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Rap music gets real exciting to listen to when diss songs between rival rappers are thrown back and forth.

Some of the best rap songs in Uganda have been diss songs; to wit-Atlas the African’s-Jealous Bi*tches and Babaluku’s-“Straight spit”.
Rappers are wordsmiths so needless to say, a real serious rap beef will escalate into a war of words.

Diss songs in rap are songs that deride the authenticity, flamboyance, charisma and lyrical ability of a rival rapper.
In the world of hip hop, originality is treasured and any forms of mediocrity in one’s word play or lyricism are frowned upon.

In the years of old, principally around the mid 80’s and mid 90’s, rap fans across the globe waited for rap beef songs, like 2pac’s “Hit em Up”, Ice Cube’s “No Vaseline” and Nas “Ether” with an almost hysterical sense of eagerness, akin to the Stella Nyanzi fans penchant for her insolent posts in the aftermath of her suspension from Makerere.
To boot; most of olden days rap beef songs were replete with petulant and sometimes humorous punch lines, poetics, threats and diatribes, just like Nyanzi’s posts.

Infamous as some of the diss songs were, they had great massive appeal and pushed sales units for 2pac, Ice Cube and Nas; just like Nyanzi’s posts gained her likes and followers.
The songs drew forth interest in hip hop and that was at a time when the fundamentals of the genre were starting to be compromised.
Increasingly the lyrical template for rappers at the time had become money, cars, women, clothes; subject matter that ran counter to original template for rappers, which was addressing society’s ills and speaking out against oppression and discrimination against African Americans.

The only anticlimax after the release of 2pac’s “Hit em up” record in particular was that 2pac and Biggie Smalls whom most people knew as Notorious B.I.G and whom 2pac was attacking in the Hit em up song, lost their lives.
2pac had accused Biggie and his posse of trying to kill him in a robbery in New York’s Quad studios.
2pac released hit me up in the aftermath of the robbery, in which he was shot 5 times.
Despite that dark chapter in rap history, rap beefs continued but mostly for the entertainment value. Threats were thrown back and forth but nothing out of the ordinary happened. The beefs stayed on wax (on the records).

In Uganda, most rappers with bones of contention have chosen the subliminal way (indirect) when they make diss records, aimed at perceived rivals.
In a subliminal diss song, a rapper hardly name drops his rivals but when you listen close to the rhymes, there are broad hints of who is in his cross hairs.
Classic example has been Atlas the African with his numerous diss records aimed at Navio and his posse of the Mith and J.B.

The reasons that beef sparked off are still unclear but word from the grapevine was that Atlas felt he was not being given enough props (read Hip Hop for respect).
“Atlas was by then still relatively unknown in Uganda’s rap industry. He had created a buzz for himself with songs like “My Swag” and “Wait and See” but at length, he felt he had a bone to pick with the Navio camp and that is when he started releasing songs like illuminated,” Gideon Kibuka, a Hip Hop producer, explains.

In “illuminated” Atlas goes at Navio with ferocity; amongst other things, intimating that Navio is a comic who should be rapping at the comedy nights that used to be held at Effendy’s.
He also called out Navio for agreeing to appear on a child Molester’s song.

The child Molester being R.Kelly and the song referenced was-“Hands across the world”.
 Needless to say, R.Kelly has been accused of being a sexual predator.

The word play that Atlas displayed in “illuminated was replay worthy and exciting.
The song created quite a buzz for Atlas among some Ugandan rap fans especially the ones that always felt that Navio was over rated.
To the consternation of Navio fans, he did not release a rejoinder diss song.

A Navio response at that time would have fanned the flame that Atlas had sparked and would have given him chance to showcase his rap battling skills; which skills, Navio himself has said won him laurels in one of South Africa’s toughest rap battle events.
He lost that opportunity and needless to say, his detractors swung into action, saying he is not as lyrical as he thinks he is.


Atlas did not rest on his laurels after the “illuminated” record.
After a fight, reportedly at one of Kampala’s bubbling night spots, with J.B of Klear Kut, he went to the booth and released more verbal venom in a song, he called-J.B or “Jealous Bi*tch”.
Notice how he disparagingly played pan with the J.B initials.
“Fans who thought the J.B song was only aimed at J.B were mistaken as Atlas, as well threw verbal jabs at the Mith and Navio in the second and third verse. For a rap fiend like myself, that song manifested one thing, which was that Atlas is no joke lyrically,” Gladys Kituyi, an entertainment blogger, says.

