By Dennis Asiimwe
The decision by these lads to collaborate on this track about six years ago was apt. The timing was perfect actually – they were breaking into the industry, redefining their genres, and had a fresh-faced swagger that was actually endearing.
But these lads were also technically astute when it came to their craft. Timothy Code broke out at the peak of a mini-revival within the hip hop market and so he had a lot of folks to look up to for inspiration. His material was deliberate, with some brilliant lyricism and sleek delivery that was backed up by an assertiveness that worked. A Pass, even by then, had already developed something of a reputation as a workaholic whose cerebral style would earn him the moniker ‘The Teacher’.
The two artistes represented two different genres: hip hop for Code and dancehall for A Pass. The marriage of these genres has been proven to work pretty effectively, even in the Ugandan music industry. Heck, collaborations along this line include NAVIO and Bobi Wine on Bad Man From Kamwokya, and NAVIO featuring Peter Miles on Ruckus. But there hadn’t been anything as technically proficient as Enter The Ring.
It’s hard to pinpoint the exact reason A Pass and Code worked out so neatly together – they probably recognised the fact that they were punching above their height, and gave it all they had. A Pass also has something of a versatile background, having dabbled in hip hop and R & B before, so he taps into the hip hop influences in this song pretty easily. It also probably helped that the chemistry between the two was almost palpable. The song’s production values are also pretty high, especially when it comes to that deliciously crafted instrumentation. The track also features Essie, of A Ka Dope, who vocalises her bits without being overly dramatic.
It is hard to point out which artiste impresses most on this track: Code’s sleek delivery, and his deliberate lyricism, or A Pass’ inventiveness, and how he works the daylights out of the ragamuffin bits of the song. Enter The Ring was the sort of track that you enjoyed as a fan and as a musician.
