ONE ON ONE WITH UGANDAN HIP HOP GOSPEL ARTIST, WAADE

Gospel hip hop has graced the charts over the years and still doing so as the spread of God’s word through rap continues. We catch up with Ugandan gospel hip-hop sensation, Waade, as he shares his journey.

Tell us briefly about yourself

My name is Segujja Brian, a Ugandan  hip hop Artist/producer who goes by the stage name  “Waade”. I am a servant of God and I’ve been since late  2009 as a hobby and ministry.

What does music mean to you?

Music means life to me. I can’t skip a day without doing anything that  involves music. I love the creative part of it. Watching music and being in studio rounds up a day in my life.I use it to tell my stories, Good News about the Christ and other people’s stories too.

There are instances when gospel artists get tempted to start singing secular songs, have you ever been in that situation?

Yes. That has happened to me a lot, I won’t lie . Even when I know that it’s not the  right decision to make. Sometimes I’m moved by the success my  peers are attaining doing secular music.
You know, we all want that good life,sometimes we get tempted by the temporary things but then my thoughts click and I remember my purpose on Earth. I end up  switching back to the right path.

What inspired you to start singing?

You mean rapping? Oh yeah, I  actually was inspired by a lot of music from secular rappers. From the likes of Wayne to Nas etc .
Until I discovered christian rap  from rappers like Lecrae, Trip Lee , Verbs, TBone, Kirk Franklin, Kj52  the list is endless. What inspired me the most  though is their ability to tell stories, empower lives, spread their faith through rythm,art and poetry.

Artists like Lecrae hit collabos with secular artists, what’s your take on that?

A collaboration with any artist would be great yeah but it depends on what effect it’s going to  cause in the society.  Is it going to impose a negative or positive effect on my career? If the collaboration is going to help me tap into another bigger audience and the other artist’s mission is to make Christ famous or take the gospel where it’s needed most then I would do it because it’s worth doing. If also the collaboration is going to follow certain guidelines as laid by the collaborators. For me, no use of curse words, no use of images that degrade women and no use of drugs etc. Like I said, it all depends on the collaborators.

How would you describe gospel hip hop?

Gospel hip hop is a subgenre of hip hop that many people call Christian hip hop. It’s hip hop music with evangelism content. Music that talks about Christ, God and basically christian life .etc

What else do you do apart from music?

I’m a free lancer business man.

Which of your songs is your favourite?

That’s a hard question man.I actually love all the  current songs on my ” Pest Control Album”. They are all my favorite. however, I love a song/ songs  called “God Loves You”  & ” Rapture”  because they both talk about the end times.

If you were to do a collabo with one kenyan artist, whom would it be?

Yoooh! Eko Dyda is the man, with no doubt.

Tell us about nga yesu. What inspired the song? Did it give you a hard time writing it?

Nga Yesu ,is a song directing people and believers of Christ to act like Jesus , walk like Jesus.
It’s a contemporary rap song fused with dancehall and hip hop beats, something that will make you dance and educate you at the same time .
80% of the song is in my native language, Luganda. The remaining percentage is in English. The song is produced by my friend Dero Pan and I.

What inspired the song ?

Actually, I wrote this song basing it on my life. There is a point and time in life where I thought I should live, walk and act like Jesus.
Being human I’m imperfect, but I admire Jesus so much. So this song I wrote it to talk to myself, to remind me how I should move in this world as a Christian.

Did it give me hard time ?
No , well I had to think about what I should tell myself and people who will listen to it first. So I wrote it in few hours ,like 1 or 2 to be exact.

The beat production took me a few hours as well. Well, all I can say is that I enjoyed the process of making it.

Advice to anyone aspiring to venture into gospel hip hop?

Gospel hip hop is great but patience is the key. We are not of the world, so it will be hard or it will take time for the people of the world to understand you. Patience is the key and don’t expect quick returns from your investments.
God rewards gradually and accordingly. That’s why I’m still patient with it.

Your social media handles?

Twitter : waadehiphop
Instagram: waadehiphop
Facebook: waadehiphap