Daniel Kigozi alias Navio shocked his fans pleasantly when he released Njogereza at the beginning of 2016.
Njogereza is a folk song with the not-just- that-traditional feel, but an entire composition complete with the rapper doing the Luganda folk hook. For a rapper who has in the past tried his best to maintain his signature rap style (always in English) this was a big shift and breakthrough to some audiences.
In fact, critics believe Njogereza was pushed to the summit by mostly the surprise effect it came with. Not in a million years had Ugandans expected Navio to do a song with himself singing a hook in Luganda – and doing it so well – considering his privileged background and more ‘Americanised’ music style.
And now Navio is back with a new song, Tumunonye; another one that will get him performing at introduction ceremonies more than Njogereza. Not that it is a better song; it is just the right one.
Tumunonye is done from a groom’s point of view, telling all concerned that he and his entourage have come for ‘the one’.
Coming from the same person that gave us Njogereza, this song may come as a step bigger even for Navio; for instance, Njogereza was easier on his tongue. The lyrics were so friendly that it easily found a home in a listener’s mind.
It was heavily a folksong sang and lyricized by a rapper. Tumunonye, on the other hand, is a junction of folk music and Uganda’s oldest genre, kadongo kamu.
It has a mutual feel of Paulo Kafeero’s older songs such as Walumbe Zaaya, while still enjoying digitalized traditional sounds from madinda (xylophone), engalabi (long drum) and the flute, among others.
Tumunonye is so heavy on Luganda lyrics that besides the chorus which is an easy sing-along, the verses are solid with adlibs such as ka sukaali ka maama, abadongo nebwebanyuka, … generally he throws a number of lines you would ordinarily not expect from an artiste like him.
In the past, Navio has told whoever cares to listen that Baxi-Swagga (as he prefers to call the now popular Baxi-Ragga genre) is Uganda’s biggest chance as far as global identity for local music is concerned. With this new song, he says he is experiencing the music.
“I promised my grandmother that I would do songs she can dance to and for me Tumunonye and Njogereza are those songs,” the rapper told The Observer.
He argues that while some believe he is duplicating Njogereza’s success, he is only continuing a musical journey.
“For instance, in between Njogereza and Tumunonye, I’ve released other songs that are purely hip hop.”
But it is not the first time Navio has tried his hand at folklore; it is just that the approach is changing. In the past, he has sampled folk music by artistes before him, including Frida Sonko on Naawulira as well as others such as Leka Kwenyumiriza, Kigozi and One and Only, among others.
He notes that the choice to do folklore was after noting that the public was trying to treat him as a non-Ugandan. He says one artiste even once noted that Navio’s music could never represent Uganda because it was foreign. Well, that artiste must be eating his words, for Navio’s Paddy Man-produced new music is so UG.
“I am a versatile artiste and these songs are to mainly challenge people that provoked me by saying I can’t,” he says.
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