IT is certainly the road less traveled but one that Hannah Nanyanzi aka Saint C.A has chosen to travel alone — hip hop music.
Last Friday, Saint C.A, made history when she became the first woman musician in the history of Uganda to drop an exclusively hip-hop album earning her the unofficial title of UG hip-hop’s First Lady .
The Mic, My Cross, was unveiled at an exclusive “early edition” party at the Barbeque Lounge. Dominic Muwanguzi talked to her.
How many tracks does the album have? The album has sixteen rap tracks and poems.
Are you a poet? (Laughs). Yes, I started writing poetry in school.
How did you start doing Hip- hop? As a form of competition at Agha Khan High School in 2002. There were these boys — Navio is one of them — who rapped all over the school campus. As a prefect, I joined them because I wanted to challenge them and show them that what they could do, I too could.
I understand you did a song-Mother Africa- with the Hip-hop All stars back in 2005 and that rap song earned you a PAM Award. Is this all you have done in terms of social awareness? Not at all. If you listen to my recent album, many of the tracks on it point at changing society either directly or indirectly. Tracks like Yesu (not literally Gospel), Live Again, Drowning the Noise and many others are tackling themes we grapple with in life.
Have you ever been in a fight? Yes and no. The Ugandan hip-hop industry has different camps and I interact with anyone regardless of what camp they belong to. When I had a collaboration with Babaluku and GNL, I was criticised. However, I play it all cool.
What is the worst heart break you ever had? When I discovered that my boy friend who incidentally had proposed to me, had a child with another chic. That was really messy for me.
So are you seeing anyone right now? Yes, but he wants us to keep it on a low down. He is not the kind to hold hands in public, but I love him anyway.
Which artist are you crazy about? I love a Nigerian artiste called Nneka. He is organic and very different from what I get to listen to everyday. I also like the fact that she is natural. On the local scene, I like Richard Kaweesa and Qwela. I am also into Rabadaba’s music. He is very clever with his lyrics.
What is your style secret? Answer: I like colour and comfort. I like to be comfortable with what I wear. I will not go for anything simply because it is trendy.
What is your greatest achievement in the industry so far? I have been singing professionally for two years now. I want to open up a youth centre where disadvantaged children can have access to education.
Who is Saint CA THE ORIGIN OF HER STAGE NAME Saint C.A as a stage name came up after her mentor- an Inspirational speaker based in the US called her saint because he believed she had a lot of potential. The C.A is an abbreviation of her name.
CAREER She has a Degree in International Business from Makerere University Business School. Job outside the music career: She has a graphic designing company called Traxis. It does art works for her music and Navio.
Craziest thing she has ever done Walking after 10pm in South Africa to go and see Pro-Kid. “I did finally get to meet him, but my phone was stolen. I guess something worse could have happened to me.
