Kampala Boy is the first studio album by Ugandan musician Flex D'Paper, released on 10 December 2021. The album features guest appearances from Swae Lee on the intro and songs with Navio, Fik Fameica, A Pass, Keko, Shena skies, Wake the Poet, Mozelo Kidz, Kemishan, Lagum the rapper. The production includes Aethan Music, Mio Made, Sam Lamara, Wake the Poet, Bad Chwezi and Lucian.

Kampala Boy
Studio album by
Released10 December 2021
Genre
Length45 minutes
LabelRapaholix Music
  • Konkrete Capital
  • Icon Studios Africa
Flex D'Paper chronology
Not for Sale
(2017)
Kampala Boy
(2021)

Background

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In 2017, Flex D'Paper released his first compilation, the mixtape Not for Sale. The mixtape was released on 27 June 2017 digitally, and on 14 October 2017, physical copies were launched. The annual MTN UG Hip Hop awards awarded Flex D'Paper with the Mixtape of the year award [1][2][3][4][5][6][7] The same year of release, the single Day Ones off the mixtape that features Navio (rapper) and Martha Smallz was as well nominated at the Buzz Teeniez Awards.[citation needed]

Singles and promotion

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The album had three singles released as a build up to the album. Yenze Aliko, a song released in 2017 was the first release off the album. The single saw Flex D'Paper win the Song of the year award at the MTN UG Hip Hop awards 2019 [8][9] and also got nominated at the Hipipo Music Awards 2020 [10][11][12] for the same single, Yenze Aliko.[citation needed]

In 2019, another single, Level Up was released and a year after, it went ahead to win the Video Of The Year award 2020 at the MTN UG Hiphop awards [13][14][15] and also got nominated for the Hip Hop Song Of The Year award at the Hipipo Music Awards 2020 [16][17][18][19]

During 2020, Flex D'Paper released a collaboration with Ugandan singer and songwriter Shena Skies, titled Mbikwasagwe. The song went on to win music awards in 2021 as well as get nominated at various awards.[20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28]

Before releasing the album, Flex D'Paper announced the release date for the Kampala Boy Album as 10 December 2021 as well as sharing the artwork and track list. Various media houses in Uganda talked about the announcement.[29][30][31][32] This built anticipation for the release.[3][33][34][35][36][37]

Critical reception

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Kampala Boy on its release on 10 December 2021, received favorable reviews for its diverse sound. The songs produced on the project range from Hip Hop to Afro Beat, Dancehall and EDM.[38] The artists features include artists like A Pass Navio (rapper) Fik Fameica Keko as well as new acts and a Swae Lee guest appearance on the album intro.[39][40][41] On the day of release, the album was trending on Ugandan Twitter and Flex D'paper shared the links on his socials.[42]

Cheptegei, a song celebrating Ugandan athlete Joshua Cheptegei was one of the many highlights off the album. The song features Navio (rapper) Fik Fameica and Mozelo Kidz.[43][44]

Commercial performance

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The album debuted on the Apple Music ITunes Charts all genres countdown at number 26 and later climbed to number 3 on the same day.[45] Within one week of release, Kampala Boy had made it to several notable streaming apps charts including deezer and Audiomack.

Awards

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The album won the 2023 UG Hip Hop Awards 2023 Album of the year award. [46][47][48][49][50][51]

Track listing

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Kampala Boy track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Swae Lee intro"Khalif Malik Ibn Shaman BrownIcon Studios0.10
2."Cheptegei" (featuring Navio, Fik Fameica and Mozelo kidz)Kwesigabo Alex Julius, Daniel Lubwama Kigozi, Walukagga Shafik, MozeloMio Made5:54
3."Not My Friends" (featuring A Pass)Kwesigabo Alex Julius, Alexander BagonzaSam Lamara2:46
4."Nkola Mpya" (featuring Keko)Kwesigabo Alex Julius, Jocelyn TraceyAethan2:39
5."Mbikwasagwe" (featuring Shena Skies)Kwesigabo Alex, Namagembe SheenaAethan2:41
6."Mandem"Kwesigabo AlexMio Made, Baru Beats2:43
7."Kampala Boy" (A Poem by Wake)Kwesigabo Alex, Mugoda GordonsWake the Poet4:04
8."Geez" (featuring Kemishan)Kwesigabo Alex, Lukwiya MarkBad Chwezi3:05
9."Yenze Aliko" (Lucian EDM Remix)Kwesigabo AlexLucas Sivette4:00
10."Level Up"Kwesigabo AlexMio Made3:11
11."Location" (featuring Mio Made)Kwesigabo Alex, Rwothmio Samuel 3:18
12."Kamali"Kwesigabo Alex, Namagembe Sheena, Nessim MukizaNessim Pan Production3:10
13."Loose Driver" (featuring Lagum the rapper)Kwesigabo Alex, Lagum OworLagum the rapper3:19
14."Yenze Aliko"Kwesigabo AlexMio Made3:39
Total length:45:00

