Sheebah vs Cindy: When Ugandan music goes to war

By Richard Kintu

Over the years several artistes have confessed that their music was inspired by life’s trials, tribulations and happy moments they have gone through. It is thus not by mistake that many Ugandan artistes have built careers off battles they find themselves locked in with fellow musicians. Currently, Uganda’s ‘swag mama’ Queen Sheebah is locked in a musical war with rival Cindy aka The King Herself. In this article we bring to you some of the most prominent musicians and their war songs:

Cindy and Sheebah

Theirs is the ongoing musical war. Their feud started as a verbal battle, with Cindy ‘dissing’ Sheebah as the ‘queen of lip-synching’. Simply put, she accused Sheebah of leading the group of Ugandan singers who would be vending used bras had it not been for the advent of auto tune which refines the voices of voiceless singers.  Sheebah fought back by splashing her plush home in Cindy’s face, taunting her for having ‘nothing to show for all those years of singing’. Having had enough, Cindy dared Sheebah into a live music battle; an offer Sheebah has since chickened out of. This cowardice forced Cindy into studio where she decided to shoot Sheebah dead with a new single copycat, accusing her of trying to be like her.  But Sheebah is not the type to lie low like an envelope; she has replied Cindy with two songs so far including ‘Jealousy’ and ‘Kimansulo’. Unfortunate for Sheebah however, the songs have turned out to be her worst ever songs since she ditched dancing nude and the now defunct Buddies Bar for a career in music. This possibly confirms that indeed, they were done out of frustration. We now wait to see where this beef will end.

Fresh Kid and Kapiripiit

This goes down as the most interesting of these battles. This is simply because it is more of a battle of one man fighting another’s Shadow. Without doubt, Patrick Ssenyonjo aka Fresh Kid is Uganda’s ever greatest kid singer thus far, eclipsing his ancestors including Baby Gloria and Pastor David Bweyinda. His success has however awakened many demons, with adults and fellow kids alike making him their concern. But while most adults think they know what is best for his welfare, kid singer Kapiripiit rose through the woods to try and ride on his ‘nemesis’ for some fame. We are yet to see the fruits of this little soul’s work because his ‘Genda ku sukuulu’ song seems to be miles behind Fresh Kid’s bangers in which he only brags about how big a star he is. If you ask for our opinion, all we can say is; ‘buuza manager’, Fresh Kid’s signature!

Kiwoko Boys/Bebe Cool and Radio Mose

Trading and Eighton and Rain, the duo rose like hunter dogs from  Bebe Cool’s Gagamel Entertainment to besiege and attack Goodlyf music legend Moses Ssekibogo aka Mose Radio (RIP). Apparently, their master had sent them to ‘sing sense’ into deceased singer for flirting with his wife in the song ‘Zuena’.  Having felt the scratches, the creative genius in Radio replied Bebe Cool with stinging disses, reminding him to use the opportunity of a music career to make wealth rather than bragging about being a Minister’s (Jaberi Bidandi Ssali) son. This was in the song ‘Ability’ that also featured Rabadaba. The beef somehow died out when Mose gained more fame, dated several other babes including whites and Bebe Cool consoled himself by bashing the Goodlyf boys in Cartoon and Baboon.

Bobi Wine and Bebe Cool

This could pass as one of the most enduring Ugandan music battles of our times. For starters, these two are the fathers of contemporary diss music having teamed up to ridicule Jose Chamelone in their hit, ‘Funtula’. In the song, they shredded Chameleone for bragging yet he ‘survived off a woman’s sweat’. However, Bebe Cool and Bobi Wine were to alter fall out and turn guns against themselves. The pinnacle of this war erupted when Zuena fled Bebe Cool’s home and the former went lyrical with ‘Agenze’ as a way of pleading with his wife to return. And, as a way of dancing on his rival’s grave, Bobi Wine outed ‘Wesortinge’ to remind Bebe Cool to keep his family woes to himself. In a sympathy-seeking tone, Bebe Cool replied his chest thumping nemesis with ‘Bamugambe’ urging Bobi Wine to keep off lovers’ issues.

Chameleone and Bebe Cool/Bobi Wine

This list cannot be complete without the king of Uganda’s contemporary afro beat sound, Joseph Mayanja aka Jose Chameleone. As well as being the pioneer of the modern music era, Chameleone was the first victim of war music. This was after Bebe Cool and Bobi Wine formed the Firebase Crew and attacked Chameleone with their Funtula hit. Undone, Chameleone replied them with a barrage of songs, doing ‘Nekolera Maali’ to assure them that he was well aware of all his decisions but most importantly they were supposed to financially liberate him. From then on, the trio have gone on to reap big from fight songs directed at one another.

