Hakuna Kulala is an Uganda-based record label. The artists working under this label have been a catalyst for blending culture and genre. The label describes itself as “Club explorations from the East African and Congolese Electronic Underground and beyond.” (Hakuna Kulala’s community)
Today I will speak about Yallah Gaudencia Mbidde who goes by the stage name of MC Yallah, specifically the track “No One Seems to Bother”.
The track “No One Seems to Bother” features vocals from ‘Lord Spikeheart’ -singer for Kenyan metal band ‘Duma’- and production by German producer ‘Debmaster’.
Mc Yallah states that “This is a song whereby we were expressing ourselves about how unfair life and people can be,” (Bruce-Jones, 2023)
This can be seen in the abrasive, industrial approach to production that Debmaster incorporates into this track. Paired with Yallah’s politically charged lyrics and Lord Spikeheart’s harsh screaming vocals this allows the piece to portray a great deal of anger and aggression.
The track begins with these harsh, scratching synthesisers that are reminiscent of a knife scraping against metal. As the vocals enter the track, so does the bass. A recurring factor in the instruments and sounds used in this track is that they are aggressive and prevalent. This gives the track a sense of unease and bequeaths this feeling to the listener.
This feeling of unease and aggression extends to the lyrical content of the track and is very intentional in the message of the song.
Alex Rigotti from the quietus.com claims that
“Yallah Beibe is centred around a resistance to cultural tropes of ‘East meets West’, while integrating its Ugandan identity. Yallah manages to weave Ugandan politics, languages and sounds into her album without ever tokenising these aspects; rather, they’re simply part of who Yallah is. Dance music can fall into frustrating formulas of adapting older folk sound recordings and setting them to dance beats, as though Western electronic rhythms are what modernises these cultures. But genres like singeli are already part of the vanguard of the African electronic experimental scene – the way forward is to prioritise your personal vision first. What Yallah brings to the table is a strong focus in her identity, fearlessness in her expression, and utter certainty that her vision is the future.” (Rigotti, 2022)
I agree with Alex and believe Yallah brings a new perspective to a primarily Western genre of music. Working with European Producers and performing to European audiences (groups that often would not be exposed to the culture and music portrayed by MC Yallah) her songs of rebellion and local politics create a controversial performance and will allow for her culture to be known to a wider world.
Bruce-Jones, H. (2023) Fact premiere: MC Yallah X Debmaster – no one seems to bother [feat. lord spikeheart], Fact Magazine. Available at: https://www.factmag.com/2023/05/02/fact-premiere-mc-yallah-x-debmaster-no-one-seems-to-bother-feat-lord-spikeheart/ (Accessed: 24 November 2023).
Hakuna Kulala’s community (no date) HAKUNA KULALA. Available at: https://hakunakulala.bandcamp.com/community (Accessed: 24 November 2023).
Rigotti, A. (2022) Features: Album of the week: GO with the Lugaflow: Yallah Beibe by MC Yallah, The Quietus. Available at: https://thequietus.com/articles/32826-yallah-beibe-mc-yallah-review (Accessed: 24 November 2023).