By Steven Tendo
tendo@musicuganda.com

Bebe Cool has, after a run as the notorious bad boy of Ugandan music, finally turned around. Knowing his attention grabbing antics from the past five years, it had to be something really ground shaking that would finally reign him in and turn him into the polite soft voiced gentleman that he is today. It is scary walking up to him and cowering, expecting his trademark attitude, only to be offered a respectable reception from the former unapologetic award winning reggae star.

Bebe Cool (Moses Ssali) was born 27 years ago on the September 1, 1977. He has been on the East African music scene for a long time. Back in the days when Buju Banton was everyone’s favourite star, Bebe Cool was right there shaking his crazy dreadlocks and crooning in the laboured voice of his idol. When everyone else tired of trying to emulate something that they were miserably failing at, he stuck to his dream. Now we know him as the reggae star who can be cheeky and do a suprise dance hall number that will resonate within the very hearts of revellers, forcing them onto the dance floor.

When I meet him for this interview, his demeanour is that of just another guy lounging on a lazy afternoon with his friends. The only thing that makes him stand out are his famous dreadlocks. There are a number of artistes around Kampala who have grown the manacing taproots but there is only one Bebe Cool. He is in a white sports jersey with dark jeans. He has on brown sandals and he slouches lazily in the chair in his friend’s flat in Kitante watching a silent screen as the soothing sounds of Radio One serenade him.

My questions are burning; they are just too many. Why the change and why now? There are many big issues in the country right now as we move towards an uncertain time, what with the political climate changing? Bebe Cool just released a song, Ekisanja (Slang referring to a third term for President Museveni) that sings praises for the incumbent and I can’t help wonder if all this talk of him changing could be related to his going political.

“I am not into politics. I am just a social animal and I sing about what’s big in society at the moment. I only express what is in our collective mind in song,” he explains laughingly. He says a number of people have been asking him where he lies. One of his friends present for the interview chips in that Bebe should stop playing his Ekisanja song because it is a potential money-maker. Everytime it is played at the campaigns, Bebe should be paid.

“I think other singers are just scared about singing about what they should be singing about,” he goes on. “They therefore go on and on about love and money and all these shallow topics yet deep down they should be talking about the pertinent issues.” He says he does not fear anything.

But all this political talk is not getting us anywhere. This artiste has courted controversy since early days. Even when he and Jose Chameleon together with Red San were suffering in down town Nairobi, trying to make their mark, Bebe Cool was the dark sheep of this family of three. Eventually, they had to part ways, with Chameleon and Red San sticking together and Bebe becoming the maverick who was always jutting out his jaw and challenging the system.

“I am controversial for a reason. I don’t do things impulsively,” he defends himself. “I studied music for two years, unlike many people in the industry. I know what makes one and what breaks one. To be a good musician, you have to sell. And there is nothing that sells like controversy. Controversy travels faster than anything else.”

“Look at Uganda’s most vicious enemy, Kony. He is famous the world over because of the negativity of his actions. I am not condoning his acts but imagine what he could have done…the good he could have achieved if he suddenly turned around and said he has left that bad image!” Bebe Cool has an expression of wonderment on his face.

But he says he planned it before hand. For him, the whole image thing was only for a season. “The season has ended,” he tells me earnestly. “I had my run and I had some ups and downs. Penultimately, I achieved what I wanted. The bad boy image is dead and buried,” he says with conviction.

So why now, I ask. Bebe Cool was the face of WBS TV since the last months of 2003 to around June 2004. After that deal, he had made a number of contacts because the station did everything in its power to sell him to the world. Speaking to Elvis Wavamunno, the head honcho at WBS, I discovered that Bebe Cool’s deal entailed the station managing his image and getting him acts at world class venues. And they did because he was in the UK and the US at shows such as Miss Uganda UK. This year, he went away to the USA for six months and the stories did the rounds that he had run away. But last month, he returned and with a new image.

