Invisible With Ugandan Hip Hop Artist: Krukid

PS: Why hip hop?
Krukid: Hip hop music is a voice for the voiceless. It is a way for minority groups to speak about their struggles and get the global audience to listen and participate.

PS: For how long have you been performing hip hop music?
Krukid: For about six to seven years now. I began in Uganda performing with two other guys. That group was one of the pioneering groups of hip hop music in Uganda. We were called urban life crew. We were played heavily on radio stations in Uganda. We all had to leave the country for better opportunities outside Uganda.

PS: How do you compare your music back home to what you are doing here in the states?
Krukid: Our music back home was more commercialized. We were not really going deep enough into the issues that abounded in Uganda and Africa. But here, my whole CD is very political. More so, now I am on the outside of Africa looking in.

PS: Hip hop, we know is more of a Black American music genre than an African one, has the fact that you are African affected the sale of your music here in the USA?
Krukid: Not really. I have performed in shows in which people (Black Americans) will repeat lyrics from my CD word for word. That shows me that people are really listening and understanding what I am about. My music is all about substance.

PS: Did you collaborate with any African artist on this CD?
Krukid: Yes, I did. I collaborated with Somi. She is a great musician who has created a new sub genre of jazz music. She has done a lot for me. I plan to collaborate with more African artists in the future. I love the fact that in the United States, African artists seem to be more casually united as opposed to back home.

PS: Is this unification part of the message that you have in your CD?
Krukid: Yes, we can do so much if we come together as one. We can self sustain.

PS: Beyond rapping about this unification – have you been involved in any projects to bring about this change?
Krukid: Right now, it is on a musical level. My role is to illuminate what is going on in Africa and get people who aren’t aware to stand up and take notice.

PS: Have you had any challenges within the industry here in the states?
Krukid: My greatest challenge is ensuring that I remember who I am and where I come from. It is old news that a lot of hip hop music here in the states stops at the superficial. You know, rapping about material things. I try my best not to go down that route even though that route might pay more. I ensure that my music is not dumbed down and that it is clearly understood by any listener irrespective of their background.

PS: You have a song on your CD called “Invisible” which many might view as controversial since you rap about child soldiers - what made you write that song? Do you feel that there might be some consequences in performing that song in Africa?
Krukid: In Uganda, we were always getting news about wars in different parts of Africa (North Uganda and Southern Sudan) and I remember feeling so sad when I saw the pictures of many of the soldiers that were enlisted into the armies. Many of these soldiers are children who really should be in school or playing somewhere. Will there be consequences? I hope not. But, we all know that this is the truth. The victims of wars in Africa are often times women and children who have no business being involved in these wars.

PS: I know that you were interviewed on Source Magazine blog which is a major hip hop magazine blog in the United States. Do you feel that interview put you at a distance from your African market?
Krukid: Not really. I saw the Source Magazine interview as an opportunity. It is publicity – good publicity at that. I made the most of it and I am still making the most of it. I believe that interview brought me closer to the Black American community and put the voice of African people on a heavily recognized minority forum.

PS: I noticed on your CD, that you do not have any music in Swahili. Was that intentional?
Krukid: I have always rapped in English. My Swahili is not as good as Bamboo’s. I do not want to rap in my language as a gimmick to attract listeners. These listeners will still listen regardless of if it is in English or any other language.