By Reagan Ssempijja
Because most Ugandan producers are usually not shone a light on, you may not know who Erisa Mukisa, alias Producer Skillz, is. However, I’m certain you have listened and grooved to some of the music he has produced. If songs like Pull Up, Cheza Mama, Overdose by Kent and Flosso ring a bell, then we are on the same page.
The unarguably talented music producer rose to fame about five years ago, when he worked with equally good musicians like Winnie Nwagi, Vinka, Kent and Flosso, and Fille.
Like many producers, Skillz earned his fame at a breakneck speed, and expectedly, he succumbed to the pressures that come with being famous. Alas, he vanished off the music scene for a while.
In an interview with journalists, in Kyanja, a city suburb, on February 20, Skillz revealed that at some point in his blossoming career, he felt like he needed to try out some of the habits fellow artistes were involved in because of the interesting stories he had heard.
‘’I had always heard about the use of drugs and how it would boost artistes’ energy, vibe and mood. So, I also decided to start out. I started with basic weed or marijuana and before I knew it, I was using all sorts of weed to make me feel a certain way. However, as I continued to use these substances, I realised they were nothing but trouble,’’ Skillz said.
Resultantly, the producer got addicted to the use of marijuana, which brought his career to a stalemate, hence disappearing from the eyes and ears of many.
During his battle with the addiction, Skillz says he was labelled a mad person by some of the people close to him, because of his unbecoming behaviour that ensued from using weed.
‘’I fought with the addiction for about six months, and thankfully I overcame it without major life damages. Upon recovery, I decided to get back to doing what I know best – music production – this time with an even bigger dream of running a record label,’’ he explained.
Today, Skillz and a team of young artistes have teamed up to establish Pendo Entertainment, a fully-fledged music label that is set to record, produce and mix music, but also to sign and manage artistes. The company is located in Kyanja, Nakawa division, Kampala.
‘’We also intend to do events management and film production,’’ Skillz added.
While interacting with journalists, Skillz sampled some of his upcoming work and urged young people to quit drugs because they only destroy lives and careers.
