Emma Katya

By Music Uganda Reporter

Le  rap ce mon arme…, je n’ai pas besoin de calachinikov  ni bollonette…, je blesse                                                               la personne  coupable de crime contre l’humanité, je crache le feux comme le dragon de      kilima nyoka, je respire la fume du volcan Nyiragongo…, je suis  né  dans la ville bien    connue comme base de la rébellion… (Goma) j’suis pas le fils du rebelle que vous savez …, mais suis le frère de l’enfant soldat garde du chef .Ma mission   ce de remettre le     sourire a la  face de l’opprimer  et rapatrié le réfugie  politique innocent qui son  pays, sa famille,… lui manque…j’suis  prêt a dire et redire la vérité pour que mon pays  change. “Fuck le système…” 

Artist’s profile

Emma Katya Vinywasiki Katondolo was born in Goma, East of the DR Congo, in December 1982.

He completed his primary and secondary school in Goma. Coming from a family of artists, Emma Katya started practicing music at a tender age of five, miming songs played on the radio and also making some musical instruments from everything he could manage to.  Unlike many other musicians, Emma did not join any group; he started by creating his own, and he invited other musicians already in the field.

 In 2001, Emma started a group called “RBM Zedin”. The name Zedin came from the French “C’est un” meaning “it’s one”. This name was chosen to call upon people in Africa to attain unity. In short, Zedin means “unite”.

 In 2002, after the terrible eruption of the Nyiragongo volcano, lava consumed almost three quarters of his lovely town Goma, Emma and the rest of the family took refuge in Kampala, Uganda.  In Kampala, Emma did not forget his music ambitions. He met with a young Ugandan artist, Imran Azad and both started a group called Zedin Kroo (from Crew) and put on their first show in July of the same year at a hip hop festival organized by Alliance Française de Kampala.

In 2003, Emma returned back home, after recording his first single, “Ntak’amani”

The same year, he won the best accapella composer price at a festival organized by UJRCD, Rwanda Gisenyi.  Also in 2003, he was awarded best rapper at a festival organized by Galaxy Goma, East DR Congo as well as  Best lyrics’ text, by PDV, Goma, East DR Congo and  Best R&B producer, by UJRCD, Gisenyi, Rwanda 2004, He returned to Kampala, and continued his music career as a solo artist.

Emma has his unique style, he has created his own beat from the traditional Hip hop, “the Rap Rumba”, unique rhythm created by mixing the Congolese rumba and hip hop beats. 

Since returning to Kampala, Emma Katya has had quite a number of performances.

·          October 2004, Hip Hop Summit, organized by Uganda Hip Hop Foundation under the sponsorship of Alliance Française de Kampala.

·          Every Tuesday night at a club Called Sabrina, Kampala, where hip hop meetings are organized.

In January 2005, he was selected among the best hip hop artists to be part of the German Technical Corporation(G TZ) sponsored project of sustaining hip hop in Uganda. 

·          Performance at the launching of “Akibua” a local fashion label. In the first Album “Hip hop canvas 2005” Emma Katya features on three of the 14 songs; mother Africa, beautiful world and getting laid.

·          Come May 2005 he recorded a single “Quoi de Neuf” with a very talented Ugandan percussionist; Herbert Kinobe. May 2005, he performed at the Musicians’ Club at the Uganda Cultural Center

·          June 2005, he performed with the Senegalese famous group Positif Black Soul    (Africa unity concert) and recorded a song with DJ AWADI for the project “President D’afrique”.

 In September: he performed at the Amakula International film festival alongside female Mc and poet Saint C.A with a combination of live video by Donald Mugisha of DEDDAC                                                                                                                   

Later that month he joined forces with like-minded rappers who believe in writing conscious rhymes and formed an organization called Hip-hop Activists Uganda .The main aim of this alliance was to expose hip hop to the average Ugandan by having weekly hip-hop nights and community activities like free break-dancing classes at Nsambya Sharing Youth Centre.

October 2005 was thus far the grandest of this rising talent’s achievements. The joint track “Mother Africa” won at the Pam award in the category of Best Hip-Hop single of the year.

March 2006 he had recorded a song with a French hip-hop artist “JEZOS de lion” and did a workshop about beat boxing and d.jeing.  April 2006 he was selected for the music and message album 2006 among the main artists to be part.  Also with the delegation of the European soccer film festival he toured Uganda performing during the festival.

May 2006 again for Amakula international film festival. A concert with video mixing.

Also invited in Jinja for a hip-hop launch organized by the hip-hop foundation Uganda collaborating with the hip-hop activists Uganda.  From 12-17^th July 2006 Emma Katya was in Tanzania for ZEIFF international film festival.

With such an amazing and promising track record, only the sky can be the limit for Emma Katya.

For more information you can check on:

www.hiphopcanvas.com

www.Baobabconnections.org                    

                                               PEACE & LOVE…        

       F**K THE SYSTEM…THE REVOLUTION IS   BACK AGAIN