Lyrical G

Lyrical G started his rap career in 1994 during his school days performing at Music, Dance and Drama concerts. He also performed in clubs such as Pulsations, Hotel International, Little lowers and Sharing Hall up to 1999.

“LG”, as he’s referred to by his friends won the Sharing Hall contest a record three times between 1998 and 1999 before moving on to bigger rap concerts. He won a record two times at Club Silk and formed Bataka Underground together with Krazy Native and Momo Mc.

He released his first single “Ato’oba” with Bataka Underground in March 1999 and the crew then released their second single “Ssesetula”, which was launched on Power FM.

He performed with Bataka Underground at DV8 concerts until he formed Urban Thugz (which later became Urban Life) in 2000 together with his young brother AK 47, Exquisite and Word Storm (Formally known as ‘Daz Q’)

LG recorded his first single ‘Nothing Compares’ with Urban Life in 2001 after they won a recording deal for being the best upcoming group at the Sanyu FM music Carnival. ‘Nothing Compares’ was released in Feb 2002 on Sanyu FM. He has since performed alongside Klear Kut at Alliance Française sponsored music concerts.

In mid 2002, he made up his mind to embark on a solo career and has since appeared on Ngoni’s single ‘We love to party’ (2002), Steve Jean’s ‘Aint no good’ (2003) Obsessions’ ‘I need 2 know’ (2003), First Love’s ‘My Help’ (003) Bantu Clan’s ‘Party’ (2003)

His debut album features songs with Steve Jean, Urban Life, Wamboi, Rita Sabiiti, and many others.

Production was handled by Steve Jean, MMc, Dawoo, Denno with co-production by LG himself. The album features tracks like Raw Steez, East African Party, U & I, Nothing compares, Hit Da Root, Steal tha girl, Live from East Africa, Feel it and others

LG has also done rap commercials for Mango, MTN and Pepsi Cola. He plans to work with more Ugandan artists like Benon, Michael Ross, Maurice, Klear Kut, Krazy Native and of course his favorite producer Steve Jean.

He has featured on MMc’s compilaton ‘Kaleidoscope’ and Dawoo’s yet to be released compilation, which is still untitled.

His main influences are Jay-Z, EPMD and Nas.

His prime regrets are

1. Not being nominated for the first edition of the PAM Awards. “There will be more award ceremonies and by then, I hope to be a contender, so beware”

2. Not being featured on the new Klear Kut album. “The song I recorded with them never made it to the album’

Lyrical G is also an afternoon showhost at the new Beat FM

Story by The Puzzle. For more information, call Arthur 'The Puzzle" Musinguzi on his mobile

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Lyrical G: Hip-Hop guru

Lyrical G, the hottest item on the Ugandan hip-hop scene commands revolutions. The mood music is suddenly different. It seems everyone has done their part and they have moved on to swim in the glory bestowed upon them by the fans. Then the MC announces Lyrical G. The screams that rise up from the crowd cause the uninitiated to whip their heads around and ask what this is about.

So LG comes on and rocks the crowd. The initial screams were not for nothing. This guy knows his stuff. The style and the presence are not out of place as he gets our attention away from the many different styles that we have been listening to all night long. It is smooth and lyrical. Not the hard, angry diatribe we thought rap is.

So what makes this hip-hoper one of the hottest stars in Uganda, one of the most sought after singers in a country that has for long shunned rap music as violent and unintelligible? Finding out is easy. He is where he said he would be; at his family’s shop on Mukwano Arcade, helping with his late mum’s business as he whiles the hours away till evening when he will be on stage tearing the roof off some club.

He is a performer by birth. “ I’ve always liked to be on stage. It was a big factor in pushing me into this line of work. I was always performing for the world around me,” he says. From the way he is dressed today and the way he throws that dazzling smile at the occasional fan, it is plain to see that this is not just an act. He is putting on a dark brown shirt with biggish shades that make him look like a black John Travolta.