Atlas went on and released other subliminal diss songs that did not get responses like “You got nothing on me,” and the more recent in “they still hating”
In “they still hating” Atlas again goes hard at Navio.

“If Navio or his crew had responded, it would have created a major buzz for Ugandan Hip Hop but they took a back seat; though some inside scoop had it that Navio had actually recorded rebuttal songs, but rap fans have never heard them,” Kibuka opines.

The Luga flow world has also seen its fair share of beefs.
Beefs that have brought out some phenomenal lyrical poetics and word play from the genre’s best.
Some that stand out include Babaluku’s “Straight Spit” where he lyrically annihilates the Lugaflow duo-Sylvester and Abrams.
In the song, Babaluku attacked Sylvester and Abrams as being run of the mill and calls them out for trying to trash his legacy as the pioneer of Lugaflow.


At the time, Babaluku was on a roll and “Straight Spit” cemented his place as one of the best, if not the best Lugaflow lyricist in Kampala.
As vicious and disparagingly as the song was, it did not get a rejoinder.

“It might have played into the hands of Sylvester and Abrams had they responded but it would have been a tough call for them to pit their wits against a talented rapper of Babaluku’s caliber. The subsequent subliminal diss song-“Twakugudemu” by Abrams, only released about a year ago was not strong enough lyrically and interms of delivery as well,” Ronald Odongo, a seasoned Blogger says.


Babaluku has not only been enmeshed in rap beef with Sylvester and Abrams. It is common knowledge that there is no love lost between him and Navio and his crew.
The most recent subliminal diss record from Babaluku was “Batulidewo” where he and Saba Saba-his cohort from the Bataka Squad fire off lyrical shots at any naysayers.

The other prominent Lugaflow beef has pitted new comer-St Nellysade against an old timer and veteran wordsmith in Mulekwa.

Rumours of beef between the two started doing the rounds after Mulekwa released “Abanno Bano” a diss track aimed at Nellysade.
In the song, he accuses Nellysade of jacking his style-literally meaning he stole his rap style. Nellysade, as you can reckon, has not responded.


GNL, for his part, has also thrown off several subliminals at his competition but the braggadocio and hyperbole embedded in his verses at times makes it hard to make out who he is dissing.

Fans however easily discerned who his intended target was in the captivating songs-“Ceasar” and “Tebangatika”.
Gravity was in his cross hairs. No response has been heard from Gravity, thus far.

Other prominent Ug M.C’s that have been embroiled in beefs include Foeva emcee and Baboon Forest’s Tommy Race.
Code and Tucker H.D.

A BRIEF ON RAP BEEFS
Rap song beefs are as old as the Hip Hop genre itself.
 (Hip Hop was started in the early 70’s in New York).
The first prominent rap beef saw rap legends Krs One and Mc Shan squaring off.
The two protagonists dueled over whose neighborhood was the best and who was the best lyrically. In the end, Krs One from the Bronx-New York came out on top. Shan was from the Queensbridge area of New York.

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The Imbalu Candidate above knows his time of reckoning has come. To be recognised as a man in Bugisu,Eastern Uganda, one has to undergo Imbalu (Circumcision) and it’s no Joke.
The Black swamp mud smearing ritual that the guy above is being taken through does not take place in a domestic setting. It takes place in a muddy swamp associated with Kumusambwa Kwe’Imbalu, or the ancestral power of Imbalu.
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Putting out flash in the pan,

From Entebbe’s aero beach, it took us approximately 25 minutes to get to Lake Victoria’s Equator Island.
The winds were blowing mildly and the lake’s blue waters were tranquil. Our destination was an Island on the lake where the lake’s waters straddle the equator.
It is said the Equator line runs through two of the lake’s Islands, principally Damba and Lwaji.
Before we embarked on our voyage however, we had to bid some time, spending close to half an hour, waiting for the mechanics to prepare the ferry’s decks for the ride on Africa’s largest lake.
Excitedly waiting with me, were the East African Mariners, most of whom seemed very eager to stand a treat of their maiden voyage on the famed lake.


