Nick Nola | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Nicholas Tatambuka |
| Also known as | Nicky Nola |
| Born | July 1985 (age 39) |
| Origin | Kampala, Uganda |
| Genres | R&B |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, dancer |
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Years active | 2004–present |
| Labels | UGPulse (current) Platinum Records (former) |
| Website | Nick Nola |
Nicholas Tatambuka (born July 1985), [1] better known by his stage names Nick Nola and Nicky Nola, is a Ugandan R&B singer-songwriter and dancer who came to prominence as a member of the musical group Hip Hop Canvas. Signed to Platinum Records, the group first arrived on the music scene in 2005 with their single "Mother Africa", which won Best Hip Hop Single. In 2010, Nola was included in Ladybrille's list of the "15 African Breakout Artists of The Year". In 2013, HiPipo 5Star rated him the 34th most popular artist in the whole of East Africa.
Nola's interest in music developed at a young age. He started singing at elementary school emulating his favorite artists like Usher, New Edition and Boyz II Men. In high school, he competed in the All Kampala Original Song Competition at Cine Afrik, and won first place. By the time he graduated Kitante Hill School, he had begun gaining the attention of record labels around East Africa. In 2004, Shadrack, managing director of Platinum Records, discovered Nola and signed him to his music label.
Nola became a member of a group called the Hip Hop Canvas, which included GNL, Lyrical G and Qute Kaye. The group's debut studio album contained 14 tracks. Nola appeared on songs including "First Love", "Sitakiwewe", "Hip Hop Party" and "Mother Africa". The following year, Hip Hop Canvas received the Best Hip Hop Single award for "Mother Africa", and partnered with Jungle Beat to record "Yegwe", "Nkaaba" and "Down Low" alongside Mosh. The group also released the single "Brand New Day". [2]
In 2009, Nola landed a contract to be managed and endorsed by UGPulse. He subsequently began working on his debut studio album Honey Moon, an international music project featuring producers Swangz Avenue, GoodEnuf, Allan, Washington, Henry Kiwuwa and Young Pulse. The album was originally set to hit store shelves in late 2011. Nola released the singles "I Love The Way" and "Marianna", which became popular in Uganda and abroad. On 24 December 2010, Ladybrille Magazine ranked him number 15 on their list of the "15 African Breakout Artists of the Year". [3] [4]
In 2012, it was announced that Nola was working with Nigerian singer Slim Burna on a remix of his song "Oya Na" that would appear on the Honey Moon project. The remix was produced by Washington, and mixed and mastered by Lurssen Mastering in the U.S. On 23 May 2013, a brief 90-second snippet of the song premiered exclusively online via DStv. [5] [6] [7]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | "Maama" | Inspirational Song of the Year | Nominated | [8] |
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.
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.
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.
Karim Kharbouch, better known by his stage name French Montana, is a Moroccan-American rapper. Born and raised in Morocco, he immigrated to New York City with his family at the age of 13 and began his career as a battle rapper in the early 2000s — under the name Young French.
Radio & Weasel was a Ugandan music Duo that performed under their record label Goodlyfe Crew a Ugandan music group with lead performers being singers Moses Radio and [Weasel Manizo]. Moses Radio provided smooth RnB vocals while Weasel's contribution is a fusion of reggae, ragga and dancehall vibes. Because of their prominence, Moses Radio and Weasel formed their own duo known as Radio and Weasel. The Lead singer Moses and Vocalist Radio died on 1 February 2018 from brain injuries after an assault by a bouncer at a club in Entebbe. Radio's attacker threw him down about 3 metres (9.8 ft) onto a concrete pavement which resulted in massive intracranial hemorrhage. Radio and Weasel also formed The Goodlyfe Crew. The crew saw many changes in its set-up but at various times included Chagga, Lenin Briton, and Lawrence. Many of its members had their own solo projects and collaborations.
Soundcity TV is a 24-hour Nigerian lifestyle and music channel based in Lagos from Consolidated Media Associates Limited. Soundcity TV describes itself as a "pan-African urban music TV channel."
Rachel Kiwanuka, better known by her stage name Rachel K or Rachel Kay, is a Ugandan musician. Rachel K was born November 1, 1986, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The daughter of Ugandan singer Halima Namakula, Kiwanuka has recorded several successful albums, toured widely throughout the region and collaborated with Ugandan and other regional artists. She has also worked as a comedian and television presenter, making appearances on such mainstream broadcasts as Jam Agenda and Tusker Project Fame.
Teria Yarhere is a Nigerian rapper from Delta State who performs under the name M Trill. He released his debut studio album Number One in 2008 along with a follow-up mixtape entitled Ladies and Gentlemen (2010). That same year, he won the "Best West African Act" at the Channel O Music Video Awards for his single "Bounce". M Trill has been featured on songs with Timaya, Cyrus da Virus, Ruggedman, Slim Burna, 2shotz, A-Q, Kraftmatiks, Modenine, Godwon, Evaezi, and Pyrelli among others. He was ranked by BellaNaija magazine as one of the illest rappers in the game.
