Bas has been on a mission to use his voice to amplify stories that need to be heard. His latest contribution to that goal is his role as the host of Dreamville’s new podcast, The Messenger, which will help share a story about the fight for freedom in Uganda. Bas enlisted The Hics to help him create the official theme song titled “Smoke From Fire,” available here.
The Queens-bred rapper made sure to be crystal clear about his intentions for this new journey. “As artists, we often struggle with how to best use our platform. How to effectively play our part in helping society make positive social change,” he began. “That’s what drew me to this story.” The podcast will be centered about telling the story of Bobi Wine. “Bobi Wine has sacrificed all the comforts of a pop star to challenge Uganda’s dictator of over 30 years in January’s election,” Bas continued to write. “He’s been banned from radio or putting on concerts while also facing several attempts on his life, unfair arrests, and harassment by the ruling party. It’s rare if not downright inspiring to see an artist shoulder such a burden.”
Although his last full-length solo project was Milky Way, which was released back in 2018, Bas has had his hand in a slew of singles since then such as FKJ’s “Risk,” Rexx Life Raj’s “No Permission Needed,” and Dua Saleh’s “RE(a)D.” Prior to that were his projects Too High To Riot and Spilled Milk, which were released in 2018 and 2019, respectively. Music news aside, last year he had a unique opportunity to design a shoe for an exclusive BAPE collaboration on behalf of Dreamville, alongside designer Rae Anaïs.
The Messenger Podcast
In 1994, the “Godfather of Rap” Gil Scott-Heron released A Message to the Messengers . The track implores artists to use their influence to improve and advocate for their communities. The MESSENGER is a new documentary podcast that takes its name Scott-Heron’s seminal track. Each season explores one transformative figure in music – a messenger – leading the fight for social change, sometimes with devastating consequences. Focusing especially on stories from under-represented communities around the world, The MESSENGER introduces audiences to places, genres, and questions of deep cultural and political importance that have rarely been explored in audio. Raised in the slums of Kampala, BOBI WINE is Uganda’s biggest pop star and one of the most famous artists on the African continent.
In 2016, a series of encounters with the country’s brutal dictatorship inspired him to transform his music into a platform for political change. Against all odds, he ran for Parliament and was elected in a landslide. But his message of freedom threatened the country’s leader, Yoweri Museveni, who began a war of persecution against Bobi that almost cost him his life. Instead of backing down, Bobi is fighting back, announcing a “David vs. Goliath” run for President in 2020. Season One of The MESSENGER follows Bobi Wine as he attempts against all odds to overthrow Museveni, with the future of millions of Ugandans hanging in the balance.
