In 2008, End Of the Weak (EOW) photographer and organizer, Amy Hume went to Kampala, Uganda for the annual Hip Hop Summit, established in 2003. She discovered a boundless desire for Hip Hop culture in the East African nation, which proved to be fertile ground for the EOW MC Challenge.
The first MC Challenge was held in December 2008 with great success. After a year of research and development, the MC Challenge returned to Kampala in December 2009. Due to the diverse languages throughout Uganda, End of the Weak went on the road to find representatives from the Eastern, Western and Northern regions of the country.
Radio and television interviews were held in every region to introduce the concept of the movement and promote the event. In the following days, a forum was held for the local Hip Hop artists to inform them about the MC Challenge, to provide a space for them to share ideas, and to hold auditions to find six competitors for the MC Challenge. The following week, the events took place in nightclubs or youth centers. The events consisted of judges who were established Hip Hop artists, producers and DJs from the area, hosts who were radio personalities, and the top six competitors from the auditions. Every regional event was planned and facilitated within two weeks.
The MC Challenge was widely accepted by the artists, audience and presenters in every region. The people were motivated and interested in working with a project that would breathe life into their Hip Hop communities. The appreciation for the organizers was obvious, as displayed by the crowds of people who would stay after the events to talk to the founders, Amy and Richard Walakira. For the first six months of 2010, Amy and Richard, aka Burney MC, researched, traveled, and organized forums and MC Challenges throughout the cultural and resource rich country.
The 2010 regional winners were Mac Ten from Jinja (East), KY from Mbarara (West), CYNO MC, M33, and Rugged Made from Kampala (Central), and MC Rock from Lira (North). The Challenge of Champions was held 24th April 2010, in Kampala, where each MC represented their region, tribe and language. CYNO MC emerged as the Champion, winning a trip to the EOW World Finals in Berlin, Germany.
When CYNO and Burney MC arrived in Berlin, the accomplishments and achievements of EOW Uganda were solidified. The newest members of the End of the Weak family were able to share their experiences and dreams with people from Europe, South America and the U.S. They returned to Uganda with amplified confidence and enthusiasm to educate and empower their community.
EOW Uganda finished the second MC Challenge season 23rd April 2011. From October 2010 to March 2011, the regional competitions uncovered the talents of MCs BB Mwanvuwanvu and JaJa Nelly from Kampala (Central), MC Rock from Lira (North), Dafine from Mbarara (West), and Busta Kuchi from Mbale (East). The Challenge of Champions was a triumphant event that produced BB Mwanvuwanvu as the Champion.
End of the Weak Uganda has effectively brought together MCs, painters, graffiti artists, DJs, music producers, dancers, street ballers, radio and TV presenters, photographers, videographers, graphic artists and spectators from different nationalities, tribes, ages, and educational backgrounds. There are 72 languages spoken in Uganda, so the depth of this project is under constant construction. EOW representatives include people from the Acholi, Buganda, Bagishu, Busoga, Bakiga and Ankole, among other tribes that rap in a mixture of languages including Luo, Luganda, Lugishu, Lusoga, Lukiga, Lunyankole and so on. The utmost importance of staying true to the EOW MC Challenge is encouraging MCs to rap in their native language, which allows them to convey their emotions and knowledge as they know best. EOW Uganda includes judges from all regions so the competitors are evaluated fairly.