Artists To Watch: That Malcolm Guy

Malcolm Bigyemano is multiple artists wrapped  in one. Whether it’s commentary about post-war political British satire, Memphis Bleek, or the politics of speaking Rutooro to a boda boda driver in Kampala, Malcolm is sure to offer a profound perspective on the matter. Inspired by his ability to weave together these disparate influences into captivating musical and cinematic worlds, this Ugandan director, actor, graphic designer and now musician is our artist of the month. 

As a filmmaker first, Malcolm stumbled into musicianship through a character of his called Mr. Mankwa. He is the director, writer and star of a 2019 mockumentary web-series set in the 1980S about the life and times of dancehall star Mr Mankwa, who mysteriously disappeared. It tells the story of Uganda’s musical heritage and the sounds from the diaspora that continue to influence Uganda’s contemporary soundscape. Malcolm committed so much to the role of Mr. Mankwa released an EP and played several concerts whilst in character. 

Eventually Mr. Mankwa’s success paved the way for Malcolm’s individualism, evolving into what most now know him as, That Malcolm Guy; a stage name that perfectly houses Malcolm’s dynamism. Since 2020, he has released 3 singles with self-directed visuals, all of which are retouches of timeless Ugandan classics. His latest single, SIRIKAWO (Retouch) takes Sirikawo Baby, an old Luganda lullaby made famous by Emperor Orlando, and spins it into an upbeat hip-hop/heavy metal banger about silencing one’s doubters. 

We caught up with Malcolm to revisit his complex creative journey and celebrate his contributions to the Ugandan creative scene. 

Walk me briefly through your creative journey. I know you first as a filmmaker and now as a  musician. Are there any other hats that you wear?

I am a very good writer and I think that’s where everything starts. Also, I’m very good at drawing, so filmmaking was a way to bring the writing and the visual thing together. After high school I hadn’t figured out a film school or university to go to (it wasn't initially an easy sell for the parentals), so I got a job at an ad agency called Kinaya that also owned this t-shirt line called Definition. I wrote copy there but also learnt how to do graphic design so I’ve been doing the graphics for all my films and now, music. I made short films for a few years and during a period where I became friends with a lot of musicians I realised these are the BEST characters and that snowballed into making the above mentioned web series about a musician, acting as said musician, then finally really being a musician who is also a very good filmmaker. I feel like I’ve been gathering all these tools and I have plans but I don't think I even know the scale of what I’m preparing for.

How did the idea of Mr. Mankwa come about? What was it like working on that series?

Slikback and I were at a house party and we started talking about how Ugandans don’t understand patois but we really like Jamaican music, right? “Lord-a-mercy” becomes “Nalumans.”  One day I started freestyling some Jamaican sounding gibberish that Don Zilla thought was a real song. We recorded it and I started filling in the gaps of this character, this mysterious gangster dancehall guy nobody knows. That snowballed into performances and a 3 part web-series that’s now out on Youtube.

How was it received by the public?

Before the webseries came out I did a lot of performances wherever I could. People were always confused at first, then enthused. As per the web series? People loved that. Not enough people saw it, in my opinion, but those that did loved it. It told the story of our musical heritage, from Kadongo kamu and Linagala to Reggae and Dancehall, and filled a gap that I think people felt.

Which aspect of filmmaking do you enjoy the most? 

I love it all man. I love the problem-solving. I love seeing a storyboard turn into a frame with moving people. But I think I like the writing the most. That is when the film is still yours alone, (as the filmmaker) free to go in any direction. By the time I finish writing a film, I’ve already visualized it. Everything thereafter is the joy of making that dream come true, making it vivid, filling in the details. But the dreaming is the most fun part for me.

Save for your features, all of the singles you’ve released thus far are retouches of timeless Ugandan classics. What inspired you to pursue such a project? Can you speak about the songs you chose to retouch and what they mean to Ugandan pop culture? 

It started with my friend and collaborator Alim Karmali telling me how much he HATES acoustic covers of hip hop songs. I felt the exact opposite way, so I was like “let's do covers of Ugandan classics!” So we really tried to transcribe lyrics and stuff, but it didn’t sound good, I’m not a good singer. Yet. So we just started using the classics as source material to make our own thing and it was amazing. We have sampled Ziggy Dee’s Eno Mic, Sirikawo Baby, made famous by Emperor Orlando and Menton Krono, Digi by Ngoni and a few others we have not cleared and can’t yet talk about.

Tell me about the video for Sirikawo. How did that concept come about? Who made that monster costume?

From the creation of the song, we wanted to make an anti-lullaby. Sirikawo Baby is a Luganda lullaby, but we wanted to flip it to say, “yo! Wake up! Young people, wake up!” So listening to the metal screamage and dark tones, I was like, this could be a horror film, but like an 80s PG13 monster-meets-kid horror. The idea came to me in December on a roadtrip to the village where there was a lot of fear and uncertainty in the air. The pandemic. The elections. Conspiracy theories had become conspiracy theories. Because of that we didn’t believe anything, even if it might’ve been true. So the monster can be seen to represent those real dangers we don’t take seriously when we are constantly inundated with fear and just go numb. People interpret it in so many types of ways, though. I don't like getting in their way. Sometimes their interpretation is cooler than mine!

Can you tell us what you’re working on right now? Which creative medium are you leaning into most? 

I made most of these Retouch songs a year ago, so I’m honestly in a very different headspace than the music I’m pushing. I’m a very politically engaged person but I’m also in a very cynical place right now. Our generation is experiencing the same politics of oppression, greed, and authoritarianism that our parents did. Despite that bleakness, Ugandans have always been resilient people. Through war and suffering, we have always found ways to keep on keeping on, and I think it's been through partying. Partying as a spiritual exercise. As a ritual. Life sucks but tonight on this dancefloor, all that matters a little less. So I’m working on a project called Parte Pack for now. It’s a 5 song EP guaranteed to make you shake your bums through the hard times.

What is your perspective on the creative scene in Uganda, particularly as a filmmaker? What should people know about Kampala’s creative community?

First of all, I need people to stop talking about Uganda’s film industry in quotes as if it’s fictional or totally doesn’t exist. I’m touchy about that. The thing that gives me hope with our film scene is that there IS an industry. There are people working at all levels of the production chain on a regular basis making money, making product and sustaining themselves. It doesn’t look like Hollywood, but that should not be our standard. We are quickly building audiences and resource bases to be able to make feature length films and series that are seen widely, make money and create jobs on a regular basis. People may not recognise it but it is already happening.

Anything else you would like our readers to know? 

You may never be able to predict what That Malcolm Guy is going to do next, but you must know it’s going to be great.