MC Yallah & Debmaster

In Uganda the expression «Yallah» also means «being determined». And the sound of Yallah Gaudencia Mbidde, aka MC Yallah, undoubt­edly bristles with determination. The rapper is firmly established in the music scene of Uganda’s capital, Kampala. She has been making music since the late 90s; and in the last couple of years, she has also become known in Europe. This has a lot to do with Nyege Nyege, a music label founded in 2013 by the expats Arlen Dilsizian and Derek Debru. They publish music by East African artists, picking up elements of techno, house and trap. Nyege Nyege also organises a LGBTQI+­friendly festival in Kampala.

Against this backdrop, MC Yallah and the Berlin-based French producer Julien Deblois, aka Debmaster, recorded the album «Kubali». The combination is irresistible: a great rapper with technique, charisma, voice and style and Debmas­ter’s explosive sound mix, at times reminiscent of trap from Atlanta, the London hip hop style grime, or gqom, the dance music from South African Dur­ban. When this amalgam booms from the speakers, there is only one thing left to do: dance! (se)