EOW Uganda MC Challenge

[batgrl]

The MC Challenge 29 December was an absolute success! I met DJ Apeman at 3 at Feathers to ensure the sound was on point. The manager of Feathers, Michael, helped me gather supplies and create a stage with candles and lanterns.....the guy who was going to bring lights never showed up so we had to be constructive with our resources. As darkness set, people arrived, slowly but surely. As soon as we had all the Challengers and judges, we started with the Ship Cru, 4 boys aged 5-11 who are prolific rappers thanks to the guidance and teachings of Babaluku and the Bavubuka All*Starz. A few more people rapped their way across the pavement stage while some guy who I just met, ran to get a flood light to assist with the ambience. I’m thankful he did, as the judges would not have been able to see the judging form if not. I was able to get the top Hip Hop artist in Uganda, GNL Zamba to come judge. A lot of people think he is fake, a lot of people love him and tear up the dance floor to his music, and some people are just jealous that he has money. Ah, commercial success. He is a humble man and made a comment that he’s never seen anything like the EOW MC Challenge. Another judge was Lady Slyke, a well known female MC who is part Lauryn Hill, part Erykah Badu. She came to me after the show with sheer joy of being involved with EOW. The third judge was Benon, one of the top producers in Uganda. He approached me after the show and said he should be paying me as he was entertained. MC Twigy and Gold Street Studios producer Vince hosted the Challenge smoothly (relatively) and kept the masses peaceful. My rival and enemy, Ugly, who appeared in a previous blog for trying to take me for money then threatening me, was there to support his friend Jungle, who was in the competition. Ugly has issues with GNL and so as soon as the show started he started to talk shit. Babaluku approached him and asked him to be respectful, Ugly became more aggressive, and so I had the bouncer (and one of my bodyguards) Frank from DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo) and my boxer friend (and bodyguard) Amigo, escort Ugly and his crew off the premises. Ugly was refusing to leave but my special forces cleaned up the situation real quick. I’m lucky to have very large, very strong, and very kind boxers, bodybuilders and bouncers on my side. With the foundation I’ve built and the success I’ve created in the month I’ve been here, people have labeled me “untouchable, gangster and a superhero.”
My girl Roshan photographed the event, Brian Mugagga did video, and major station NBS covered the event as they are big supporters of Hip Hop in UG. Burney MC was my assistant and kept the show running. I was all over every where socializing, organizing, and peacekeeping. At some point, a large, jovial man from London (Ugandan-born but UK-raised as is common here) shook my hand and told me how impressed he was with the MC Challenge from an onlooker’s perspective. The encouragement, support and admiration continued through the show and into much of the night. EOW is so different from what people have seen here that they were mostly all just highly impressed. Lady Slyke, GNL and Babaluku personally and publicly thanked me for providing a platform to strengthen the Hip Hop community in UG. Now I must personally thank Big Zoo, Vice Verses and ProPayne from EOW NYC for creating the MC Challenge but for also believing in me and allowing me to bring the idea to Africa. Since having a major television station and Hip Hop celebrity involved this time, the next Challenge in February is bound to bring more attention. I have many people interested in getting on board the EOW ship, so I have much work ahead of me. The international bridge uniting people through Hip Hop is officially built and the traffic begins to flow.

The best part of the story is that Cyno from Bavubuka All*Stars won the Challenge. I knew the competition would come down to Jungle and Cyno, and Cyno proved to be a more versatile and prolific emcee. For the prize, I gave $100 USD and studio time. Cyno and friends immediately left for town with his “Obama money” to go eat at a local market/mall/restaurant Nakumatt. The following day, Cyno purchased a goat to grill for everyone involved in EOW and the Bavubuka House. The goat, big, black and male, had calls of distress through the night and so in the morning I fed him some greens and apologized that his life would soon be over but thanked him for providing nourishment and satisfaction to many people. I was pleasantly surprised that Cyno used his money to give back to his family and friends. I was at a soccer tournament the morning of the BBQ (31 Dec), so I missed the slaughtering and skinning of our friend Billy, but arrived in time to find 3 people working at the grill covered in goat parts (with Billy’s head underneath on the sidewalk), a few people talking and a group of people shouting and laughing. The group conversation was about 2 girls that came by the house, one of them being involved with my housemate Blue Banton, but she left him for Cyno because he won the MC Challlenge. Despite not understanding the language, the gestures, laughter and reactions tell enough of the story.
Once again, End of the Weak has proven to bring together people from different walks of life but all fighting for the same cause- unity within the Hip Hop community.