References

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  1. ^ "Full List of UG Hip-Hop Awards Winners 2017. – The Tribe UG". Archived from the original on 1 March 2019. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  2. ^ "Rapper Flex D'Paper is not for sale - New Vision Official". newvision.co.ug. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  3. ^ a b "Flex D'Paper to Release Kampala Boy, His Debut Album, on 10th December". Lifestyle UG. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  4. ^ "Flex D'Paper set for album release party". bigeye.ug. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  5. ^ "www.nuveylive.org/not-for-sale-listening-party/?v=1db208cbcff2". nuveylive.org. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  6. ^ "UG Hip-Hop Awards 2017: Here's the full list of nominees". Archived from the original on 22 December 2017. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  7. ^ "UG Hip-Hop Awards 2017: Full List of Winners – TowerPostNews". thetowerpost.com. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  8. ^ "MTN Hip Hop Awards: Mun G, Fefe Bussi, Navio Get Accolades – SoftPower News". softpower.ug. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  9. ^ "Full Winners' List Of MTN Hip-Hop Awards 2019. - E-Jazz News". ejazzug.com. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  10. ^ "Hipipo Music Awards Releases Full List Of Nominees". ChimpReports. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  11. ^ "HiPipo Music Awards 2019 Nominees Announced | Full List". telesqop.co.ug. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  12. ^ "Full List of 2019 HiPipo Music Awards Nominees". Lifestyle UG. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  13. ^ "MTN Hip Hop Awards Nominees announced – MTN Pulse". pulse.mtn.co.ug. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  14. ^ "MTN UG Hip-Hop Awards 2020: All the nominees". Music In Africa. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  15. ^ "Here Are The MTN UG Hip-Hop Awards 2020 Nominees. | Notjustok East Africa". notjustok.com. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  16. ^ Flash Uganda. "Full List: Kenzo leads nominations at 2020 HiPipo Music Awards – Flash Uganda Media". flashugnews.com. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  17. ^ "2020 Nominees – HiPipo Music Awards". hma.hipipo.com. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  18. ^ "Uganda: Voting opens for 2020 HiPipo Music Awards". Music In Africa. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  19. ^ "9th HiPipo Music Awards 2020 nominations announced". Lifestyle UG. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  20. ^ "MTN UG Hip-hop awards to happen virtually this May". BigEye.UG. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  21. ^ "Full List: Who was nominated in the 2021 MTN UG Hip Hop Awards?". mbu.ug. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  22. ^ "Youthful MTN UG Hip Hop Awards to Return in May". Campus Bee. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  23. ^ "UG Hip Hop Awards set to return in May – Sqoop – Get Uganda entertainment news, celebrity gossip, videos and photos". sqoop.co.ug. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  24. ^ "Fameica, Felista, Navio nominated in the 2021 UG Hip Hop Awards". Matooke Republic. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  25. ^ "Janzi Awards 2021 in Uganda: All the nominees". Music In Africa. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  26. ^ "Full List: Nominations for the maiden Janzi Awards announced". Nile Post. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  27. ^ "Full List: Janzi Awards Nominees Announced". The Pearl Times. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  28. ^ "Uganda Online – Nominations for the inaugural Janzi Awards announced". ugandaonline.net. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  29. ^ "Flex D'Paper – I'm Set To Release A New Album In December". rxradio.ug. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  30. ^ "The Wait Is Finally Over As Rapper Flex D'Paper Reveals Release Date For Debut Album". Chano8. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  31. ^ "ITS HERE! Rapper Flex D'Paper Set To Release Debut Album 'Kampala Boy' This December". Nis Page. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  32. ^ "Flex D'Paper says, "Navio has been a mentor and big brother to me" on Kampala Boy documentary". NuveyLive. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  33. ^ "Flex D paper unveils track list for 'Kampala Boy' album". Kampala Sun. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  34. ^ "Rapper Flex D'Paper sets maiden album 'Kampala Boy' release dates". mbu.ug. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  35. ^ "Flex D'Paper announces release date for "Kampala Boy" album". galaxyfm.co.ug. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  36. ^ "Rapper Flex D'Paper Announces Dates For Album Release". Showbizuganda. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  37. ^ "Flex D'Paper Announces Date For His "Kampala Boy" Album Release". SPINERS. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  38. ^ "For the Love of Hiphop: Flex D'paper finally drops his Kampala Boy album". BigEye.UG. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  39. ^ "Flex D'paper drops Kampala Boy album". Matooke Republic. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  40. ^ "'Kampala Boy': Rapper Flex D'Paper releases 14-track maiden album". mbu.ug. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  41. ^ "2021 – The Year of the Urban Ugandan Album". The Clan. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  42. ^ "International Flex's Instagram profile post: "It's been a weekend to remember. Y'all kept the boy trending on Twitter: That's Maaad 🤯🤯 Major Blessings fam. Stream the album now,..."". instagram.com. Retrieved 14 February 2022.[self-published]
  43. ^ "Flex D'paper celebrates Cheptegei in new album – Sqoop – Get Uganda entertainment news, celebrity gossip, videos and photos". sqoop.co.ug. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  44. ^ "Flex D'Paper dedicates "Cheptegei" to Joshua Cheptegei and Ugandan sports community on debut album Kampala Boy". NuveyLive. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  45. ^ "Flex D Paper's Kampala Boy makes history". Kampala Sun. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  46. ^ Ruby, Josh (24 June 2023). "Full List Of Winners: Uganda Hip Hop Awards 2023". MBU. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
  47. ^ "Babaluku celebrated at 2023 Uganda Hip-hop Awards; See full list of winners". Pulse Uganda. 24 June 2023. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
  48. ^ "2023 Uganda Hip-hop Awards; See full list of winners". www.howwe.ug. 25 June 2023. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
  49. ^ https://www.facebook.com/mandela.nelson.90260 (24 June 2023). "Full list of winners as Hennessy sponsors Uganda HipHop Awards 2023". PML Daily. Retrieved 8 July 2023. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help); External link in |last= (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  50. ^ "The Mith, Flex D'Paper win big at Hip Hop Awards". Monitor. 26 June 2023. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
  51. ^ "Hennesey Adds a Bar to Uganda Hip Hop Awards 2023 | The Kampala Post". kampalapost.com. Retrieved 8 July 2023.