Babaluku | |
---|---|
Born | Silas Babaluku Balabyekkubo 1979 (age 44–45) |
Nationality | Ugandan |
Citizenship | Canada |
Education | Bachelors Degree in Sound Engineering |
Alma mater | British Columbia academy Vancouver |
Occupations |
|
Known for | Luga flow Revolution, Founder of the Bavubuka Foundation ,Son of Pastor Deogratious Balabyekkubo |
Movement | Member of the Bataka squad |
Parents |
|
Awards | 2007 Pearl of Africa Award for Best Hip Hop Single. 2007 Buzz Teen Awards for Best Hip Hop Artist. Best audience Choice Award at Dances With Films Festival for the documentary "Diamonds in the Rough" Best Feature Documentary at Peace on Earth Film Festival for the documentary "Diamonds in the Rough". Honoured in 2010 Babaluku by the Uganda Canadian Cultural Association for his Excellence. Pioneer of the Year by the Words Beats & Life Remix Teach-In AwardsContents |
Website | www |
Babaluku, born Silas Babaluku Balabyekkubo, is a Ugandan rapper, musician, producer, community youth activist and social entrepreneur who raps in Luganda. He is a member of the Bataka Squad. [1] [2] He is the founder of "the Bavubuka Foundation which equips the youth with leadership skills". He is one of the pioneers of "Lugaflow" which is rap music in Luganda. [3] He was featured in a 2008 documentary "Diamonds in the Rough: A Ugandan Hip-hop Revolution" that covered his journey from his crew’s early days of performing in Uganda to performing in at festivals in the United States of America. [4]
Bababuluku was born in Kampala, Uganda in 1979. He is the first born of eight children to the late Pastor Deo Balabyekkubo and Mrs Christine Balabyekubo. [5] He went to Emen Memorial and Molly and Paul Primary schools in Makindye and eventually left for Canada when he was 12 years old. He is a graduate of sound engineering from British Columbia academy in Vancouver. [6]
Babaluku started his music career in 1994. He is one of the pioneers of Lugaflow, which is rap in Luganda. He has a number of awards including a Pearl of Africa Award for Best Hip Hop Single and Buzz Teen Awards for Best Hip Hop Artist. The documentary "Diamonds in the Rough" in which he featured, won the Audience Choice Award at Dances With Films Festival and Best Feature Documentary at Peace on Earth Film Festival. In 2010 Babaluku was honored by the Ugandan Cultural Association for his Excellence and also chosen as Pioneer of the Year by the Words Beats & Life Remix Teach-In Awards. [7]
Hip hop music has been popular in Africa since the early 1980s due to widespread African American influence. In 1985, hip hop reached Senegal, a French-speaking country in West Africa. Some of the first Senegalese rappers were Munyaradzi Nhidza Lida, M.C. Solaar, and Positive Black Soul.
Nerdcore is a genre of hip hop music characterized by subject matter considered of interest to nerds and geeks. Self-described nerdcore musician MC Frontalot has the earliest known recorded use of the term in the 2000 song "Nerdcore Hiphop". Frontalot, like most nerdcore artists, self-publishes his work and has released much of it for free online. As a niche genre, nerdcore generally holds to the DIY ethic, and has a history of self-publishing and self-production.
Richard Colón, better known by his stage name Crazy Legs, is an American b-boy who was featured in the earliest stories on hip hop dancing to appear in mainstream press, and as president of the Rock Steady Crew brought the form to London and Paris in 1983. Today he is also involved in community outreach, dance instruction, and dance theater productions. He has appearanced in fiction films and documentaries. Crazy Legs is current president of the Rock Steady Crew.
Tamer Nafar is a Palestinian rapper, actor, screenwriter and social activist of Israeli citizenship. He is the leader and a founding member of DAM, the first Palestinian hip hop group.
The music of Uganda is broad and diverse, ranging from traditional indigenous music to Ugandan versions of many contemporary genres. Uganda is home to over 65 different ethnic groups and tribes, and they form the basis of all indigenous music.
