Klear Kut | |
---|---|
Origin | Uganda |
Genres | Gospel |
Years active | 2000-present |
Members |
|
Klear Kut is a five-member Ugandan ensemble consisting of Navio, Papito, Abba Lang, JB, and The mith. [1] [2]
Klear Kut was formed in August 2000. The group started by performing at karaokes around Kampala and quickly gained a reputation for their original performances. They soon started performing at bigger events and caught the eye of local producer Steve Jean, with whom they recorded their first single, "Nothin’ Wrong Wit’ A Lil’ Doe." The group became the first Ugandan hip hop group to be accepted among mainstream artists.[ citation needed ]
Klear Kut then teamed up with Dawoo & Damz (D&D) Productions to record the full-length album Mind, Body & Soul. The album proved to be a success for the group, spawning the hits "All I Wanna Know" featuring Juliana and "Superstar" featuring Bebe Cool. The singles topped the charts in Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania.
The video for "All I Wanna Know" pioneered modern video production in Uganda. It earned the group two nominations at the prestigious 2002 Kora All Africa Music Awards in the "Most Promising African Group" and "Revelation of the Year" categories. This also made them the first Ugandan group to be nominated at the KORAs. Klear Kut was also nominated at the 2003 Pearl of Africa Music Awards and won the award for "Best Hip Hop Group." The group also released another album, K2, which featured the hit single "Mon Coeur/Murder of Crows." The video was on heavy rotation on WBS as well as TV Africa before the station's demise. The video topped the EATV Top 10 music video charts. The video would further create new records by being the first Ugandan music video to be featured on MTV . The album features Bebe Cool, TID, Benon, Rania, E-Von & Poetic.
Klear Kut has built a solid reputation as live performers and has performed at a number of live outdoor events including the Shaggy Boombastic Concert, Miss Uganda, Tevin Campbell New Year Concert, Sanyu Carnival in Uganda, Miss Kenya and Coca-Cola Race Day in Kenya, Bongo All-Stars in Tanzania, Sauti Za Busara in Zanzibar. They have also performed at the Harare International Festival of the Arts (HIFA) alongside African greats such as Femi Kuti (Nigeria) and Habib Koite (Mali).
The group has been featured in the production of both audio and video commercials for companies such as Coca-Cola, MTN, PSI Protector, BB Soda, Allied Bank, Celtel, Guinness, and Pepsi. Klear Kut has also been involved in AIDS awareness and anti-smoking campaigns, performing and speaking to youth about those issues.
At the 2008 Kisima Music Awards Klear Kut was nominated for the Ugandan Video of the Year category for their video "Klear discussion" [3]
Necessary Noize was a Kenyan hip hop group.
Bebe Cool is a reggae and ragga musician from Uganda. He started his career around 1997 in Nairobi, Kenya, but moved back to his native country a few years later. Bebe Cool was one of the first artists affiliated with Ogopa DJs, a production house and record label in Kenya.
Saba Saba, also known as Krazy Native is a rapper and social activist from Uganda.
Joseph Mayanja, better known by the stage name Jose Chameleone, is a Ugandan AfroBeat artist and musician. Chameleone sings in Luganda, English, and Swahili.
Harrison Mungai "Harry" Kimani is a Kenyan musician and composer.
P-Unit is a Kenyan hip hop group consisting of Kenyan hip hop artists Frasha, Gabu, and Bon-eye.
The Kisima Music Awards is an annual awards program that recognises musical talent in East Africa. Despite being Kenyan-based the scheme awards artists from a variety of countries, predominantly Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, and incorporates a range of music genres.
Paul Julius Nunda, better known by his stage name Jua Cali, is a Kenyan rapper and record producer. In 2000, together with record producer Clemo, he founded Calif Records where he has been ever since, producing music which dominated East African music alongside Jose Chameleone of Uganda and Mr. Nice of Tanzania. Jua Cali performs in Swahili and Sheng in a popular Kenyan style of rapping called genge.
Blu 3 was a Ugandan Girl group formed in April 2004 after winning the TV show Coca Cola Popstars. The name is contrived to mean 3 Beautiful Ladies from Uganda. Original members were Jackie Chandiru, Lilian Mbabazi and Cinderella Sanyu. After winning the contest, they went on to record the albums Hitaji (2004) and Burrn (2007). The Hitaji album spawned the hit singles "Hitaji", "Frisky" and the afro beat "Tomalaako". The girls launched Hitaji at lugogo cricket stadium in December 2004 with thousands of fans. The "Hitaji" video went on to win the Pearl of Africa Music Award for Video of the Year.
Kleptomaniax is a rap group from Nairobi, Kenya. The group consists of three members: Roba, Collo and Nyashinski.
Lovy and Christian Longombas are a duo from Kenya performing a mixture of Hip hop and Soukous. Christian Longomba died on March 13, 2021 after being diagnosed with a brain tumor in May 2015.
Mercy Myra Grundberg, better known as Mercy Myra, is an R&B musician from Kenya.
East African Bashment Crew is a Kenyan-Ugandan reggae group formed by Bebe Cool from Uganda and his contemporaries. It consists of three members, Bebe Cool from Uganda, and the Kenyan duo Necessary Noize. All of them were already established musicians when the group was formed in 2005. While the members of the group concentrate on their main projects, East African Bashment Crew reunites every now and then.
Kevin Waire, best known by his stage name Wyre, is a Kenyan R&B and reggae musician. He is known for being a member of the groups Necessary Noize and East African Bashment Crew, as well as his solo career.
Moses Qqu Odhiambo, known commonly as Qqu is a Kenyan singer, songwriter, choreographer, performer, instrumentalist, lifestyle entrepreneur and digital artist.
Daniel Lubwama Kigozi is a Ugandan rapper and record producer. Starting off his career, he was part of the award-winning hip hop group Klear Kut, along with fellow rappers The Mith & JB, that introduced the term "Ugaflow" to describe Uganda's hip hop scene. Navio is best known for his successful solo career with hits such as "Ngalo", "Bugumu", "One & Only", and "On and On".
Cinderella Sanyu is a Ugandan musician. She was one of the original members of Blu*3, along with Lilian Mbabazi and Jackie Chandiru. She has performed with P-Square, Wahu, Beenie Man, Ne-Yo, Tiwa savage, Bobi Wine, Shaggy, Chameleon, Bebe Cool, Davido, Mr. G and Radio & Weasel.
Jackie Chandiru is a Ugandan musician popularly known by the polynym "Queen Of The Nile". She was the lead member of the girl music group Blu*3, based in Kampala, Uganda's capital and largest city. In 2014, she was a featured artist in "Coke Studio Africa".
Lillian Mbabazi is a Rwandan-Ugandan recording artist and entertainer. She was born in Uganda to Rwandan Parents. According to a Ugandan publicist at Bryan Morel Publications, Lilian's music style is neo-soul associated with R&B Band tendencies. She was a member of Blu*3. In 2014, she was one of the featured artists in the second season of "Coke Studio Africa".
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.