Rickman Manrick Means Business!

The Swedish-based Ugandan rapper talks music, giving back and Becoming a Mogul!

In one of his latest projects, ‘Goodnight’, a collaboration with songbird Lydia Jazmine, Rickman Manrick explores his soft side, for the first time, at least before our eyes. In the song, the rapper confesses his love for his woman, who is yearning for the same. This kind of mushiness was definitely new territory for the rapper, but it was all for a good cause.

“We had fun creating that project,” he says, perhaps to make me understand how breezy it was for him to pull it off. “We shot that video in December when I was in Kampala. Lydia Jazmine is such a great spirit to work with.” “Amidst all that came with the year 2020, we hope you make memories with this song,” reads part of the bio on YouTube.

Yes, 2020 was rough on everyone, including Rickman. “The pandemic altered all of our plans. It was a confusing time,” he tells me via Zoom from his home in Gothenburg, Sweden. He’s wearing a burgundy velvet sweat shirt, his hair neatly rugged, and his vibe ‘chill’ – It’s a Sunday afternoon after all. He’s of course dusting himself from the ruins of the pandemic.

“We’ve got lots of new music which we can’t release because, you know how uncertain the time is,” he continues. “For me, this was an opportunity to create new material as I was tucked away from the noise and attention that comes with our industry. I’ve written over 100 songs in this period alone!”

How then, have you been surviving? I ask. “On streaming,” he replies before pausing for a bit. “Music is a product that should be consumed in exchange for money to its creators. World over, not even one artist came out saying they were struggling because of being out of work. Not one! It’s only in Uganda, where we saw this.”

“Why?” he asks me. “We need to make the copyright law work, and also educate ourselves more about ‘streaming’, and how it can make money for artistes.”

Uganda’s music business relies more on concerts than singles/album sales. This is premised on the fact that many of the players in the industry have failed to figure out how to make the latter work. This seemed fine until the pandemic struck, and a ban was slapped on all music concerts. It has since not been lifted!

“We should look at this as blessing in disguise – an opportunity to clean house, and do better. Music is a universal language that can be consumed not just in Uganda, but everywhere in the world – I mean Brazil, Chile and all over. All you need to do is to make it available, let the world know, and sales with come in,” he explains.

Interestingly, even when he’s based in Sweden, and has his music on almost all streaming platforms, fully monetized, he doesn’t take himself out of the ‘Ugandan artist’ bracket. He takes full responsibility of the wrongs therein.

“We need to do better, because music is a long term investment.”

Derrick Ddungu a.k.a Rickman Manrick’s professional career as a rapper kicked off in 2017, with “Vänner”, his first single, a Swedish for ‘Friends’. In early 2018, he released his first Ugandan track titled “Naki”. This was the first project from him that had Kampala dancing. Since then, he hasn’t stopped even for a bit. Many of his songs such as ‘Basumbuyi’, ‘Ebango’, ‘Tunyumirwe’ and ‘Okilinamu Obuzibu’ are influenced by Uganda’s slang culture. Because of this, he could be the only disapora-based artist enjoying success back home.

When I quiz him about what could be the secret behind his success in Uganda, he takes me back in time.

“I was born and raised in Uganda. I’ve lived everywhere; from the ghettos in Kampala to the uptown. So, my lyrics draw influence from that life. Unfortunately, many diaspora artists don’t have this touch; either they were born and raised here, or haven’t even been in Uganda in such a long time.”

“For example on ‘Naki’,” he continues. “How do you express your feelings for a girl you love, in the typical Ugandan way? Any girl can be Naki! For ‘Ebango’, it’s about colleagues and friends encouraging each other to hustle hard until their levels change.”

“Should I assume you had a great team here in Kampala to push the music?” I ask.

“Not really. I travel to Kampala every once in a while. And, every time I come over, I put in the work. For my first song, I linked up with producer Artin, we vibed and the song was done that very day. That was it, the rest was done by me on social media. Before I knew it, everyone was asking for the song.”

Music, however, isn’t Rickman’s only passion. The rapper’s resume is already full and varied. He has worked as a leisure teacher/educator at the Kvarnbyskolean School for Children with Autism. He also works as a personal trainer for kids with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). He is also an active professional football player signed to Sävedalen IF based in Gothenburg, Sweden. He is a businessman, with Trent Music, a record label he founded last year, under his watch. All this, he does while pursuing his degree at university.

But, how does he juggle it all?

“You can juggle two or more careers, it’s not that hard. You just have to make time. That’s what I do,” he tells me.

“I love challenges. I’m also passionate about giving back. Back in the day, I’d walk with no shirt or even shoes on. At some point, I’d rely on my friends for clothes. Giving back, to me, is a service I’m always honoured to extend. I believe that giving back is getting back, just like adding value to value.”

We then focus our attention on Trent Music, his record label.

“Honestly, right from the beginning it has never been about me. My dream has always been to give young music artists from home, Uganda and East Africa, a platform to showcase their talent to the world. That’s why I founded Trent.”

So far, the label has four artists under its belt. Pasha Amaro, Dolv Gvng, Dougg Poundz and Rickman Manrick.

“First on the agenda was to connect the culture here with the people back home. We began by trying to do music in Swedish. We’ve done Swede covers of Elly Wamala’s songs.”

“Second is educating our artistes about how they can utilise digital platforms to monetize their music. We run an Instagram account called ‘Spotify Uganda’, and its role is to create awareness about the posibilities available on platforms such as Spotify. For example, with each stream you earn about 12ugx. How many artistes in Uganda know this?”

Trent Music, on the other hand, has its hands full this month. The record label is collaborating with Wahzaa, a swedish company, which is home to world-class beats produced by some of the top producers on the globe. The collaboration will bring Rickman and his Trent Music artists close to Yei Gonzalez, the founder of the company. Gonzalez has produced for numerous artists including Jennifer Lopez, DJ Khaled and Cardi B.

“Yei and Cardi B will be listening to music done by artistes from Uganda. How about that?” the rapper charges.

And that’s not all, following the success of ‘Goodnight”, the rapper is back with two new jams; ‘Byankukutu’ featuring a renowned Ugandan DJ called Selector Jef, and ‘Love me’ done by a Norwegian producer.

“I’ve always been business savvy,” he laughs. It’s not surprising that he’s inspired by the likes of Jay Z and Ronaldo.

“See what Jay Z has done for himself – music’s first billionaire, who made his fortune by building companies, and giving other people like Rihanna a platform. See what Rihanna has turned into as well? She’s a mogul. That’s what I meant when I said that ‘Giving back is getting back and adding value to value’. That’s where I see myself”.

It’s impossible to chat with a music star and not talk about fashion. Rickman actually styled himself for the photo shoot accompanying this story, and yet, he decribes himself as “someone who isn’t into fashion.”

“I used to be so much into style when I had just moved here, but things changed along the way. People here don’t dress up. They are always working, that’s what’s most important,” he tells me. “On an ordinary day, you’ll catch me wearing my slides and sweat pants.”

We conclude our chat with him offering to throw his weight behind organizations and brands that are into giving back to the community. “That’s something I’m deeply passionate about, and would love to use my influence to support such causes.”