Raga Dee and Chameleone

Before Chameleone made it in the music industry, the king of music was actually Raga Dee. Having broken off the Perfect Generation group of the early 1990’s Raga Dee quickly curved out a successful solo career with his monstrous hit ‘Bamusakata’, followed by ‘Banakampala Bogera’. He then inspired a host of acts including late Menton Summer, Emperor Orlando, Boogie Woogie (now Amooti Omubalanguzi) and later Chameleone. But once Chameleone gained the fame, he quickly forgot the hand that fed him, and attacked Raga Dee with verbal jibes. Left without enough strength to go physical, ‘Jajja’ Raga Dee hit Chamelone musically with the song, ‘Bampalampa’. Chameleone replied in equal measure, telling off Raga Dee with the hit ‘Kipepeo’. In the song, Chameleone declared how he had soared so high like a butterfly and all Raga Dee could do was to admire the new king on the block’s success. The pair however would later in life make up in a reunion concert that was organised by their mutual friend, Maj. Juma Seiko at Lido Beach.

Fred Serugga and Catherine Kusasira

This former Eagles Production couple goes down in history as Uganda’s most enigmatic couple. Before their hormones stabilized to allow them stay together, Sserugga and Kusasira spent a good part of their twenties and early thirties sampling wild meat at the expense of each other. As such, public feuds over accusations and counteraccusations of infidelity were daily bread against each other. At the peak of these, Kusasira even tried to move in with another man and all she could leave with Sserugga were taunts in her song ‘Enkola ya Taxi’. But rather than wallow in self-pity, Sserugga replied with ‘Enkola ya Boda’ and then ‘Omusajja Kiti kya muwogo’, assuring his departed lover that he had already replaced her. Soon however, Kusaasira realized she was only a woman and so came back apologizing for forgiveness in ‘Sonyiwa banno’. Indeed, Sserugga heard the message and recently the pair legalized their union. Today, Kusassira has even become political, taking on the unrivaled title of ‘Minister for Condolences’.

Chagga and Chameleone

As soon as Chameleone emerged on the music scene so did Chagga, his famous side kick. But after years working for his boss without much personal success, Chagga called it quits to start it anew on his own. This did not go down well with Chameleone, so he sent him off with ‘Befuula’ in reference to his ungratefulness. However, Chagga would later tell the world why he quit in his ‘Wakayima’, a song where he revealed that he hated the fact that Chameleone always acted the legendary Ichuli (Wakayima) to take a lion’s share of whatever they made together while also enslaving them.

Chameleone and Goodlyf

The story of these two parties is one of mentor and mentee. The Goodlyf dynamic duo of Mose Radio (RIP) and Weasel TV cut their musical teeth at Chameleone’s Leone Island empire before going on to conquer their own world.  However, the latter were cut off their master’s apron strings acrimoniously, thus touching off a battle of hate music directed in opposite directions. Feeling betrayed by ‘boys’ he nursed to music maturity, Chameleone branded them traitors in his song ‘Bayuda’. To show him that he was not without blemish, they flooded him with beef music including ‘Lwaki Tokula’ and ‘Nyambula’ to remind him how he mistreated them while they were still paupers under his wraps. These were followed by other hits including ‘Camilla’, ‘Sitaani’ and ‘Ngenda Mumaaso’. Amidst all this however, they somehow found a way to remain frenemies, perhaps pulled by the realization that Chameleone and Weasel’s blood would always be thicker than the water in Mose Radio.

Mathias Walukagga and ‘Samona’/Fred Nkambwe

While Kadongokamu music is not known for many battle spaces, a couple of them have actually existed, the most recent being that which pitted Mathias Walukagga against former Samona jelly tycoon Salongo Kasawuli and others. Surprisingly, the pair is said to have fallen out due to a woman. In retaliation, Walukagga hit Kasawuli with ‘Tuleppuke’, a song in which the musician extended the attack to Kasawuli’s Samona jelly.  Incensed, Kasawuli hired little known singer Fred Nkambwe aka Dr. Protector to diss Walukagga in ‘Majegere’. The battle however, only ended when Samona sued Walukagga for defamation and even had the latter jailed.

Such is the enduring life of our some of musicians who have chosen the ‘warriors’ path.