Keko
After six years in Canada, rapper JOCELYNE TRACEY KEKO, 36, recently returned to Uganda and is ready to reclaim her spot among the country’s top rappers. She told Quick Talk about her plans and how Canada treated her.
Welcome back, Keko!
Thank you so much! It feels good to be back home.
How has it been like ever since you got back?
The welcome has been warm; everyone is excited to see me, which is a good thing. I missed Uganda so much.
Are you back for good?
Yes, I have decided to move back. I was supposed to come back in 2019 after graduating from Toronto Film School, but then the Covid-19 pandemic hit and all my plans hit a snag.
What took you to Canada, in the first place?
I was given residency there while I was still in Uganda; so, I decided to take up the offer because at the time I was stressed out with Sony Music [at the time, Keko was signed to Sony Music] and things were not working out as I wanted. I needed a break and in 2017 decided it was the right time for me to go.
How was Canada?
To be honest, life was hard. Accommodation is very expensive at about $1,200 to rent an apartment, which means you have to get a job above the minimum wage. Thank God I was living in a shelter for 12 months which was a good start for me and made life easier because I was provided with food.
I was also going to school and working for Samsung in customer care, which was interesting because I had never had a job to go to every morning, my entire life. Everything was good at that time but when Covid hit, life changed and everything became stressful and after that, I couldn’t wait to come back to Uganda.
Anything you missed about Uganda?
I missed my celebrity status, making money off shows, the boda boda rides, the food and the way people are friendly. Out there people are so busy; they barely have time for socialization. So, I missed that sense of community that we have here.
Are you working on new music now?
Yes I am. Apart from me being up and down performing, I am having studio sessions and I am trying to record a new album. I know everything is going to be fine…Earliest January 2024, I will drop some new music.
The music scene has changed; can you still catch up?
I hope I am not too old for that; I think I am still young. But I still think that nobody has filled the gap of the female rapper in Uganda and it has been left open for me to come back to.
What is your view of Uganda’s hip hop scene currently?
I think it has improved ever since I left but not to the level I would have wanted it to. I wanted to come back and find crazy competition but it has not been the case.
The same names I left dominating the hip hop scene are the same ones I have found. I wanted there to be more especially in the English category and the females. I think what has changed is that there are more spaces now for rappers to perform and showcase their art.
Who is on your playlist?
I am listening to Joshua Baraka; ever since he released Nana, I have wanted to know more about him. I am also listening to Lagum the Rapper, MC Yala, and the usual like Navio and The Mith.
Who would you wish to collaborate with on your new music?
I would love to work with Pallaso and Alien Skin. I want to work with Cindy, Navio again, Mun G, and Spice Diana because she has built a brand that all the corporate companies want to associate with and I want to tap into that.
Did you do any music while in Canada?
No. I couldn’t afford it. In Uganda, you can just go to studio and record a song but there, you pay hourly for studio time; so, it was difficult for me to make any music.
Recently you made a surprise cameo at Azawi’s concert; how did it feel performing for a big home audience once again?
It was refreshing. I was surprised when Benon Mugumbya (Swangz Avenue boss) called me about performing at Azawi’s show and I immediately said yes. We were performing live which I was worried about because of how unfit I am right now since I have gained so much weight; so, it was kind of difficult to catch my breath at times. But it all worked out, the crowd loved it and it was such an amazing experience.
Are you struggling with your weight?
I have always struggled with it. Even when I was here. But I have never been this big my whole life and even my family is concerned about it. I have been advised to go to gym and start dieting and I am working on it.
What happened to your contract with Sony Music Entertainment?
I ended my contract with them early. I had an option of doing five albums with them but it took them five years to release one album. So, I was frustrated because I was used to the way we release in Uganda instantly while there, you would record songs and they sit there for a year.
By the time they release it, I have already moved on because as a creative who creates for themselves, you need your work to be released soon enough so that you can move on to the next project. I was being held back; so, when they released that album in 2017, we amicably parted ways.
Would you advise a Ugandan artiste to get into such deals or not?
I would if they can still have local management here in Uganda which wasn’t for my case because the management they gave me was based in Tanzania and was more focused on Ali Kiba. For instance, Vinka is signed to Sony but she still has Swangz Avenue here; so, her music doesn’t disappear locally.
Tell us more about your filmmaking
I do filmmaking under Malaba Pictures. It is a film company I started when I was in Toronto. We are still at baby stages but we are looking at documentary filmmaking as the major focus. I have already written a script and I am looking at shooting a short film. I have spoken to one of the big film actresses … I just need to find funding for that.
What made you venture into film?
I have always loved movies as much as I love music and every time I was writing songs they are like sound tracks and that made me think about making movies and score them.
It was an interesting experience going to film school, studying about it and rubbing shoulders with people who have done it in Canada.
There is a time we saw some disturbing videos of you looking intoxicated; what had happened?
It was one of those days. I was bored in my hotel room; so, I decided to go to the liquor store and bought some alcohol, went back to the hotel, turned on my Instagram live and started drinking.
It was out of pure fun but I think I got drunk too early that I even lost sense of what was going on until the police came and sobered me up after being called by a fan who was watching me live on Instagram. It wasn’t a good look and I apologized to my fans for that.
Heard you were diagnosed with schizophrenia [a chronic mental disorder]
Yes, I was and it is one of those things that I am not ashamed to talk about. It actually started when I was still in Uganda and it stemmed from the issues I had with Sony. I got depressed, was not eating and not taking care of myself and so, I was sent to rehab to deal with it.
With medication, everything has been smooth sailing. I am happy and in a good head space and just trying not to get depressed or put myself in a position of compromising my mental health.
If you were to do a battle with any Ugandan rapper, who would it be?
Navio, because I only want to go against the best.
Not a female rapper like Recho Rey?
Aahh… Recho Rey does Luganda; so, it wouldn’t be a fair battle and her music catalogue is still small.
What happened to your friendship with Sheebah; you guys used to be so close?
I haven’t spoken to her in years and I wonder how she is doing. I have seen the work she is doing and how far she has come. The friendship ended because of her former manager Jeff Kiwa who didn’t want us to be friends; so, she had to choose between our friendship and her career and she chose the latter, which I understand because I would have done the same.
Lastly, who is the greatest rapper of all time?
In Uganda, it definitely has to be me. My lyrical content, prowess, delivery, relevance, lyrical records, hit songs [okayyyy…no time for false modesty]. Internationally, I would say Kanye West because he is not just a rapper but a producer.
jjingoernest1@gmail.com
Source: The Observer
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