Hastla drops 'Teresa'

You've heard the music and now you see the man; Hastla is not new to music and is has been flourishing in the underground. As the stats of his songs' popularity on this site reveal, a carefully planned promotion strategy could push him to the very top of the Ugandan charts.

His real name is Hassan Ali and he is part of a music group called "Banyakitara", a coalition of musicians that hail from the Bunyoro districts of Masindi and Hoima in western Uganda but reside in Kampala. Didi, who produced his music at the True Vine studios is also a member of this group.

Hastla blames the 'tricks' in the market for the fact that his music has not yet been heard by many. He also needs a lot of support in order to be able to record in a better studio, to get onto radio and to shoot a video for TV.

'Teresa' is his first song and it is a very sentimental one about his ex-girlfriend who he'd gone out with for a long time and whom his mum had become fond of. His mother wants to see them back together and wants to see her again because the three of them went through a lot. It is a melancholic love song made on dance beats that punctuate his smooth singing. A lot of emotion can be heard in his voice and adlibs and this is a song that will put you in that kind of mood. Hastla promises that a video for this song will be out soon and we'll have it here for you when it is released.

The other Hastla song we have featured here is the remix of 'Musanyuke' (means be happy) and this is on an R'n'B beat. This one brings out Hastla's lyrical prowess with his word play and rhyming. The second verse is in Runyoro, being true to his 'Banyakitara' background. This also features a tongue-twist rhyme by Mo in the break after the second chorus. It is very good dance music and whether or not radio promotes artists like Hastla, MusicUganda.Com will! He can indeed become a global star here even before he receives the recognition he deserves locally.

Hastla also featured on the hit Luganda Hip-hop love song by Snooty Fredo where he skillfully provided the hooks that contributed to the song's identity. His style is distinguishable and you can tell his singing apart from any other Ugandan musician. Artists like Hastla and Snooty are a step closer do defining a localized form of Ugandan Hip-hop and R'n'B as the Ragga artists have done for their genre. If this music is supported by more releases and artists with the same concept, it can be a force on the local scene.

Please listen to his music and drop him mail at

hastla2000@yahoo.co.uk