After two weeks in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam, promoting his Break the Chains album, singer Bebe Cool has come out to highlight some of the key lessons he picked from the experience.
In a lenghy post, the Cheque singer expressed gratitude to his fans and the media, in both Kenya and Tanzania, for the welcome they extended to him during his tour.
He noted that when he started his career in Nairobi, Kenya, the East African region was a cultural force on the continent, prominent in creating cultural exchange.
He however expressed concern about the fact that things have changed over the years, and East Africa today now remains in the cold as events shaping the continent take place elsewhere.
Bebe pointed out that back in the day, artists from Tanzanian, such as AY, Mr Nice, TID, Lady Jaydee, as well as Kenyan stars- like Necessary Noize, Nameless, Redsan, always collaborated with artists from Uganda, and across the region, making East Africa an entertainment powerhouse.
Nazizi and Wyre of Necessary Noize, teamed up with Bebe to form the explosive East African Bashment Crew, one of East Africa’s biggest music groups of our generation, while Jose Chameloene had songs with Professor Jay, Bushoke, AY and many more.
“I observed that the brotherhood that once fueled artists such as Lady Jay Dee, AY, Redsan and Nameless, or the synergy behind Necessary Noize and the East African Bashment Crew, has faded. For years, these collaborations united fans and amplified our regional sound.
“However, after becoming successful, we stopped working together, weakening the regional power that once turned East Africa into a force,” he says.
Bebe Cool says East Africa needs to reignite that spirit if they are to get the world to pay attention to their art.
He then turned to how Easy Africa can use its numbers to turn the streaming era in their favor.
“Together, our combined population exceeds 300 million. If just 50 million of us became music consumers, streaming; the world would have no choice but to take notice, given the strength of our numbers,” he says.
