From Uganda to Kenya, Tanzania to Rwanda, Burundi to Ethiopia, South Sudan to DRC — Bebe wants East African music to stop pretending like each country is its own little island. He wants artists touring each other’s cities, collaborating cross-border, and building one mega East African sound empire.
In his words:
“Let Diamond perform in Jinja. Let Bien collaborate with Azawi. Let Kenyan DJs headline shows in Kigali. Why not?”
He reminded the press in Nairobi that East Africa used to be the cultural capital of Africa — film, music, literature, the whole vibe. Nairobi was lit. Kampala was pumping. Dar had that Bongo Flava heat. But somewhere along the way, it all fizzled out.
What happened?
“We got comfortable,” he says. “Everyone went back home, sat in their popularity, and stopped pushing the collective dream.”
If you’re a music lover who’s been around long enough, you remember the golden age:
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East African TV had us locked every weekend
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Bebe Cool, Chameleone, Bobi Wine, Necessary Noize, AY, Mr. Nice, Professor Jay, all working together
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Songs like Africa Unite, Fire Anthem, and Kube by East African Bashment Crew weren’t just hits — they were movements
Back then, Ugandan stars were recording in Nairobi. Tanzanians were rocking out in Kampala. Everyone was in everyone’s country, building something. Bebe says that spirit is what we need to bring back. Not in theory — practically.
“Let’s put 40 serious East African artists on the frontlines. At least 10 of them will go global,” he confidently declared in Dar es Salaam.
When a journalist asked if East Africa even has any global-level artists, Bebe didn’t flinch:
“Of course we do. Diamond is international. Zuchu is international. Harmonize, Alikiba, Bien, Joshua Baraka — even me. We just need to believe it and back it up.”
He pointed to his latest project — Break The Chains — as an example of what modern Pan-African music could sound like. The album features Yemi Alade, DJ Edu, and Uganda’s rising global boy wonder Joshua Baraka. The genres stretch from afrobeats to afrotech, afropop to afrohouse — all dripping in East African pride.
Bebe’s message is simple: East Africa has the numbers, the talent, and the vibe — we just need to wake up and move as a unit.
So next time you skip a Kenyan artist’s song because it’s “not Ugandan enough,” or when you think Tanzanian bongo flava isn’t for you — ask yourself: am I the problem?
