When veteran musician Daniel Kazibwe – alias Ragga Dee – announced his 37th music anniversary concert last year, avid fans started counting down in anticipation.
When the singer celebrated 20 years in music, back in July 2008 at Hotel Africana, he boasted of 17 albums, a cabinet of Pearl of Africa music awards, and a knack for success when it came to releasing hit songs consistently.
Last Saturday, Ragga Dee returned in celebration of 37 years in music, and boy did he deliver! To put it in perspective, when Ragga Dee started doing music, in 1988, many of today’s trending musicians such as Ykee Benda, Winnie Nwagi, Sheebah Karungi, Azawi, Irene Ntale, Spice Diana, et al, were not yet born.
When he released Baamusakata, in 1990, Nwagi was just a year old and President Museveni was four years in power, and yet decades later, Ragga Dee still commands respect in the industry, and energy on stage. This wealth of experience is what brought revelers to Kampala Serena hotel, on January 25. By 7pm, gates were open, but the numbers were still low.
However, what the show lacked in numbers, especially in the early hours, was made up for with the dazzling stage by Fenon Events. Even outside Victoria hall, the entrance was decorated in a grand way, with pictures showcasing Ragga Dee’s musical journey.
To set the ball rolling, Amazing Grace acapella group took to stage, and their performance set the mood for what lay in store. At 8pm, the host Isaac Rucci came on stage and gave the audience a brief history about Ragga Dee and how he has stayed relevant. Rucci then gave way for the Janzi band.
Janzi band leader Ssewa Ssewa went on to showcase his prowess of the unique Janzi instrument, before the rest of the band joined in. It was in the middle of this jazz showcase that the man of the night, Ragga Dee, stepped on stage, wearing a black leather overcoat and white shirt.
With the band, Ragga Dee launched into Ssemusajja Agenda that he released in 1988.
Ragga Dee then took the crowd into an electrifying session of Congolese vibes, and had half the crowd on their feet dancing. He then sang Cissy, one of his biggest songs of the early 90s, and all patrons were out of their seats, dancing all the way through Muziki Mzuri Sana, yet the night was just getting started.
He artistically switched genres to hip-hop and, to pull this off, he surprised the crowd with veteran rapper, Babaluku. To show off his old-school rapping skills, Ragga Dee, performed Nkabongere, an old rap song with simple bars that anyone could attempt to sing along to. Babaluku then joined in with a freestyle rap that reminded the crowd of why he is revered as the godfather of rap music in Uganda.
From hip hop, Ragga Dee switched to reggae, performing Lucky Dube’s Back to My Roots, but it would not be a celebration of Ragga Dee’s career, if he did not perform Baamusakata, a song he recorded in the early 1990s, with the late DJ Messe.
Baamusakata went on to become Ragga Dee’s biggest song in the formative years of his career. Thanks to the painstaking rehearsals by Ragga Dee and Janzi band, the song was performed to near-perfection, making it sound almost better than the original.
The second session started with a father-daughter moment, when Ragga Dee introduced his daughter Shivon Dee on stage, to perform Kiboko Fire, with Ragga Dee rapping in one of the verses.
Another special moment was when veteran musician and Kads band leader John Kahwa came on stage. Looking frail and confined to a wheelchair, Kahwa, nonetheless, entertained the crowd with Kenny Rogers’ The Gambler.
Next on stage was Kenneth Mugabi, who perfectly blended with Janzi band, performing Kibunomu, Nkwegomba, and Sanyu Sanyu, among others. Ragga Dee then returned for his final session, which was mostly about his biggest songs of the last 20 years. He started off with Monomonomve, getting everyone on their feet again, but when Empeta dropped, the ladies went crazy. The band was on point with every beat of the song. It was a perfect execution of the song.
Oyagala Cash kept up the tempo, and so did Letter O, Ndigida, and Mbawe. What a show! Everyone, regardless of age, was dancing in whatever style they could afford. From celebrities including Sam Bagenda, Halima Namakula, Rachael K, Emma Carlos, Raymond Rushabiro, to ordinary revellers from all walks of life, and the Kyeyunes – Ragga Dee’s parents, it was a beautiful thing to see everyone having a good time.
To close the show on an even higher note Ragga Dee and a host of dancers performed Kofi Olomide’s Ekotite. With tired bones and sweat-soaked clothes, the crowd streamed out of Victoria hall in agreement that Ragga Dee is, indeed, who he thinks he is. A legend.