The excitement was written on almost everybody’s face. Aside of the adventure, the mariners also had a worthwhile cause to accomplish that day. They were on a mission to donate life saving jackets to the Islander’s fishing communities.
Going by the accounts I heard before we set forth, majority of the lake’s fishermen go on ill-advised fishing expeditions without life saving jackets, even deep in the night when even people without aqua phobia would be dead frightened to ride on the ominous looking waters.
When we finally departed, it was an exhilarating experience. It was a joy ride devoid of bumps and grinds, due to the fact that the lake’s waters are free of reefs and there was not a single trace of a tidal wave. Those sitting down as we rode were heard saying, the ferry was going perpendicular, straight like the way the crow bird fly’s. From the vantage point of the deck however, one could see that the ferry was making turns.


Everyone seemed buoyant when we caught sight of the first Island. There was lots of hoopla all around us. Smiles seemed not locked away. Face’s lit up, by the endless repertoire of jokes, coming courtesy of the many happy go lucky emcees we had onboard. Amazing charms struck our eyes as we rode off on the rather placid waters that characterized the lake that day. It seemed only natural when an old gentleman seated at the back of the ferry exclaimed, God is great. It was spell binding watching the different varieties of birds chirping and flapping away. We caught glimpses of Kingfishers and the egrets flying low on the surface of the water, eager to catch some prey. It was fun too watching all the revelers on the sandy beaches we were leaving behind in our wake.

The Kamikaze fishermen paddling their canoes past us however seemed non chalant. Most looked all too consumed up in their trivial round. Regardless, the sight of them trying to catch fish with their baits ticked the fancies of many on the ferry.
Midway through our voyage, Uganda air force planes hovered over us. Luckily we had some UPDF marines on deck to charm everybody down.
Lake Victoria has many ring shaped archipelagos that many of the fishing communities’ inhabit. They are eye candy especially when you are riding on a ferry.

On the face of it, many of these communities abode in old corrugated iron sheet shelters. All the structures seem provisional. When we went past one of the inhabited Islands, a group of 6 bark naked men were taking a bath on the edges of the Island. Some even had the nerve to wave at us in their birthday suits. As our ferry cruised past the many archipelagos on our way to our destination, almost everybody wanted to catch a glance of these curiosities of nature. It is said Lake Victoria has 84 of them.

We finally reached our destination, Lwaji Island. Plenty of Bird life exists here, going by what we saw when we alighted the ferry. There were many birds flying in and out of their nestling grounds. What fascinated us most however, is the fact that this particular Island seems un-inhabited, save for the few UPDF marine soldiers we found there. Some bits of the Island are cleared of bushy vegetation whilst the rest seems more like bear garden.

On this picturesque Island, one can enjoy a wide view of the lake, the Entebbe airport run way and the other surrounding Islands. The atmosphere and breeze all around us was pleasantly refreshing. On the Island too, you will be able to spot a tree that has incredibly grown on the Island’s rocky surface. The Island can be a good respite, place if you fancy a quiet place to lay your life issues to heart. If sightseeing is your cup of tea too, this island is the perfect get away The Island just like the rest on Lake Victoria are of considerable conservation value but nothing seems to show this particular one is or has been visited or revamped of recent. Before our tour ended, we lined up for photo opportunities at the Equator line. There is a signpost designating the spot where the equator line passes just like in Masaka. ACCESS To get to Lwaji Island, one will have to part with a small amount of money. There are ferry’s that take visitors there often. Ask when you reach Entebbe town or aero beach.

