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Music Life: I'm Not Switching My Flow with MC Yallah

Music

21/10/2023 GMT

I'm Not Switching My Flow with MC Yallah

BBC Afghan TV - Music Life, I'm Not Switching My Flow with MC Yallah

MC Yallah with Catu Diosis, Chrisman and Debmaster.

This week’s host is rapper MC Yallah. Born Yallah Gaudencia Mbidde in Kenya and raised in Uganda, she’s been involved in East Africa's rap scene since the 90s, when she was inspired by American hip hop and the Ugandan artists Young Vibes. She was a host on NewzBeat from 2014-2018, which was a TV programme that skirted Uganda’s censorship laws by rapping about current affairs and controversial topics. At NewzBeat she met Derek Debru and Arlen Dilsizian, and is now part of the collective Nyege Nyege. She rhyme in Luganda, Kiswahili, English, and Luo, and in 2019 released her debut album Kubali. This year sees the release of her second album ‘Yallah Beibe’. 

Joining her are a group of exciting musicians who are all working with the influential Nyege Nyege record label collective based in Uganda. 

Catu Diosis is a Ugandan DJ and producer who's been making waves across Kampala’s underground electronic scene since the age of 16. She’s one half of the DJ & producer duo БŁΛϾК SłS-ТΛЯZ, a co-founder of Dope Gal Africa, which supports and nurtures female producers across the continent. 

Chrisman is a DJ and producer from the Democratic Republic of Congo. He began his music career as a member of the hip hop band Young Souljah Empire and as a sound engineer.  His work skillfully blends traditional African rhythms with electronic beats and experimental textures. 

And finally, Debmaster is the man behind the moustache, the French-born Berlin-based electronic producer you might know as Julien Deblois. Back in the early 90s, aged 11, he started off as a punk drummer in the north French countryside. He’s a key part of the Nyege Nyege collective and Hakuna Kulala camp and a longtime collaborator of MC Yallah. 

Together they talk about working remotely, managing your time between touring and the studio, and staying true to yourself. 

In part 2 of the show Catu Diosis will be taking us through a playlist called Sonic Resilience from Queens of the South, a collection of songs celebrating the incredible music of women in the global south, featuring tracks from Aunty Rayzor, MC Yallah, Oh Lorena and many more.

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