Nobody Should Tell Big Tril What To Do, His Eyes Are On a Grammy Award

I'm just doing good music!

Wearing a yellow t-shirt, black jeans and white high-top sneakers, Big Tril walks into the basement of Garden City mall flanked by his manager, who somehow managed not to move an inch away from him. He’s really tall, he gets even taller when you get closer to him. As you get even closer, an aura of swaggy wafts off him. But, what do you expect to get from the creative force behind one of the biggest songs in Kampala?

A club anthem and fixture on radio countdowns, his song Parte after Parte happened really fast, unlike his career, which has been a long protracted hustle to stay relevant in Uganda’s competitive music business. Fueled by a catchy and repetitive hook, inspired by one of Pastor Ssempa’s numerous rants, the song has taken Uganda (and a huge chunk of Africa) by storm, sparking a number of online memes and solidifying the rapper’s come-back. This is definitely a big win for the marginalized Hip Hop genre in Uganda, a takeover to say the least.

Real names Roland Kaiza, Big Tril got his big break after signing to Baboon Forest Entertainment, a Hip hop outfit that once included GNL Zamba, Keko and Mun G. Years after it disbanded, he landed a buzzy record deal with Striker Entertainment from Nigeria, which has seen him grow from strength to strength.

In this interview with Satisfashion UG, he explains how and why he’s always misunderstood.

Parte after Parte is an instant hit. How does that make you feel?

I’m beyond happy. The feeling is priceless. At the end of the day, it’s not us who make the hits, it’s the people who do.

What happens to Pastor Ssempa and his adlibs, does he get to perform with you one day?

That wasn’t an adlib, that’s my voice but the idea came from watching a clip of his on Instagram. Everything from voice to beat on the song is by Big Tril.

Has he reached out to you?

Yeah, we have been talking on twitter and he likes the song. He is amazed that just three words he said influenced a song.

Let’s talk about the video, people say it was overwhelmingly disappointing.

Everybody thought I’d go for a normal video. But see, when I released the audio of the song, the DJs played it so much, the video was my only way of giving back to them. It’s basically an exhibit of their work, like on a typical night out in Kampala.

So you have no problem with the quality of the video?

No, I don’t and I don’t think I’ll do another video for it. That’s it.

If you had a chance to do a remix of the song, who would you have on it?

I don’t know yet right now. I’ve had some people come to me for the remix. I don’t know who will listen to the song next. Whoever will jump on the remix will be ordained by God.

This is the hit you have been looking for for years, do you think you’ll be able to top it?

I don’t plan on topping it. My plan is to make good music. Throughout my career, I have been consistently making good music. I’ll just get back to studio and keep on doing songs.

One hit song and you are already talking about the Grammy’s. People feel like you are being so full of yourself, and you ought to be humble.

Nobody should tell me what to do. If I have aspirations and dreams, don’t tell me how to dream. If I wanna win a Grammy for my country, that is my dream. Anyone who is saying what not…I don’t care. Those are their insecurities. I said what I said and I intend to do what I said. I am a man of my word.

People say the Hip Hop Industry has been in limbo for some time now, especially after GNL’s departure.

When GNL left Uganda, a big gap was left in the industry. But where is it now?

Would you consider yourself a Hip Hop puritan and do you think that Hip Hop beats have to purely reflect Hip Hop origins?

No, I am not a Hip Hop puritan. There are no laws in music, the only way for you to achieve a new sound is to break the rules.

A number of rappers claim that Hip Hop is still being black balled. They assert that there’s a cabal of gatekeepers who make it really hard for Hip Hop artistes to breakout.

Everyone has aspirations. I have always been a mainstream rapper. Baboon Forest rappers, GNL, Mun G and I have always been mainstream. I don’t think every rapper’s dream is to be mainstream. Some rappers love to be in the zone where they are mainstream but not mainstream. Let nobody come and tell you that if you do rap like this it won’t sell and if you do it like this it will. Do what you understand and feel, then release it to the people. They’ll most definitely like it.

There’s a time you took to Facebook to rant about young rappers who do nothing but brag. Was this just a bitter rant or you had something to say?

I just feel like maybe the new guys hadn’t worked hard enough to be naming themselves kings or giving themselves big titles. I don’t think that’s healthy for the culture. Our fans should be the ones giving us titles. I’m just saying, everybody knows that GNL is a rap king in Uganda because there is a track record for that.

Let’s talk Ugandan food. What’s your favourite?

I like fish, matooke, I mean, all food and nva. In fact, I’m a really good cook. So, I can even prepare it myself.

Rappers brag about having lots of women in different area codes. Are you the type?

Don’t get me wrong, I love Ugandan girls, they are the most beautiful women in the world. But I am also a focused person. I am not trying to have six girls around me and popping champagne, you know. When I have a girl around, she should be able to build me as I build her. She should be intelligent and hardworking as me.

Are there things you used to do before the fame that you currently miss?

Yeah, I miss going down to the Taxi Park, sitting in a taxi and meeting people from different spots around town.

Are there relationships you regret you lost because of this fame?

Everything that I have done has led me to this point. Everybody who is in my life is meant to be here. If we are meant to be friends it’ll happen and if you are not in my life now, that means you weren’t meant to be here in the first place.

Is there a personal mantra you live by?

I have a tattoo that reads “the biggest threat to knowledge is the assumption of its position.”

You once had a radio career. What happened?

I concentrated on my first love, which is music. Eventually when I’m older, I’ll go back to radio because I love talking. I’ll get back because I think I was good at it. For now, focusing on music seems like the right decision.

What are your favourite shoe brands?

Nike Airmax’s because they are classics, the Balenciagas that have a sock-like extension because they are really comfy, and Vans because you can wear them with anything. Oh, and of course Timbalands because every rapper loves Timbalands.

There is a section of hip hop that hates skinny Jeans.

To each their own. I love skinny jeans, I wear skinny jeans. But not everyone can wear skinny jeans. See, people who wear skinny jeans are usually comfortable in their skin.

How do you like your woman dressed?

Sweatpants, chilling at home, hair tied back, I mean girls who dress effortless get my attention.

Credits

Photographer: Gerald Ochieng