- Clattering, MC-led club tracks loaded with energy.
- Hakuna Kulala might be best known for spiky, hybrid electronics produced by artists such as Slikback (who recently linked up with China's SVBKVLT crew), but the Ugandan label's commitment to MC-led music feels less acknowledged. The language gap may pose a barrier to foreign listeners, and press coverage—which has given much praise to the wider Nyege Nyege circle—tends to focus on the instrumentals.
This brings us to Ecko Bazz's second Hakuna Kulala release, Kyusa Embela. Alongside labelmate MC Yallah, the Uganda-based rapper suggests we should take the label's vocalists as seriously as its producers. Ecko Bazz deploys deep, mantra-like repetitions with magnetic charisma, always unwaveringly on the beat. pq, the producer behind "Kyusa Embela," provides a clattering, spartan instrumental for the MC to ride—part grime, trap and with a midrange dubstep scrawl chainsawing its way across the track. Ecko Bazz recalls Killa P's recent turn alongside Kahn and Pinch on "Crossing The Line," albeit with less sub-bass. "Nightmare Song," the EP's second original track, is even more surprising, as Ecko Bazz ditches his steady composure for a mic drop-ready performance of punkish intensity against furious electronics. By the track's end, you'll be breathless, too.
Tracklist01. Kyusa Embela
02. Nightmare Song
03. Kyusa Embela (Gunfinger Mix)