WHO IS WISPA?

Wispa a.k.a Ayesiga Benard born on 7th Jan 1994 in Masindi District is a Runyoro Hip Hop recording Artist/Emcee, community builder, C.E.O G-Policy Squad and Director at Abarusuura Foundation, a Hiphop Movement aimed at uplifting Hip-hop culture in Bunyoro sub region to the world. Masindi is a district located in Midwestern Uganda commonly known for its different natural gifts, Like Murchison National park , Budongo forest and Abarusuura Foundation is the first ever Hiphop movement in Bunyoro region. It has paved way for different young talents giving an upper hand to femcees like Sandra Ug, Jammie, Wizzy, Joanita, Jjackson, Montez Daryn, Jay prowess and many others.

HOW WAS YOUR CHILDHOOD?

From my childhood I was raised up in a nuclear family of a beautiful married couple with two Children (boys).

I was always forced to move to neighborhood to play games like "Tapo" ,"Dulu" among others though I spent 90% of my childhood at school r since my mother was a primary teacher and am sure this gave me earlier courage to be who I am today. My childhood was full of parental love and my parents worked hard to provide all that it took to make me and my brother successful.

COOL, YOU SAID YOU SPENT SO MUCH TIME ON SCHOOL, WHICH SCHOOLS DID YOU GO TO?

I really went to a number of schools like Walyoba primary school Masindi, I joined high school at Kabalega secondary school Masindi, St.pauls ss Masindi. Blessed Damian School Masindi, Crest High school Masindi, Kitara Model Secondary School and Kyambogo University Kampala (Bachelor’s degree in Microfinance).

WISPA, CAN YOU REMEMBER SOME OF YOUR BEST & WORST MOMENTS IN CHILDHOOD?

Yes bro, can’t forget the childhood times, times of living with a true soul, I remember always having great time whenever we visited our grandmother in kasese and more especially the Christmas times when putting on my new clothes, it was always a blast and my worst moment was the first time to attend school lesson, I honestly never wished to be at school again. In my primary four, I stole my father’s cassette tape of CHAKA CHAKA and recorded some rap and took it back after, I was connected to rap music since my childhood.

WHO INSPIRED TO START RAPPING?

I started rap way back in primary school after listening to Snoop songs though it was irrelevant to my friends and I Tried to forge english raps back in primary four in 2003. Later on I listened to Ragga Dee's song “nkabongele’’ I got more inspired on this one but when I heard Babaluku I was more moved to work out something. In senior one at kabalega ss all fellow students sometimes called me Jay Z because in that period of time I had mastered his lyrics. Nas’s song of “I KNOW I CAN” is one of those tracks that made me.

LIFE IS ALL ABOUT PATH TOOK, THE VISION YOU WALK WITH INSIDE, THE ACHIEVEMENTS, THE WAY, HOW HAS YOUR JOURNEY IN PRACTICING HIPHOP CULTURE?

All along before recording any song, I used to freestyle on USA hardcore beats in high school parties and competitions in night clubs of Masindi, I was one of those few who got an opportunity to feel the hiphop wave vibrating with in me and in 2011 I came to light with my boys and formed G Policy squad and I recorded my first Rap song “Sibyangu” featuring Mcscurvey and it hit Bunyoro airwaves with its unique sound and inspiring lyrics which seeded more performing opportunities for me especially in club Icon Diva Masindi from where I won the inter performing competitions among Masindi artists of different music genres and this allowed me grow and in 2014 I got together with Dexter, StrayMc and we founded Abarusuura Foundation and later we expanded.

Our 2015 " katereire nkaha" song release was massive and it partly changed people’s mind on music and started listening to rap of their language in masindi especially the youths. This paved way for my next track in the same year which was Bunyoro wrap up and turned out to be one of the coolest jams played in Masindi. With powered fire, I would love to celebrate my brother Bigmatt at Urban Aksent, Ntinda for pouring love in the wrap up song. Ever since that time I got bold and stronger in the music production and community activism through recording. I got nominated in two categories in the Kitara Music awards 2016, one was Best Hiphop Artist of the year and Best music group but due to unclear reasons and intentions, we won and no award or any reward to the winners.

2016 and 2017 I have really been busy exploring more opportunities like being part of the Hiphop Boot Camp 2016 though this year I have been concentrating so much on pushing my first Mix tape titled Buyoro Ha Map (BHM) which got me nominated in both Best Mix tape of the year and best Western hiphop artist categories of the UG Hiphop awards 2017. I was recently part of the first annual Mwigha Hiphop Collective Album

The game is not a easy road to travel along basing on our financial status facts but we are here to do it our way, just our visions will come to light, hiphop will change the world.

HOW DO YOU DEFINE HIPHOP IN SUCH A GENERATION THAT HAS DEFINED IT A NEGATIVE CULTURE?

To me Hiphop is a movement, a movement of knowdlge, it’s a culture beyond music, and it allows free expression. It owns a certain power of transformative wave that turns youth community hindrance to positive community building. It saves life at the other side of the river, it teaches self-entrepreneurship which in turn curbs down the unemployment problem among youths. Hiphop has allowed young people to “Unify” for a better purpose in their communities.

IT SEEMS YOU HAVE REALY HAD A FULL COMITIMENT TOWARDS THE ACHIEVEMENTS SCORED SO FAR, HOW DID YOU FEEL TO BE PART OF THE MWIGHA ALBUM AND BEING NOMINATED IN THE UG HIPHOP AWARDS?

I really feel blessed to be living part of my dreams, being on both the Mwigha album and UG Hiphop awards nominee are living testimony of my past years struggle and I would love to strengthen my funs and UG hiphop lovers that we won’t stop representing you, representing us . Much love to the Tribe UG for considering my contribution towards the industry.

Mwigha collective hiphop album camp and recording was a very great experience to me, it experimented One Love, it demonstrated a Unified force of hiphop levity that will never die and people should expect fire from the sound of that album we did, it’s going to heal souls, its going to re-define the new Hiphop generation of builders. The most amazing experience was of travelling around Jinja and Iganga.

FOLLOWING THE CURRENT PRESIDENTIAL AGE LIMIT (TOGIKWATAKO) STITUATION IN UGANDA, WHATS YOUR VIEW AS AN ARTIST?

Freedom is a piece of right I own, you have to own, I speak less about politics but on this I say it loud that am on the (Togikwatako) side, they have developed ways of dividing us to rule us for years but as a Hiphop artist, I continue to write lyrics that remind our people about our responsibility of our own mother land Uganda. Am part of the revolutionary warriors passing on information through creative performing and expression.

LAST WORDS………………

To the hiphop fraternity, lets represent the present, let’s build a new wave of hiphop expression without wars of the past, let’s be the light, lets only work towards Unity………………………………………...... THANKS

Interview By Ram Black