.They are bringing it all back to Uganda. There message is not to follow your dream so you can get out of Uganda, but speak your mind, stand up for Uganda so we can make tomorrows Uganda a beautiful place for our youth.