Gilbert Mwijuke
6 September 2008
Kampala — This twosome of Mr. Wind and Main Ben caught my attention during this year's Pearl of Africa Music (PAM) Awards regional tour, as well as at several other gigs. I was a witness as they won hearts of many concert-goers with killer hooks on their signature tune, Juba, on which they sing, comically, in defence of marijuana.
Imagine someone looking for a safe place from where to smoke marijuana and ending up in Juba, Southern Sudan, because "Ugandans are spiteful people". Crazy, isn't it? Check out some of the lyrics: "Njagala kugendako Juba/ Muwala tunywe ku' Sada/ Mpulira Uganda entamye/ ejudde ennugu!" meaning "I want to go to Juba, Southern Sudan)/ So we can smoke marijuana/ I'm fed up with Uganda/ It's full of envy!" This has won Main Street a huge following.
Juba, which leans towards reggae, has an imaginative and attractive sound. In fact, they had me the very first time I listened to the song, which is rare. The song has a certain feel that makes you want to groove and press the replay button over and over again. I might sound a bit biased, but the song is truly hot!
That is why, within just a few weeks of its release, Juba became a regular fixture on various local FM radio stations. The audio was accompanied by an equally hot video clip, which was promptly embraced by most Ugandan TV stations. And just before we knew it, the pair had already completed their journey from upcoming artistes to mainstream superstars!
It is as well that these lads have garnered a nomination in this year's Pearl of Africa Music (PAM) Awards in the Best Reggae Artiste/Group category. But that is exactly what one monster hit can do to one's musical career. And what is more amazing is that these lads produced both the audio and video of Juba themselves under their own record label, Main Street Productions.
However, even though it is Juba that has brought this duo to the light, Mr. Wind (born John Mukwaya) and Main Ben (Ben Kiwanuka) have been around almost forever already. The two first met during their high school days at St Balikudembe SS in 1994, and it was while at this school that they developed the desire to pursue a musical career.
They formed a group called Saka, which comprised them and the UK-based duo of Da Twinz. With this group, they couldn't achieve much as members scattered to different schools soon after. Ben went to St Lawrence Creamland Campus while Mr. Wind went to Kololo SS.
The other half of the group -Denis Mugagga and Dan Kinobe (now the duo that make up Da Twinz)-left for the United Kingdom. Apparently, all the group members decided to give music a break, mostly due to academic pressures.
But as fate would have it, in January 2006, Mr. Wind and Main Ben linked up again, and formed another group, Main Street, this time comprising only two members. And the rest, like the famous saying goes, is history.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 New Vision. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