LG a.k.a Geoffrey Kintu, emerged from obscurity about two years ago. But that does not mean he started singing just yesterday. He has been doing hip-hop for a very long time and his current fame has been born out of a lot of style changing and soul searching. LG, as a recognised artiste came out of the 1995 period when many young singers with stars in their eyes saw the lights and the glitz that big names from the west carried around them. Stars like Brandy, Snoop Dogg and Warren G made the rap game seem so easy.

For LG, the fact that a style that he respected was standing its ground and making waves in the face of Ragga was a mighty feat. Ragga had been enjoying a very successful run in Uganda and people like Chaka Demus and Pliers had been household names. Suddenly, here was hip-hop redefining itself. That was about the time he decided to take this dream on for whatever it took.

LG is mostly known for his monster hit East Africa Party off his Live from East Africa album. This is his maiden effort and he has produced something that old guards have not achieved. He says it is because he has made a conscious decision to desist from ‘battle rap,’ something he says will not get any hip hop artistes anywhere in the Ugandan market. “The people who matter, those who would be supporting us do not understand battle rap and that is why I do not do it,” he says. So he has cut a niche out for himself as an artiste who does party rap.

His tracks, like Hit the Roof, Steal the Girl and East Africa Party are now played in the clubs, radio and TV. However, at the Pearl of Africa Music Awards, everyone agreed that he was cheated when instead of being awarded for best Hip Hop artiste, the prize went to The Obsessions, a group someone has likened to the American S- Club Seven. But the blame fell on the SMS voters who did not do their job and so gave the honour to some one who did not deserve it.

Lyrical says he did not go out looking for fame. He was sold to the East African market by the media and it turned out that Kenya and Tanzania woke up to the fact that this here is a name to be reckoned with faster than his country men. Talk about a prophet being rejected in his country. So his name has gone as far as South Africa and beyond even though he has rarely left Uganda.

In January 2004, he was involved in a project with Lovelife, a South African company that deals with teenagers. They wanted musicians from across Africa who would be role models for youths to show them that life could be a lot more exciting if they had ambitions. This is how Lyrical met Proverb a singer and songwriter. He has also presented on Channel O. When he came across Lyrical’s profile, he believed he had hit pay dirt. The two now have a new single, Life.

Asking LG about the financial rewards of being in this industry reveal that the only way to make a buck in the Ugandan field is to do common dilute stuff that strangely, people find so alluring. “ I don’t want to change, and I will never change for money,” he almost shouts. “So what happens when I am big and famous because I am singing like them, drive a Surf and then what?” His gaze is intense and for a moment, I forget that this is a rhetorical question. He is stubbornly jutting his jaw out and I get the feeling that he is used to getting what he wants.

But then he also believes that he can win big money just by making what he has in his hands work for him. “I will go and work even harder to make an album far better than my last,” He has the same attitude towards the discouraging music sales. Piracy is something that musicians have had to come to terms with. In fact, the pirates seem to be winning since the government does not seem to understand the importance of fighting this crime. All he has is hip-hop and he is trying to make it as Ugandan as he possibly can.

Review - Lyrical G “Narudi”

By Tha Mith

When lyrical G’s first album. “LIVE FROM EAST AFRICA” dropped; he was going through the loss of his mother who had supported his career.  The album  which had hits like “Steal the Gal” and the “East Africa Party”, still managed to win him fans from Uganda and East Africa as a whole.

Now he’s back with his second album titled “Narudi” and it’s safe to say he’s back.  The album is a throwback too early. “Lyrical G” where you are going to get punch line after punch line and a lot of charisma.

Lyrical G completes new album

Two-time Pam award Hip-hop artist of the year is hard to find, this because of his busy recording schedules and other engagements. When you mention the name Lyrical G in Ugandan hip-hop circles what will automatically run through one’s mind is “the conscious rapper”. Be it conscious rap, Lovey Dovey melodies or straight up Battle rap. The L is still holding his own. He’s still keeping in G, writing rhymes attending Hip-hop concerts doing collaborations with other artist’s recording, collecting rap music and of course still keeping close to his Girl. Still composed with an effortless sense of Humor and friendly character all around him he still goes out to party though not as hard as in the past.