Saba Saba

Ugandan hip hop artist & cultural activist



Contact: krazynativ@yahoo.com



Saba Saba, Ugandan Hip Hop/Lugaflow artist & cultural activist, has been performing since 1994. Performing as Krazy Native he was a founding member of the Bataka Squad, a Ugandan Hip Hop group that originated the use of the Luganda language in Hip Hop music [Lugaflow]. Saba Saba established himself as a solo artist with 2005 release of Tujja-Babya, a song on his album by the same name. Tujja-babya, meaning to breakthrough in Luganda, earned him a nomination for best Hip Hop artist and song in the 2006 Pearl of Africa Music Awards. His music addresses daily struggles and triumphs of African life, while honoring his African culture through the use of his native language and musical references to traditional music and drumming. He co-founded the Ugandan Hip Hop Foundation and since 2003 has organized a yearly Hip Hop Summit in Kampala Uganda.



He has been a guest artist and speaker at numerous events in Africa and the United States representing Uganda through his music and lectures on African culture and music. Highlights include his 2005 participation as a representative of Uganda at the UN’s first African Global Hip Hop Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, his 2007 performance alongside Michael Franti and a crowd of 70,000 at the Power to the Peaceful Festival in San Francisco and most recently in March 2008 he performed and served as a panelist for Harvard University’s Conference "African Youth Development through Art and Technology – The Role of African Hip Hop".



His current music projects include a solo album titled "Cup of Coffee" and a collaboration with the internationally recognized artist DJ Spooky.



1994
Founding of the Bataka Squad
1996
Bataka releases the single, classic Lugaflow song, "Atooba"
2003
Started the "Hip Hop Nite" at Sabrina’s Pub in Kampala to showcase local talent; Co-founded the Uganda Hip Hop Foundation; Performed with world famous West African rap group, Positive Black Soul; Started the annual Hip Hop Summit in Kampala
2004
Delegate of the Uganda Hip Hop Foundation at the "Rock against Aids" concert in Nairobi, Kenya; Part of the Uganda Hip Hop Foundation delegation to the Tanzania Hip Hop Summit
2005
Nominated for the Pearl of Africa Music Awards as best hip hop artist & best hip hop song; Filmed his first music video Tujja-Babya in the slums of Kisenyi, the first video of its kind to show the reality of life on the streets in Kampala’s poorest neighborhood; Ugandan representative at the UN’s first African Global Hip Hop Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa.
2006
Featured in the documentary Diamonds in the Rough: A Ugandan Hip Hop Revolution; Ugandan representative to the Trinity College First Annual International Hip Hop Festival, Hartford, CT; Performed and lectured at Syracuse University’s Amnesty International Benefit Concert for Sudan; Performed at the Nomadic Wax Showcase in Prospect Park, Brooklyn and at shows in Boston, Arizona, San Francisco and Hollywood.
2007 - July
Met with former President Bill Clinton, at a Clinton Foundation event in New York City, representing the Bavubuka Foundation, a Ugandan youth organization.
2007 - September
Performed with Michael Franti at the Power to the Peaceful Festival in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park.
2007 - December
Organized the Hip Hop Summit in Kampala, Uganda and performed with traditional African music group Ndere Troup at the Ndere Center.
2008 - February
Guest speaker for premiere of Diamonds in the Rough premiered at the Pan African Film Festival, Los Angeles, CA; Performed at an international Hip Hop show at On the Rox at the Roxy in Hollywood.
2008
Panelist and performer at for Harvard University’s Conference "African Youth Development through Art and Technology – The Role of African Hip Hop".



General Info



Uganda Hip Hop Foundation
Bavubuka Foundation | Bavubuka All Stars
Subterranean Network | Subnetarmy.tv
Modiba Publishing & Productions
Flight 808 - International Hip-Hop



Press



UG Pulse Article - Meet Krazy Native
UG Pulse Article - 1 on 1 with Krazy Native
New Vision - Bataka Squad set for Hip Hop in United States
XXL Mag - African Raps
Tara Henley Article - Uganda Hip-Hop Foundation
Annansi Chronicles - Can hip hop change Africa?



Saba Saba and his music are featured in the following documentaries:
Diamonds in the Rough:A Ugandan Hip Hop Revolution
Wild Sounds:Expressions in Raw
The Film was shot mostly in Uganda. Taking the urban and the remote together. Culture, art and tradition all mixed with music as an expression of the African way of life.
What are we doing here?A documentary about aid and development. A search for what Africans think the role of the "Westerner" should be.