The first Hip Hop group to hit the music scene in Uganda managed under the Bavubuka Foundation is ‘The Ship Crew’. Young, ambitious, and full of energy, Serukuma Meddy AKA emcee ‘Ship’, Sam Kayamba AKA emcee ‘Bin’, and Shafik Bbosa AKA emcee ‘Fiki Fiki’, take me into their world of music and its influence to their communities.
“The ‘crew’”, says emcee Ship, “was started in 2009 getting inspiration from Babaluku Cyrus, the President of Bavubuka Foundation, and emcee Tobi, with their message of “Ensi eli mungalo zanfe” (The world is in our hands).”
Emcee Ship, who is 10years old, anticipated finding resistance from his mates his age, in joining his crew on a new ship that was to sail in the community. To his surprise, when he chatted with his young brother Emcee Fiki Fiki, who is 5 years old and attending Winnie SW Nursery School, he bought the idea.
While attending an art session at the foundation he met with Emcee Bin, who was 9 years old, and was very eager to be part of the crew.
The Ship crew is built on the foundation of bringing young people interested in free styling, emceeing, and art with spoken word to transform their communities.
“I was looking at having a team (my crew) of approximately 20 fellow young people, set on a mission to inspire other young people in our community and the world. I believe that the world is in our hands and we have to check the actions of our leaders to get it moving in the right direction for the next generation,” states Emcee Ship.
The ship crew comprising of three members, has so far participated on
different platforms ranging from the Uganda Hip Hop Summit, and End of the Weekamong others. They participate in the Bavubuka Foundation Poetry Class, Art Class, and Emceeing Class during their holidays.
Fiki Fiki says that they always come together every other day of the week in the evening,after doing their school home work, to write songs. They look forward to addressing issues of Street kids, corruption, and leaders’ embezzlement of public money and other injustices of murder, child sacrifice, and witch craft.
They have compiled three songs; Ebela (Life style), Emilaga jya Africa (Cries of Africa), and currently recording Future empya ye fe (The New Future Is Us).
Message to other young people: “To define what their talents are and use them to make a difference in their communities; whether its art, music, debates, among others,” says Emcee Ship. “The World is in our Hands.”