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 It is often said a traveler who does not observe is like a bird without wings. Like the rest of us, a bird without wings, hardly ever experiences what birds with wings experience, that panoramic and picturesque view of Mother Nature
For you the Ugandan or the Visitor with cast about eyes, quite an eye candy feast awaits you, that is if you travel around Uganda often, especially to regions of the country which are virgin territory in terms of visits. One such place is Wanale Mountain in Bugisu.
It may be hypothetical to say but there is some degree of truth in the oft-held narrative that Ugandans are apathetic as regards things like tourism. The picture could not any clearer, looking at it from the Wanale perspective. Visitors and recreationists visiting Wanale have kept on dropping through the years.
That said however, Uganda, without a shadow of any doubt, still remains one of the best endowed nations, nature wise. When you pay a visit to Mountain Wanale, you will agree with me.
Perhaps the highest praise Uganda ever got was from Sir Winston Churchill, he bestowed on Uganda, the Laurel-Pearl of Africa.
To bear witness to what Churchill said, travel around the country often. You will stand a treat of the best nature has to offer in its majesty.
Churchill did not visit Mbale but if he had, he would definitely say something about the undisputed grandeur of Mountain Wanale. This is a place of such transcendent beauty. If your are into Mountain climbing or trekking, Wanale should be a great attraction. The ascent to its peak is an exhilarating experience.
Wanale or Nkokonjeru Mountain as some people call it, is an impressive mountain splendour, replete with precipices, escarpments, deep valleys, water streaked cliffs, caves, rocks and rugged crags.
Standing at a length of 7.67 kilometers, Wanale can be viewed from all areas in Mbale. It covers a huge portion of Bugisu’s land surface. Mbale town literally lies at its foot. From town, one can discern three splendid looking waterfalls. These all originate from the mountain top.
From the mountain top too, one will have an amazing panoramic view of mbale town.
“Wanale is Bugisu’s temple of nature. From the days of old, many visitors expressed instinctive awe at the sight of this mountain. The waters that flow from Wanale spread to every river in Uganda,” States 86 year old Muyesa Francis, an elder in Mukhuwa village
Named after one of the sons of Masaba, the patriarch/father of the Bagisu, Mountain Wanale is believed to be the place where Nabarwa, the Kalenjin woman who prevailed upon Masaba to get circumcised before they got married, came from, on her way from Kenya.

“The Nkokonjeru name that Semei Kakungulu’s people used to refer to that mountain came from the legend that Wanale, son of Masaba, reared only white chickens. Wanale lived on top of the mountain Friends from Bugisu called Wanale, Singokho or someone who likes chicken. The Baganda chose to name the mountain Nkokonjeru because of the many white chickens, Wanale reared. They assumed every inhabitant on the mountain reared white chicken,” narrates Mzee Moses Wakitonyi, an elder in Mutoto, Mbale
Wakitonyi says many of the mountain’s earliest inhabitants lived in caves. “There are many caves on the mountain, though people know only one. The early Bamasaba who called Wanale home dwelled in these caves. Wanale has 4 hills. Few people know about this too. A hike through a trail at the western end of the ridge will lead one to Khaukha cave, which is the most prominent cave of them all,” Wakitonyi says
Legend has it that Khaukha cave which is embossed with unique calligraphic inscriptions on its walls, has an ill fated water stream. Wakitonyi says the tale told of the stream is true. Many people thought it was an illusion until 4 men became lame when they crossed the stream. Nobody could explain how that happened. It was and is still a mystery,” Wakitonyi explains
The other wonders that Wanale offers are its many waterfalls. If you are a mountain recreationist, you will be spoilt for choice.
The beauty of Wanale’s waterfalls is unmatched.
Namatsyo waters falls for example, falls two miles down from the mountain top and submerges in rocky tunnels deep.
“The waterfall disappears down in the rocks under. It is completely obscured and immersed. The water reemerges and hits the surface from its underground pathway in villages like Bumboi and Mooni,” Wakitonyi states
HOW TO GET THERE
From the high court in Mbale, that is if you decide to walk, it is approximately 18 miles to reach Wanale.
To get to Wanale with a taxi or personal car, brace yourself for a 30-40 minute road ride.
Take a left turn road after the Mbale high court and follow the road that goes down to Busamaga Primary School.
On reaching the aforementioned Primary School, take a right turn, follow Bumboi road. Proceed along the main road.
From Busamaga Primary School, it will take one roughly 15-20 minutes to reach the peak of Wanale.
The other routes to the mountain top may be slightly risky, especially if one is making a maiden visit.

Accommodation
Enroute to Wanale, accommodation can be got at the nearby Elgon suites in Mango village.
It is on the highway as one heads to the Mountain top. Accommodation can also be got in senior quarters, Mbale.
If you love mountaineering or you are that person who just wants to have an aesthetic appreciation of nature, make it a point to visit this magnificent temple of nature.
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