I must admit, I passionately dislike people who force life. Those things of forcing accents, forcing looks (mbu artificial butts, hips, boobs) forcing kb (even when things have evidently jam),blah, blah blah I just hate!
Now the other day, I heard this couple forcing life by trying so hard to speak the Queen’s language. I mean, their conversation had that signature style of talking where one makes a sentence in Luganda and quickly translates bits of it into English of course with lots of direct translation. Aha!
From phrases like, “….No! Nedda….”, “…Okay! Kale… it’s possible… Kisooboka.” I heard it all. In fact at one point, it seemed funny. These guys evidently had a tough time keeping up appearances (typical repercussions of “forcing life”, I swear).
And now, this latest victim of forcing life who happens to be, none other than that Eddie Kenzo guy has got me concerned.
Well, forget about the fact that I still have issues with his Kenzo name, which reminds me of a certain perfume (oba does he even know it exists – I wonder) and let’s just concentrate on serious issues here.
What is wrong with this guy and sticking to the Queen’s language like it’s no man’s business? I mean, Kenzo has really tried to impress us by flashing tu words in English (with the wrong pronunciation) as he sings oba to achieve what? And then he tries to match it up with a ka serious look in the videos only to further irritate the viewer. It all goes from, “challennggiiii”…… “Darlinggii”, to “sppeecchhiiilleeesss”, that indeed leaves the listener speechless.
But come to think of it; Kenzo needn’t suffer. For starters, it is a public secret that he has a problem with the Queen’s language. And that has not stopped his fans from listening to his music, has it? They have appreciated the dude and even went further to boost his esteem by cramming his bu dancing moves so he even gives an overdose, out of excitement (mbu every track comes with its own moves, jeez!).
Besides, he is no exception from all the other musicians across the world, who have still managed to make a lasting impression despite singing in their native languages (take Khadja Nin, Falley Ipupa among others) right?
So why has this Kenzo man failed to see that we have gone past the English thing and he does not have to force it especially if it has failed?
Perhaps Kenzo needs to hear this loud and clear! When Jay- Z in one of his songs emphasised that, “You can pay for school but you can’t buy class,” he had a very valid point. Talent, looks, swag can indeed be inborn. Therefore, paying a hard dime to achieve a certain objective (like class, talent, swag) may not necessarily get one there. To bring the point home, trying so hard to incorporate English into the many tracks may not automatically render you classy, swaggerific or accord you a bigger audience.
In simple terms, the fans will still appreciate the music (especially if it is good) without the tough life of forcing bu funny lines only to sound more local.
But hey, wait! There is another alternative for Kenzo, that is if his undying love for the English language is anything to go by, it still can be achieved, no prob. The last time we checked, Aziz Azion had made a retreat back to school; to achieve his dream and maybe put an end to those many Luganda interviews (as if learning the language was such a hard nut to crack).
And we await for the latest details of his encounter, we’ll ask, Is Aziz too far away from Kenzo’s reach that he cannot borrow a leaf, especially if he is so interested in speaking this language?
Food for thought but in the meantime, stick to what you are most comfortable with, and I repeat, nobody will desert you okay?
I hope this came out, loud and clear, huh?