Whether it’s a stunt to trend on social media or an outburst to emotions artists have long been the focus of moral panic in our society as many youth look up to them as role models and the latest is Weasel of the Goodlyfe who assaulted his shamba boy Kaweesi, a tough one to judge, since he is often placed in a violent subset of Ugandan musicians.
Swinging slaps, bone breaking, skull cracking, going on to detail are a series of incidents in which our local artists violently act supposedly catalysed by alcohol and other toxic substances they allegedly consume.
It’s a conundrum as old as entertainment itself, do the actions of these musicians reflect directly on the characteristic of our music industry, or shape it?
Nonetheless, because of the way the Ugandan music industry is networked via social media, leading some listeners and viewers to believe that they are the subjects of the taunting actions, there are valid worries that continued acts of violence could corrode the new generation of artist.
WHERE IT ALL STARTED?
It is believed that acts of violence cropped up in the late 1990’s as the “Big Three” kicked off their musical journeys. That is Bebecool, Bobiwine and Chameleon. Observers suggest that at that time when Congolese music had engulfed the local entertainment sector these three wise men decided to start a campaign to kick out foreign music and serve the audience with local content.
Together they started constructive competition which later fermented into a crude physical confrontation with the smell of violence tainted allover. This occurrence not only brought about some of the still living hits in the history of Uganda but also planted a seed of hate where the young artists thought to be successful one had to beef another artist. “the competition between the three artists caused division among the fans where some incidences it was not the artist fighting but fans beating the hell out of each other,” a source revealed.
WHAT CAUSES VIOLENCE WITHIN THE INDUSTRY?
The music sector has different stake holders each having a role they play and cannot escape the forces of violence once they erupt, be it in a public space or even online as times have evolved. Uganda has witnessed fights among artists, between different fan camps, between journalists and artist to mention but a few. This doesn’t mean that they should persist, the evolution of the industry suggests that fighting in this era de-popularises the artist or even his fans verse the past where fights earned one status. Accessing the direct causes of the continuous acts of violence below are some of the common cause:
Psychological status of the artist, its not a secret that an artist like any other human faces stress and anxiety. Especially the fact that they get less hours of sleep and might not necessarily be on the best of diets.
Intoxication. Most of the artists allegedly consume lots of alcohol or other intoxicating substance such as marijuana, cocaine etc.
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Social media stunts. Our local industry unfortunately is characterized with stunts to promote their music. Hiding behind the saying there is no bad PR (public relation) some artists get involved in physical confrontations to sneak their way into media, before one knows they have released a song in relation to what they have done.
Upbringing. Artsists come from different walks of life and one might be a product of violent upbringing so they keep on with the character instilled in them.
Spiritual interventions. Some artists blame their violence on witchcraft or bad spirits.
Much as there are more reasons to why they act immorally it’s something strongly condemned.
WHAT SHOULD BE DONE?
with the false notion that celebrities are above the law as seen from many assault cases reported to the police disappearing in thin air, our local artists must be aware that they are accountable to the law.
“The industry is not as professional as it should be,” Derrick Mugabi a local music fanatic explains as a reason to why artists find themselves involved in fights. He further says that the artists need to accept who they are and seek help if they find themselves volatile.
While this debate could suggest endless solutions to break this affair between our music industry and violence, everything goes down to each individual to think before they act. Artists’ should respect themselves, proffessionalise, fully utilize their talents not to depend on stunts, involve one another in constructive and healthy competition among other and the rest will be history.
written by Joash Yose
