Meet EOW winner BB Muwanvu Wanvu

EOWblog met End of the Weak MC Challenge winner BB Muwanvu Wanvu on a sunny afternoon in Kampala. After winning last Saturday, he is back to rehearsals and focused on the international finals in France later this year.

EOWblog: How did you prepare for the competition?

BB: I rehearsed for two months, every day. I rehearsed every round of the competition, the a capella, the freestyle grab-the-bag, the beat juggling and the cipher. I contacted previous contestants like Cyno MC, to help med sharpen my material, in the preparation.

EOWblog: How did you get though the MC challenge on Saturday night?

BB: Well, my favorite rounds were a capella and freestyle grab the bag. It was a lot of fun. I also did well in the Cipher, where we each had to rap four bars. The challenge was the beatjuggling. I thought that round was going to make me lose. When the time came to announce the winner, I first heard that Jajja Nelly was the second runner-up, and I kept my heart strong. Then they announced Busta Kuchi. I was standing near the stage, and could see everything. Then they said the winner was BB Muwanvu Wanvu, and at first I didn’t move, because I was not sure, that it was really me. Not until my friends came and lifted me up, and carried me to the stage. That is when I realized, that I had won. All the eyes and the cameras were on BB. I credit my winning to God, because every night I was praying to win the competition.

EOWblog: What is next for BB?

BB: I have the heart to compete and win the world finals of the End of the Weak. To get there I have to not be lazy, but put my thoughts and energy into rehearsing. I am motivated by the opportunity to leave Uganda, knowing the bad situation I came from. I will show the End of the Weak, and the rest of the world, that you can come from such a background and become world champion!

End of the Weak is Global!

The End of the Weak MC Challenge started as a weekly event in New York in the year 2000. Ever since, MCs have battled it out every Sunday in the longest running open mic session in NY.

The concept then spread to the UK, Germany and France, and later South America. Amy Hume, who has been working with End of the Weak for six years, said to herself: ‘If they can do End of the Weak in South America, we can do it in Africa!’, and got together with Bavubuka All*s to start up a Ugandan chapter.

The rest is, as they say, history.

Learn more about the global End of the Weak, and listen to cool tracks, at the End of the Weak website, the End of the Weak world wide blog and the French EOW site.

 

And the winner is…

BB Muwanvu Wanvu won the End of the Weak MC Challenge Finals in Kampala tonight.

In five rounds the contestants expressed their talents, rapping about everything from regional cultural identities to Omo, guided by hosts MC Foeva and Cyno MC. While Mon MC, Twig, SP Omugunjule and Bromani performed, the judges’ scores were compiled, and the hopeful rappers got ready to hear the results. Amidst wild cheers, BB Muwanvu Wanvu was carried to the stage when Judge Tshila announced him as victor. The winning MC simply couldn’t stop himself, and expressed his joy by rapping for an excited crowd at 9 Degrees.

Runner-ups were Busta Kuchi from Mbale and Jajja Nelly from Kampala.

‘It was a tight race, and all the rappers are unique talents,’ commented Judge T-Bro later, ‘but it was a fair win for BB.’

BB Muwanvu Wanvu will be travelling to Paris, France, to represent Uganda in the End of the Weak World Finals.

Tonight - Tonight!

Tonight freestyle comes to town in the form of the End of the Weak MC Challenge finals at 9 Degrees, Jinja Road.

The contestants Rock, DaFine, BB Muwanvu Wanvu, Busta Kuchi and Jaja Nelly are all polishing off their best rhymes, but mad flows competing for a go at the international freestyle finals in Paris aren’t all you’ll get on stage tonight.

The hosts of the evening, Lugaflow kings Foever and Cyno MC can’t wait to get the show going: ‘We are out to represent the truth and the real hiphop in Uganda,’ says Cyno, winner of End of the Weak Uganda 2010. 

Foever, host of the new 1Mic show at NBS, promises a night of thrills and suspense, along with performances from SP Omugunjule, Babaluku, Mon MC, T-bro, Lady Slyke, Twig and St. Nelly Sade. 

The Ugandan rappers are joined by Bromani and Lauren from Words, Beats & Life in the US.

 

1 day to go!

Kampala is steaming hot this Friday. Not just thanks to the nightly showers and the harsh sun; End of the Weak MC challenge national finals are just one day away!

Over the last months, the EODUB team has organized regional finals in the four regions, to bring out the freestyle talents all over Uganda.

Tomorrow the five finalists battle it out in 5 rounds of rap at 9 Degrees, next to the Railway Station on Jinja Road. The event starts at 7:00 pm up to 11:30 pm and the entrance is 5000 shillings.

The five finalists are Rock from Northern Uganda, DaFine from Western Uganda, Busta Kuchi from Eastern Uganda, and Jaja Nelly and BB Muwanvu Wanvu from Kampala.

 ‘The regional finals were a huge success for us’ says Burney MC, one of the organizers.’ In Northern Uganda  they really have MCs, and the crowd was very supportive of their MCs. In the western region the Mayor came to see the MC challenge. He had never experienced an event like that before. Eastern region in Mbale, was very unique. I am expecting a lot from our finalists.’

Judging talents

Tomorrow night you can meet the five most talented freestylers in Uganda in the End of the Weak MC Challenge at club 9 Degrees on Kampala Road. They will battle it out in stage, and the winner goes on to the international finals in Paris, France.

But who is going to send them there? A panel of experienced judges from all over Uganda is ready to take on the challenge of measuring talent among the contestants. Each of them is a heavyweight in their field of expertise, and will be giving comments and advice throughout the competition tomorrow night.

The judges look at crowd response, lyrics, flow, creativity and stage presence at a scale from one to ten.

The judges are:

Legend P: producer at Fenon Records, and the man behind the famous 2011 campaign rap by President Museveni .

Superman: legendary hiphop radio host at Signal FM in Mbale.

T-Bro: rapper from Kabale, with a long sheet of hits, among others, True Manhood with GNL and Lumix.

Legend P, Superman and T-Bro are all psyched up to bring their sharpest comments and biggest compliments to End of the Weak Nationals 2011.