By Ian Ortega
The events at today’s press conference where Eddy kenzo yanked Kasuku (a famous radio presenter and critic) off his feet and jabbed him a couple of times have got me thinking harder than before. I am one of those who had chosen not to air out my views after Eddy kenzo recorded a video in which he pinned the media for sidelining him.
He downplayed the role of the media in his success, saying it had actually worked for his downfall instead of his rise. I could tell a guy, who in trying to seem very humble, had instead showcased a new brand, one of a music artiste who has now become full of himself. To think that one can rely on the success of his dancers and their efforts and mistake that for his own greatness and effort leaves me pondering.
I want to be very honest, I don’t regard Eddy kenzo as a talented music artiste, but I can’t put him in the category of a good talent scout, he has that third eye of spotting talent. First, when he spotted Ronnie Stamina, he rushed and re-did the Stamina song and video and off he had his first viral song. Again, it wasn’t that the song was anywhere near the best of songs, listening to the original version of the song, and watching the original video, one could have seen a complete failure.
Yet, in re-doing the video and focusing on Ronnie, the song became a hit and the dance stroke became a signature stroke. He tried to pull off the same success with Bolingo and now he did it again with Sitya Loss. The Sitya Loss video had not taken off, yet, when the Ghetto Kids did a pure video featuring only them, the Sitya Loss song also followed in that greatness.
But whether Eddy Kenzo is a great artiste or simply a great talent scout, that’s a question for another day. Today we want to handle something greater.
I hate making prophecies, but let me be bold and state that we are going to see Eddy kenzo hit a plateau and thereafter he will go on a downward spiral unless of course, he gets to read that book; “From good to great—why good is the enemy of great.”
See, Eddy Kenzo is good musically, he’s yet to reach the level of great, a few Ugandan artistes have ever reached that level of great. Perhaps Philly Bongole Lutaaya did, I know of no other. The problem with Ugandan artistes, once they get to the sphere of good, they become complacent, begin looking down on the media, and before long, the very steps on which they are standing are removed, and then they fall and fail to reach their greatness.
Someone will have noticed that Ugandan music artistes never really cross from good to great, they all happen to fall in the same pattern. Either they begin competing at who has the best house or the best wife and forget about who really has the best music.
The others are killed by their newly developed arrogance and pride. Even false humility is pride in disguise, and one can sense that in Eddy Kenzo. A music artiste who can’t control his temper in public, a music artiste who can’t channel his temper into his music is not one worth to be called one.
Any music artiste should realize that media can make or break one’s career. Yet Eddy Kenzo was bold to state that the industry had played no part in his success, that it is was purely his effort, that the only reason they played his songs was because the people were already in love with his songs.
Perhaps he should also be told, that if radios and TV stations don’t play music, then the audience can never know about the existence of such music, no matter how good that music can be.
Wasiike Abdu Dilshan had this to say about Eddy Kenzo’s video where he blamed the media; “Just watched Eddie Kenzo’s video recording he uploaded on facebook opening a can of worms for journalists & radio stations… Good you aired your views but l think in a wrong way… Yo one of those humble & disciplined artists l know. So, don’t be misled because for sure u have no moral authority to criticize journalists or radio stations (Basing on what l know)… Good music speaks for its self… Do u even know how many stories Daily Monitor or New Vision have written about u and the kids because of ‘Sitya Loss’… You haven’t been in the country, so try being informed instead of just opinionated… Thanks…”
But Eddy kenzo should also realize that the worst thing for a music artiste, is not being talked about at all. There is nothing like bad publicity when it comes to a celebrity, all publicity whether good or bad, is good. Perhaps, I should also remind him of the many times artistes sent me their own gossip stories just so that people could get talking about them.
Yet even Eddy Kenzo who claims money is being solicited from artistes by presenters is not immune from the act. There are many presenters who can boldly put him on spot for giving out money so his music can get played, and there’s also the scenario where he was caught red-handed asking a presenter not to play the music of Prof.Big Eye.
For money to exchange hands there will always be a giver and a receiver. If artistes themselves are willing to be givers, they shouldn’t blame the media for taking on the receiver role. But that’s not the point anyway. The point is not to remove the ladder upon which one stood as he rose to the top. Eddy Kenzo has been purely a product of the media. The audience simply provided momentum for his songs, they didn’t contribute to the initial snowball effect that led to the growth of these songs.
This is a time for Eddy Kenzo to reflect that in getting so full of himself, he may hit the plateau of good and never rise to the mountain of great. For as far as we know, the Ghetto kids have been the highlight of Sitya Loss more than Eddy Kenzo himself or his vocal abilities (which I question obviously) plus his lyrical content (which leaves a lot to be desired).
The problem is not getting successful; the problem is how to handle success. Eddy Kenzo may have to reflect on how he will handle success. For many, success can be a trickier trap than failure. Kenzo’s good may thus turn out to be the enemy of his great as has been the case with many Ugandan music artistes (the likes of RabaDaba and Yung Mulo). Discipline is one of those essentials that enable artistes to transcend from good to great, most Ugandan music artistes lack just that once they achieve the first doze of success.
If Eddy Kenzo loses his discipline (he already is), we may see him hit the plateau and begin A Downward Spiral. The spiral may not happen so fast, but all the same, it’s bound to occur, perhaps a year or two from now, don’t say I didn’t tell you. Because as far as I am certain, not his vocal prowess took him to the top, his acumen when it comes to spotting talent and using it for one’s interests was the secret. The dancers made him, the media made him, his songs have never made him.