This was posted in response to a facebook post by Timothy Kalyegira. In the post, Timothy sought to pick Ugandans' minds on their perception and understanding of Radio and Weasel's music.
Q: Describe the music of Radio & Weasel. Its themes, structure and lyrical content.
A: Genre: Varied. They did reggae (Breathe away, Let’s go home, Somesa eggwanga), Zouk (Kuku, Niwe Yahweh), Afro-pop (Talk and talk, One in a million, Five Star girl, Bring me back) and ragga (Magnetic, I am in love), among others.
Themes
a. Love and relationships: Nkwagala, bread and butter, I am in love (ft. Lillian Mbabazi), leesu, number emu), Mutima (ft. Serena Bata), Heart attack, Tonoonya (ft. Desire Luzinda), Ntunga
b. Party/happy-go-lucky: Play it again (ft DJ. Pius), Paradise (ft locomotives, Aziz Azion, Sizzaman)
c. Gospel: Omanyi Mukama, Tambula nange, Mukama nyongera amanyi.
d. "Defiance": Mainly aimed at their detractors ("haters"). Kamilla the teacher, Talk and talk, Lwaki Tokula, Kiduula.
Structure: Their structure has been in two main types: Intro/Verse/Chorus/Verse (ABA) and Verse/Chorus/Bridge (ABC).
The chosen structure was sometimes dependent on the number of artistes featuring on the song or the duration.
Increased radio commercialization has since meant that long songs are no longer fashionable for regular programming. So sometimes a bridge is sacrificed if a song is to still remain under or slightly over 4 minutes. This also tends to be the same case for songs that feature more than 4 artistes (Mr. DJ, Paradise, I am so high).
Lyrical Content: Sometimes Informal and freestyle (with use of slang, patois or otherwise – such as "I am so high"). Sometimes Rhyming (Omanyi Mukama, Let’s connect). Or both rhyming and witty wordplay (Bread and butter).
Q: Was Radio a great songwriter? A good but not great songwriter? An average songwriter? Explain in some detail your reply.
A: Great songwriter. When writing music, he read the mood and decided what type of lyrics would be fit for a particular occasion or person.
It’s the reason he could write songs like Bikoola and Mazzi n’ekyenyanja for Irene Ntale (with cheeky, playful lyrics), but couldn’t do the same kind of lyrics for Juliana in songs like Engule and Twalina Omukwano (more mature lyrics).
He read his audience’s minds. This, I believe, is the reason his interspersing of Luganda and English gave his music a crossover appeal, attracting both the downtown and upscale audience.
His lyrics were catchy and captivating; his storytelling, systematically structured.
In "Mama", his starts his story from imaginations of his mum as a pretty, young and innocent girl, doing everything young girls love; the right-colored dresses, kids' niceties and the kind.
The way he recounts the little things she did for her makes the listener get hooked, having the picture Radio wanted to convey. He makes you imagine the "ka-jacket" his mum gave him was gold-coated.
By the time he stresses her name ("Jane-eeh, yeah. Kasubo Jane!"), one cannot help but see an effort of grateful child. A son who still treasures mum's hustle. An artiste creatively telling a story.
Sometimes he rhymed. Sometimes he flowed naturally, with witty word play and freestyle poetry. The samples below, from some of his songs, highlight the flow of his creativity;
Your beauty, I've never seen with my eyes /
Your meant for me, see my perfect size /
Come with me let's roll the love dice /
I'm clean and fresh, I don't disguise /
I'm not the guy like those other guys /
They'll mess around and break your heart /
I'll love you even when you gain weight /
I'm still gonna love you when your hair turns gray /
Onfumbire enyige,nkufumbire eminwe /
I'm still gonna love you when your hair turns gray /
(Breathe Away, Radio and Weasel)
Then this:
You're not designed so fine like wedding cake /
If you're not meant to be with me you are fake /
Do you want to put this nation at stake? /
You want to bake me or they make me crispy bread /
Eh! or you want to juicy juicy like T-born stake /
(Juicy, Radio and Weasel)
And this:
Everybody needs one another /
You are my sister, I am your brother /
I only need a piece, not all of it /
Oyagala oninze, until I grab it? /
Cause if you don’t feed me I go hungry /
If you don’t feed me, I'll go starving /
(Let's connect - Radio, Weasel, Sizzaman)
Q: For those who say Radio was a great musician, what exactly does "great" mean in this context? Explain in detail.
A: His greatness was mainly in lyrical content and vocal ability. His live performance (stage presence, flow, live singing and audience engagement) was only above average but not the best of the lot (as compared to, say, Bebe Cool).
Q: What kind of society did the music of Radio & Weasel spring from and speak to? Elaborate.
A: It depended on the occasion. But the "ceiling" of their audience was the youth, going onto about 45.
Songs like "Everything I do" could be enjoyed by just any music fan, others like Bread and butter were mainly a staple for youth below 25.
The themes also mattered. Relationship-themed songs like "Mutima" (featuring Serena Bata) seemed to be enjoyed by older, mature audience who could relate to the experience of betrayed love, while anyone below 35 would definitely any of their collabos such as Mr. DJ, I am so High, Locomotives and Mr. Right.
Q: Why did the music promoter Balaam Barugahara turn to President Museveni to help pay for Radio's bills at Case Clinic?
A: Radio was not in position to disclose nor direct anyone to access his money in the bank. Only he knew the ATM pin-codes and mobile banking login credentials. His caretakers had no choice but try and solicit for funds.
There’s no direct evidence I have seen regarding Balaam asking the president for help, as city socialite Bryan White had paid 25 million and pledged to meet any additional costs, should they need his input.
Having been an instrumental part of his campaign project, the president simply had to chip in, just like he did for Danz Kumapeesa, before him.
Q: Why has Museveni become the Chief Medical officer and Chief Finance Officer of Uganda and what does that say about the kind of society that the music of Radio & Weasel appealed to?
A: Radio and Weasel's fan base constitute 70% of the country’s demographic set-up, and with the duo having the kind of fame they have, he had to milk the moment. His intervention was more of a PR gesture than a humanitarian one.
This speaks volumes are the crossover appeal highlighted earlier, the fact that just about everyone seemed to like something about a song or two for the duo.
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