“When I went away, I wanted to be in the US for five months. That was the plan. But then before I left, Thierry arrived.” This is in reference to Alpha Thierry, his son with model, Zuena Kirema. Alpha is making one year on December 29. “His arrival changed everything. I spent four months instead of the five I had planned. I was a family man and I wanted to be here for my family.”

His stay in the States was not fruitless, however. He came back with deals to do music in top studios with help from established artistes. He is working with Afromerica and with Sushi Studios owned by Dee, a drummer with Janet Jackson. He has also decided to go into movies. “If I did small parts as an extra now and then, my career will be helped a lot,” he tells me. “I was told that these days, one needs to be in both industries to make it big.” We are yet to see him in any, though.

And when he says he has changed, it’s all there for us to see. Before all this, he was doing dancehall music. It was characterised by rough tones and a menacing exterior. Now he seems to be following his heart; he has just recorded a 10 track album with Necessary Noize and he says it is pure roots reggae. The partnership between him and the duo has been christened The Bashment Crew.

There have always been people who think he was made for reggae and they must be beside themselves now. At the recent Return of the King concert at Steak Out in Kampala, Bebe Cool dazzled with Necessary Noize. This seems to have been the confirmation that he is the undisputed king of Ugandan contemporary reggae.

“I am now doing my music with Wyre and Naziz because I believe they are the hottest reggae act in Kenya right now and our partnership can go along way,” he enthuses.

The road ahead is paved with challenges. Bebe Cool is just one of the many artistes who have to shape up in the face of the upped competition. East Africa is fast becoming a hotbed of musical talent and there is no stopping the growth. Maybe in view of this, Bebe Cool had to change his style and image. He has shown before that he is far seeing and maybe his intuition is leading him where we all shall eventually head.

His Background and History

Bebe Cool a.k.a Moses Ssali born 1977 1st September, a famous and well-known Ugandan Reggae musician.

To write his music, Bebe Cool is inspired by the present situation at each time, communal events and personal experiences. He also produces music but on a personal basis. He does his own instrumentation thereby shooting two birds with one stone.

He has been in the industry for over ten years now. It all begins way back in his O Level in Kitante Hill School. During this time, he performed in various Secondary Schools, shows and did a lot of promotions like the Guinness Bar Promotions, which he did on a daily basis weekly. This helped him practice for his voice. After this, he joined Makerere College School for A level. During this time, he become Entertainment Prefect and he continued to perform in various schools and functions. He later on went to Kololo Senior Secondary School. Here he had to make a choice to finalize his studies. During this time he was preparing to start on heavy line music, he began growing his hair because he wanted to have dreadlocks. He started making contacts in Nairobi. After his senior six he left for Nairobi.

Bebe Cool’s first song was the 'Hehe song' and it was recorded in Nairobi. This was typically a rap song because at the time, the Nairobi audience was into rap music and he wanted to attract the crowd. He has recorded with various producers like the Ogopa deejays and D’N’D. He has released many songs like King of the Jungle, Hehe song which was his first song, Funtula, Never Trust, Twezinire, Burn dem down and Mambo Mingi and many more.

His best songs are King of the Jungle and Never trust no people. He recently launched Gaetano’s song in Club Silk. This song is basically to hype up Gaetano and make his name bigger so that he is received well when he comes back and put him in the line of stars. In this song he talks about Arsenal. This is because he supports Arsenal and the seasons are about to begin, this could act as an anthem for Arsenal supporters.

He hates people with many words (Mambo Mingi), he also hates jealous people. He therefore stresses ways of life and living in his songs. Bebe Cool also writes love songs but he doesn’t produce them because that is what everyone is singing so he prefers doing his own thing or something different. His best Ugandan musician is Peter Myles because of his style of singing and way of life, which are simple and straight. He also continues to say that he loves him because he is probably the only Ugandan musician who doesn't have any enemies in the industry referring to him as neutral.

His mentors are Bunju Bunton, Wyclef Jean and Beres Herman. In the next three years he sees some of the outstanding Ugandan musicians becoming International and in the next twenty years he sees himself in International fame even in the movie industry.