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Abramz Tekya is in love with hip hop
Abramz Tetya gestures during the interview. Photo by Edgar R. Batte.
What you need to know:
Abramz talks about hip hop music as if he were talking about his girlfriend.
He is passionate about hip hop. When he begins talking about this music genre, you would think he was referring to some woman because his figurative expression and diction depict a love affair which has had its happy and low moments.
Abraham Tekya or simply Abramz, like he is known to his fans, has been doing hip hop from the age of eight.
Today, Uganda’s hip hop story is incomplete without a mention of his name and contribution. He is one of the two who make up the rapping duo, Sylvester and Abramz.
Tekya is from the crop of artistes who do music more out of a hunger to tell real stories, particularly from corners of communities you might not easily get access to, rather than for commercial gains.
He introduces himself in the simplest description. “I am a b-boy and a rapper as well. I got exposed to music when I was a child of four years In 1991. My dad and mum used to sing a lot.
Inspiration
Whereas his parents were not stage performers, he says they inspired him to do music. He began going out to find some music even when he did not have the slightest idea about genres and classifications.
“I did not even know it was rap music. I also watched some break dance videos. Later, I moved to my aunt’s place where I met an older cousin who knew what hip hop was. It sounded different and made me want to understand it. At the time I could not even understand English and he helped translate the lyrics for me,” he recounts.
Lutaaya, the first rapper
Tetya argues that Philly Bongoley Lutaaya was the first rapper in Uganda. He bases his argument on Lutaaya’s song, Nakazana, which he says fascinates him a lot.
“Many people would like to refer to themselves as the original or grandfathers of Ugandan rappers but it was Philly Lutaaya. He rapped before any of these artistes were born,” he says.
When I ask him how many songs he has recorded and released, he says he is not sure of the number
“I have done a lot but Lemerako was my first big song. It was played on many radio stations and TVs. People have also downloaded it a lot from the internet,” he says.
Tekya has a bone to pick with mainstream media, which he says does not give enough attention to hip hop music.
Challenges
“The system is corrupt. People want you to pay them before they can play your music on radio or TV. There are only a few who play it without being paid,” he says, voicing a challenge many luminaries face in the local music industry.
This has not deterred him from chasing his dream as a musician. The hip hop hustler says he will keep writing music. He is particularly motivated by everyday experiences.
“I am inspired by my journey. I always want to make hip hop relevant. We used to be criticised. Ugandan hip hop has taken a long time to be relevant.
It is not only music that has taken him places. Tekya is the brainchild behind Break dance Project Uganda (BPU), a project that uses dance to empower youth in different parts of the country.
Family
Asked about his own family, the hip hop rapper says time is dawning on him to start a biological family with his girlfriend.
“I already feel like a parent because of the work I do. I also see myself doing more youth development work through music. I want to be running big events and change the face of hip-hop too,” he somewhat concludes.