Port Harcourt, a city of Rivers State located to the south of Nigeria, has a thriving music scene encompassing both native African and foreign-influenced genres. It plays host to numerous radio stations, prominent recording studios, such as the Street Rhymes Studios and other music institutions. As a state capital, Port Harcourt has one of the liveliest club scenes in the country as well as music venues, bars and restaurants. As of 2015, hip hop, pop, highlife and reggae are most popular music styles among young people in the city.
Aziz Mukisa, professionally known by his stage name Aziz Azion, is a Ugandan R&B singer-songwriter, guitarist and musician. He was born Aziz Mukisa on 27 July 1986 in Fort Portal, Uganda and raised in Kampala where he attended his early school program before making his move into the music industry at an early age. Popularly known as "the guitar emperor", Aziz has graced the Ugandan and East African music charts with the songs 'Yegwe', 'Nkumila Omukwano', 'Nakupenda', 'Oxygen', 'Beera Nange', 'Nzikiriza', 'Pain Killer', and 'Yo Love', among others. Popular music promoter and veteran disc spinner DJ Erycom while appearing on a TV Show, he said that "Leero Monday" was the very first song composed and sung by Aziz Azion in the year 2007.
Doc Shebeleza is the second official single from Cassper Nyovest's debut LP Tsholofelo. The song is a tribute to South African Kwaito veteran, Doc Shebeleza. It debuted at number 4 on South Africa's official music chart.
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".
Gereson Wabuyi, known professionally as Gravity Omutujju, is a Ugandan rapper. He has collaborated with numerous other Ugandan musicians, including Eddy Kenzo
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.
Sister Charity is a western Ugandan musical artist and TV personality. She presents the morning show (Sisimuka) on TV West in Mbarara, Uganda. She is popularly known for her 2001 hit song Grade. She sings mostly in her native language Runyankore and then Luganda and English. She was listed among the best artists from Western Uganda alongside Juliana Kanyomozi, Ray G, Angella Katatumba and Toniks on Hi Pipo.
Fik Fameica also known as Fresh Bwoy, is a Ugandan rapper and songwriter. He is popularly known for showcasing his versatality in different genres including Hip-Hop, Afrobeats, Afropop and dancehall. His musical debut came in 2015 with "Pistol" under the Black Man Town music label, led by a Ugandan music icon Geosteady. His later songs, "Salawo" and "Mbega Wa Bbaala" gained him a recording contract with Kama Ivien Management. His club hit "Batuwulira" followed by "Byenyenya" made him the most booked Ugandan artist in 2017. Fik won awards in Uganda and East Africa and went on to win Uganda's most popular artist in 2017. In 2018, he was crowned Breakthrough Artist, Best in Hip-Hop and Best Rap Song for his track "Kutama" at the annual HiPipo Awards.
Afrobeats, not to be confused with Afrobeat or Afroswing, is an umbrella term to describe popular music from West Africa and the diaspora that initially developed in Nigeria, Ghana, and the UK in the 2000s and 2010s. Afrobeats is less of a style per se, and more of a descriptor for the fusion of sounds flowing out of Nigeria and Ghana. Genres such as hiplife, jùjú music, highlife, azonto music, and naija beats, among others, were amalgamated under the "Afrobeats" umbrella.
"Enjoy Yourself" is a song by the American rapper Pop Smoke, featuring the Colombian singer Karol G, from the former's posthumous first studio album, Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon (2020) as well as the EP of the same name (2020). The song was written by the performers with Rico Love, French Montana, Pierre Meador, Palaze and Luci G. It was released as a promotional single on July 2, 2020. A remix featuring the Nigerian singer Burna Boy in place of Karol G was included on the deluxe version of the album on July 20, 2020.
Kampala Boy is the first studio album by Ugandan musician Flex D'Paper, released on 10 December 2021. The album features guest appearances from Swae Lee on the intro and songs with Navio, Fik Fameica, A Pass, Keko, Shena skies, Wake the Poet, Mozelo Kidz, Kemishan, Lagum the rapper. The production includes Aethan Music, Mio Made, Sam Lamara, Wake the Poet, Bad Chwezi and Lucian.
"Talibans" is a song by Jamaican-born Kittitian recording artist Byron Messia, released on January 20, 2023, from his debut studio album No Love. Considered his breakout song, it went viral in early 2023. An official remix of the song titled "Talibans II" with Nigerian singer Burna Boy was released on July 20, 2023.
Nick Nola has been involved in several high profile projects in the music industry in Uganda. He turned 25 years in July
