Boyz II Men primed to finally light up Uganda

On their first leg, Boyz II Men will perform at the Second Edition of Stanbic Yetu Festival in Nairobi at the Uhuru Gardens on June 10.

The award-winning Kenyan boy band Sauti Sol will share the stage with Boyz II Men. The concert will also showcase some of the best Kenyan DJs, including DJ G-Money (Conrad Gray), DJ Forro (Andrew Waititu), DJ Shaky (Allan Wainaina), DJ Grauchi (Zacchaeus Ngani), CNG (Charles Githumbi), and DJ Cream (Derrick Kamau).

The inaugural Stanbic Yetu festival was held in 2022 with multi-award-winning star Anthony Hamilton, together with Otile Brown and June Gachui.

On their second leg, Boyz II Men will perform at the MTN Yetu Festival at the Kololo Ceremonial Grounds in Kampala on June 11. Boyz II Men’s second leg is organised by Radio Africa Group and Capital Radio. Sauti Sol will also feature in the Kampala concert alongside other local artists as curtain raisers.

A Gold Table of eight people will cost Shs5 million, a silver ticket Shs300,000, a Main Arena ticket Shs200,000, and Main Arena (Momo) ticket Shs150,000.

Mr Peter Mungoma, the chief executive of Capital Radio, described bringing Boyz II Men to Uganda as “a sign of our commitment.” MTN Uganda, which is tagging the concert to its silver jubilee celebrations, has spoken of its pride to headline the event. Somdev Sen, the MTN Uganda chief marketing officer, said the dividends are down to “working together.”

Dfcu Bank and Uganda Breweries Limited are the other players that have joined forces with Capital FM and MTN Uganda to make the concert a reality. Jude Kansiime, the dfcu head of marketing, has promised fans an “unforgettable setting” that will birth “a notable event.”

Emmy Hashakimana, the marketing and innovation director at Uganda Breweries Limited, told Sunday Monitor that the concert will be a “musical celebration of life.”

Second time around

For Ugandan music aficionados, it will be a second time lucky. Boyz II Men cancelled their show that was scheduled for December 5, 2008, at the Lugogo Cricket Oval grounds in Kampala. This was after Shawn Stockman, a group member, fell sick.

The trio was slated to perform with other internationally-acclaimed artistes, who included R&B sensation Joe Thomas as well as Jamaican dancehall stars Tanto Metro and Devonte and Tanya Stephens. The show that was organised by Hemdee Kiwanuka of No End Entertainment, however, went ahead without the trio.

The Boyz II Men had been scheduled to perform in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Kampala on December 5 and 6, 2008, respectively.

The group’s fans will be hoping lightning doesn’t strike twice. If it doesn’t, the Boyz II Men tour of South Africa will kick off in The Mother City (Cape Town) on October 31.

They will also be giving a performance in Pretoria at the SunBet Arena, Time Square on November 2, before concluding in the North West at the Superbowl in Sun City November 4.

They were initially set to tour South Africa in 2020 and 2021, but had to postpone due to Covid-19 travel restrictions.

Who are they?

Boyz II Men (pronounced boys to men) is a vocal harmony group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, best known for emotional ballads and a cappella harmonies.

Boyz II Men has released 13 studio albums that include: “Cooleyhighharmony” (1991), “II” (1994), “Motown: A Journey Through Hitsville USA” (2007), “Love” (2009), “Twenty” (2011), “Collide” (2014), and “Under the Streetlight” (2017).

The group’s mega-hits include: End of the Road, I’ll Make Love To You,  One Sweet Day, It’s So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday, Motownphilly, and On Bended Knees.

Boyz II Men’s talent has not gone unnoticed as they have four Grammy Awards, a whopping nine American Music Awards, nine Soul Train Awards and three Billboard Awards under their belt. They also boast a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Boyz II Men have a Casino Entertainment Award for their acclaimed residency at the Mirage Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. The residency has been ongoing since 2013.

background

The American vocal group, originally named ‘Unique Attraction’ and formed in 1985, is one of the most iconic R&B groups in the music industry.

It’s currently a trio composed of baritone Nathan Morris, 51, alongside tenors Wanyá Morris, 49,  (no relation) and Shawn Stockman, 50. During the 1990s, Boyz II Men was a quartet. Bass singer Michael McCary, 51, however, left the group in 2003 due to health issues (multiple sclerosis).

Known for grand ballads and acapella singing, their 1992 song End of the Road’ stayed at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for 13 weeks.

Additional information from wikidepedia

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