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Bebe Cool

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Bebe Cool
Bebe Cool at the HiPipo Music Awards in 2014
Bebe Cool at the HiPipo Music Awards in 2014
Background information
Birth nameMoses Ssali
Also known asBig Size
Born (1977-09-01) 1 September 1977 (age 46)
OriginKampala, Uganda
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter, record producer, actor
Instrument(s)Vocals
Years activec. 1997–present

Bebe Cool (real name Moses Ssali; born 1 September 1977) is an African reggae and ragga musician from Uganda. He started his career around 1997 in Nairobi, Kenya, but moved back to his native country a few years later. Bebe Cool was one of the first artists affiliated with Ogopa DJs, a production house and record label in Kenya.

Early life

Bebe Cool attended Aga Khan Primary School, Kitante Hill School, and Makerere College School. At Makerere, he studied Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Mathematics (PCB/M). Bebe Cool (formally Bebe Bunton) started his music career right from his high school when he was acting as an entertainment prefect.[1]

Music career

Bebe Cool is a three-time winner of the Artist of The Year Award at the Prestigious HiPipo Music Awards[2] and won several accolades at Pearl of Africa Music Awards (PAM Awards).[3] He was nominated for the Kora All-African Awards in 2003 and 2005. He has toured in the UK and the US.[4]

Two of his popular singles are "Fitina" and "Mambo Mingi".[5] He also collaborated with Halima Namakula, a Ugandan veteran woman musician, on their crossover track "Sambagala". He released two solo albums, Maisha and Senta. His lyrics are in Luganda, Swahili, and English.

Together with Kenyan duo Necessary Noize, Bebe Cool has formed a reggae group known as the East African Bashment Crew. They have released one album, Fire, and two hit singles, "Africa Unite" and "Fire". The group was nominated at the inaugural (2008) MTV Africa Music Awards.[6]

In 2013, Bebe Cool had a music battle with one of Nigeria's top artists D'banj in a neutral place Glamis Arena Harare Zimbabwe.[7] The show was organized under the theme Battle for Africa Bebe Cool put up a great performance at the battle.[7]

In 2014, Bebe Cool’s remade Born in Africa remix song, a remake of the late Philly Lutaaya's song was voted among Africa’s greatest songs of all time.[8] The song came at number 15 in Fifty anthems for the African continent. BBC World Service listeners suggested the African songs that summed up the continent to them.[8] This was to mark the 50th anniversary of the African Union – formerly the Organization of African Unity, From the suggestions, the BBC’s DJ Edu, who hosts a weekly African music show on BBC radio, compiled them into a special five-minute mix of 50 songs from 50 countries.[8]

Bebe Cool has performed in the Big Brother house twice.

From 2016 to 2018, there was rising controversy against Bebe Cool for being a chief organizer for Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, the then-president of Uganda who had been described by international media outlets as dictatorial. Ugandans at one time chased him off the stage in a show before he could sing.[citation needed]

Bebe Cool won one Afrima award for the best East African male artist in 2018.

Personal life

In January 2010, he was injured when a policeman shot at him.[9]

On 11 July 2010, Bebe Cool was performing at the Kyadondo Rugby Club when a bomb set by Somali Islamist terrorist group al-Shabaab exploded (July 2010 Kampala attacks). According to Cool, "Most people who died were just in front of me. The blast was so loud—the next thing I saw were body parts flying over."[10]

Philanthropy

Bebe Cool performed for the Nelson Mandela 46664 concert at Hyde Park London and was also named by Nelson Mandela as the 46664 African ambassadors. 46664 is a campaign of raising awareness against HIV /AIDS that was initiated by the late Nelson Mandela.

Awards

Won:

Nominated:

  • 2003 Kora Awards – Best East African Artist[25]
  • 2007 MOBO Awards
  • 2011 Tanzania Music Awards – Best East African Song ('Kasepiki')[26]
  • 2013 HiPipo Music Awards – Best Reggae Song (Ntuyo Zange), Best Dancehall/Ragga Song (No Body Move), Best Musician on Social Media[27]
  • Nominated in Afrimma Awards 2014
  • Australia Radio Afro Song of the Year 2015
  • Nominated in Afrimma Awards 2018 " Best Male Artiste in Eastern Africa and Best African Rock categories" .[28]

References

  1. ^ "Celebrity Central: Bebe Cool". www.newtimes.co.rw. Retrieved 26 September 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. ^ "Music For Nature | Videos | News | Uganda | East Africa". HiPipo.com. 3 August 2013. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  3. ^ [1] Archived 5 December 2006 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ "Bebe Cool". Musicuganda.com. Archived from the original on 5 September 2012. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  5. ^ "MTVBaseAfrica.com - music". Web.archive.org. 28 September 2007. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  6. ^ "Home of the African Music Fan". Museke. Archived from the original on 14 July 2011. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  7. ^ a b "D'Banj disappoints as Bebe Cool shines". Newsday.co.zw. 28 October 2013. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  8. ^ a b c Roy Ruva (24 June 2014). "Bebe Cool's Song In Top 50 BBC Anthems For The African Continent - Chano8Chano8". Chano8.com. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  9. ^ "Standard Digital News - Kenya : Ugandan singer injured in scuffle with police". Standardmedia.co.ke. 1 February 2010. Archived from the original on 14 March 2012. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  10. ^ Wonacott, Peter (13 July 2010). "Uganda World Cup Bombings: Somali Militants Shift Tactics with Attack - WSJ". Online.wsj.com. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  11. ^ "The Pearl Of Africa Music Awards". Web.archive.org. Archived from the original on 4 February 2005. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  12. ^ "PAM Awards". Web.archive.org. 2 July 2007. Archived from the original on 2 July 2007. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  13. ^ "2006 Uganda Pam Awards Winners". Uganda Online. Archived from the original on 4 December 2012. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  14. ^ "2006 Uganda Pam Awards Winners". Ugandaonline.net. Archived from the original on 4 December 2012. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  15. ^ "Home of the African Music Fan". Museke.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  16. ^ "2007 PAM Awards: The Winners". Ugpulse.com. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  17. ^ "Home of the African Music Fan". Musek.come. Archived from the original on 9 July 2015. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  18. ^ "Home of the African Music Fan". Museke. Archived from the original on 5 June 2015. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  19. ^ [2] Archived 6 January 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  20. ^ "The Observer". Observer.ug. 11 November 2011. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  21. ^ a b "Music For Nature | Videos | News | Uganda | East Africa". HiPipo.com. 3 August 2013. Archived from the original on 9 July 2015. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  22. ^ a b c d e f g h "HiPipo Music Awards | The Fans Decide". Hipipo.com. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  23. ^ a b c d "Winners of the 3rd HiPipo Music Awards | HiPipo Music Awards". Hma.hipipo.com. Archived from the original on 4 April 2015. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  24. ^ "Afrima winners". afrima.org. 11 November 2018. Retrieved 11 November 2018. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |award= (help)
  25. ^ "Kora Awards". Web.archive.org. Archived from the original on 2 March 2004. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  26. ^ "Tanzania: '20 Percent' Grabs Seven Kili Music Awards Nominations". Allafrica.com. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  27. ^ "Music For Nature | Videos | News | Uganda | East Africa". HiPipo.com. 3 August 2013. Archived from the original on 26 June 2015. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  28. ^ https://bigeye.ug/bebe-cool-nominated-in-prestigious-afrima-ghana-awards/
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