UnKut Hennessy HipHop Awards: The Highs and Lows
Some months after the UnKut Hennessy HipHop Awards held on 18th December 2021, Hip-Hop fans are still in conversation about the night that was. UnKut is an organization championing mental health and Hip Hop as it supports upcoming Hip Hop talent. From Ball4Health to the UnKut sound check series, the organization has been working overtime. Catapulting new voices in the scene, they have been on a forward-leaning momentum culminating into a secure spot at the crescent of the Hip Hop scene. Doubt me? Well, UnKut Hennessy HipHop Awards is the only hip-hop themed award in Kenya. “Changing The Narrative” was the theme to the lavish night characterized by A-list artists, red carpet photos and trophies. This year’s awards screamed exclusivity as only key industry players received the black and gold themed e-invites. This sparked conversation with critics slamming this move while Ruby V- UnKut founder clapped back, “When tickets are being sold, y’all don’t scramble to get them. Now the Hip Hop awards are invite-only and somehow that’s still a problem....” This left the audience wondering if the gala and the genre as a whole is for a selected audience. While it is nice to see the milestones the awards hit for its 3rd edition we cannot fail to highlight the highs and the lows of the night.
An improvement in the nomination list was noted this year with a medley of artists from various sub-genres having spots in various slots. The best album of the year was not only lyrical projects but also included Shrap and boom Bap just to mention a few. There is always a debate surrounding what HipHop is or isn’t and the inclusion of all genres in one slot shows the unity of HipHop as more than just lyrical spitting or traditional beats. While Scar continues to rule Pride Rock as he bagged Best Male Artist of the year it was commendable that the award panel did not give in to nominating artists due to hype proving it is not a gimmick to get attention. New names such as SeeSaw (Clothing Brand of the year) while veterans such as KituSewer (Album of the year) got their due respect with recognition from the panel. The credibility of the results was an issue brought up in the past with fans complaining of biases and a conflict of interest between the organization and some of the artists. This is why it was necessary to show the voting polls to the public. Having the voters choose the winner 100% is a risky move that often sees the awards blasted for favouritism. Thus the panel can have a standardized way of selecting the winners ensuring voters favorites don’t win but the most deserving.
Celebrating the opus catalogue of various artists, we commend UHHA for introducing new categories. The categories included; Alternative artist of the year, Changemaker of the year and East African artist of the year. The latter was more anticipated as it held tastemakers in the industry ranging from Tanzania’s electrifying Brian Simba and Rosa Ree, Uganda’s Lagum the Rapper and our very own Scar Mkadinali and Ssaru. We could not ignore the representation of women as they were represented in 2 out of 5 slots in the category. It was impossible not to notice Uganda had only one artist leaving the question is Uganda not making music or did the panel not conduct research beforehand? The Change Maker of the Year award kicked it up a notch this year. Perhaps the most rewarding category as it came with a trophy and a deal from UN-Habitat: Create 2030. The winner would be enrolled on a yearlong program connecting HipHop artists with UN/NGO agencies to build a fair, equitable and sustainable world. The category was up for grabs as compared to previous years where it was forethought. A very important move as there was the unbiased nomination and voting from the public. This sees deserving members nominated because who else can say who is supporting the society apart from the society itself.
Kenyan Hip-Hop legends Nazizi and Juliani at the Unkut Hip Hop Awards, 2021
Despite the flashy gala night being characterized by great improvement it still lacked when it came to communication. The award ceremony started extremely late and was denoted by confusion. While the guests streamed in from 6:00 pm there lacked red carpet media interviews and the official media partner, Trace Africa was nowhere to be seen. Starting past 10:00 pm there was no official communication as to why the event started late. This spelt unprofessionalism and lack of respect for the awards as the award ceremony started 2 hours later. Despite this, it would have been cordial for the organizer to communicate to the audience what was happening and implement damage control. This would have shown compassion to the guests who took their time to avail themselves.
The thrilling rush of your favourite artist or even the hottest one around singing to your favourite tunes as you sing along is indescribable after 2 years of curfew and lockdown. The performing acts at the awards were to be electrifying as they included Buruklyn Boyz, Boutross, and Groovy Jo. Unfortunately fans were left disappointed. Due to the award ceremony starting late and other unavoidable circumstances such as sponsors going AWOL, the performances failed to kick off. This brought a monotonous feeling to the environment that was occasionally lifted with light chuckles and thunderous applause for the winner’s speech from the audience.
Summing everything up, UnKut Hennessy Hip Hop Awards has made significant progress compared to when it first kicked off in 2019. As we congratulate it on the stellar moves, some recommendations for the awards include the introduction of contracts. This will help the organization prevent instances where partners go AWOL or fail to do their required job. Apart from that, the installation of an effective communication channel. Despite the presence of a top-notch team, the lack of communication made the awards look rushed and unplanned. The panel should be more diverse to ensure new names are introduced to the nomination list to prevent monotony in the nomination lists. The UHHA is a current reflection of the HipHop industry, from the scarcity of ladies to be nominated in the Best Female Category to the lack of HipHop shows on local radio stations. Professionalism needs to be injected into the system to see the awards and the industry flourish to later years.