The Canadian hip hop scene was established in the 1980s. Through a variety of factors, it developed much slower than Canada's popular rock music scene, and apart from a short-lived burst of mainstream popularity from 1989 to 1991, it remained largely an underground phenomenon until the early 2000s.
Emmanuel Jal is a South Sudanese-Canadian artist, actor,author, former child soldier, and political activist. His autobiography, War Child: A Child Soldier's Story, was published in 2009.
Joseph Haule, popularly known by his stage name Professor Jay, is a Tanzanian hip hop recording artist, politician and former member of the Tanzanian parliament for Mikumi constituency. He is one of the prominent representatives of the "Bongo Flava" Tanzanian hip hop subgenre, which mixes elements from both Western hip hop and the Tanzanian tradition.
Saba Saba, also known as Krazy Native is a rapper and social activist from Uganda.
Bataka Squad is a Ugandan hip hop group. The group was formed by Babaluku, Saba Saba aka Krazy Native and Big Poppa Momo MC. Founded in the mid-1990s, it is one of the earliest hip hop groups in Uganda.
Bouncing Cats is a 2010 documentary film written and directed by Australian-American director and photographer Nabil Elderkin. The film follows the efforts of Abraham "Abramz" Tekya and Breakdance Project Uganda (BPU) to use dance to empower youth in war-torn Uganda. The film is a testimony of Crazy Legs of Rock Steady Crew and his experiences in the BPU program. The film features narration by Common and additional interviews with Mos Def, will.i.am and K'Naan. Also appearing in the film is Okot Jolly Grace, whose guidance enabled the filmmakers to see and understand the plight of children in northern Uganda.
Troy Donald Jamerson, better known by his stage name Pharoahe Monch, is an American rapper known for his complex lyrics, intricate delivery, and internal and multisyllabic rhyme schemes.
GNL Zamba, born Ernest Nsimbi, is a Ugandan hip hop artist who is credited with bringing rap and Lugaflow, a style of music to mainstream radio and other media in Uganda.
Sisterhood of Hip Hop is an American reality television series on Oxygen starring five female rappers who "navigate their way through the male-dominated music industry". The show is executive produced by rapper T.I. and premiered on August 12, 2014.
Jeff Kintu, better known by his stage name Lyrical G, is a Ugandan rapper, songwriter, record producer, and vocalist. In 2016, he was named among MTV Base's best hip hop artistes from Uganda.
Gereson Wabuyi, known professionally as Gravity Omutujju, is a Ugandan rapper. He has collaborated with numerous other Ugandan musicians, including Eddy Kenzo
St. Nelly-Sade, born Nsubuga Nelson, is a Ugandan Lugaflow rapper. He has performed on national and international stages including Bayimba International Festival of the Arts, LaBa! Arts Festival, Uganda Hip Hop Summit, as well as performances in South Sudan, Arusha, Tanzania and in various regions all over east Africa.
Alex Julius Kwesigabo, better known by his stage name Flex D'Paper, is a Ugandan rapper and songwriter born and raised in Kampala. Starting off his music career, Flex D'Paper was part of the high school rap group, The Rapaholix, which he started with friends, Dasper Cosine and later joined by Apass as an affiliate with whom the trio put out a mix tape, The Eviction Notice that included chart topping singles like "Burning", "Party Life" and "Follow Me" which topped countdowns in Uganda such as NTV and Sanyu FM. Flex D'Paper was part of the 2014 UG Cypher including the finest Ugandan rappers: Navio, Keko, Big Tril, Don MC, AirporTaxi rappers St. Nelly Sade, GNL Zamba, DJ Global, JB, The Mith, Ruyonga, and Atlas.
Patrick Lumumba, known professionally as Lumix Da Don, was a Ugandan rapper, record producer, founder and CEO of Valley Curve Recordz based in Ntinda, Kampala.
Vivian Wilson da Silva Fernandes, known professionally as Divine, is an Indian rapper. Born and raised in Andheri, Mumbai, Divine started gaining popularity after the release of his single "Yeh Mera Bombay" in 2013. He is considered as one of the biggest Rapper of Desi Hip Hop scene.He broke through with the release of "Mere Gully Mein" in 2015, which featured fellow Mumbai-based rapper Naezy.