Music is Bebe’s only source of income. He is a husband. A father of five and takes care for many more less privileged children under his newly launched, Amber Foundation. If you deny him the right to earn, you’re frustrating not just him, not just his family, but the children he finds on the streets with heart diseases. The kids he pays school fees for. Bebe was born in a well-to-do family. His father can take care of him if the music stopped playing. But how about the kids he takes care of?
If Urine cools Bebe’s fire…
It has been beef songs; songs like Kataala by Bobi Wine. It has bar brawls. It has been hurling insults on social media. But Bebe Cool has stayed strong on stage; singing, bragging, kissing Zuena, talking about her knickers, et al. His entire music career has been punctuated by such. Those things fuel his popularity and he knows. He will court controversy because it works for him. However, things seem to be taking a nasty turn. The masses are booing him off the stage on which he has sang for a decade plus. What’s more, they are throwing bottles filled with urine at him. The other week, he was forced off stage at Club Ambiance Masaka. Then on Friday, he suffered the same at Lugogo during the Swangz Avenue All Stars concert. He has become the froth on everyone’s lips following the incident.
Bebe is not fazed. It seems. He says he won’t stop singing, talking and riding inside the yellow bus. On the other hand, promoters are saying they won’t hire him not until he either apologises to Bobi Wine or joins the People Power brigade. Too bad. Music is Bebe’s only source of income. He is a husband. A father of five and takes care for many more less privileged children under his newly launched, Amber Foundation. If you deny him the right to earn, you’re frustrating not just him, not just his family, but the children he finds on the streets with heart diseases. The kids he pays school fees for.
Bebe was born in a well-to-do family. His father can take care of him if the music stopped playing. But how about the kids he takes care of?
Ugandan musicians are not international
Tarrus Riley was in Uganda recently for a couple of days, and had a concert to remember at Lugogo Cricket Oval. During a press conference, he was asked to name some of the musicians he knows, he said, nara. He knows no one. Not Eddy Kenzo who won a BET. He who is always on the plane to sing at international festivals. He who is known by P.diddy, French Montana and many superstars worldwide. He doesn’t know Bobi Wine, the guy whose political involvement has earned him mass international coverage on CNN. Tarrus doesn’t know Chameleone. Or Bebe Cool. This guy has kamanyiro, but he is not to blame. The blame goes to the Journalists who keep asking visiting musicians whether they know our stars. What’s the question intended to achieve?
To be known by Tarrus or another artiste from Jamaica doesn’t win you accolades. It doesn’t show musical weight.
