Producer Washington claims credit for pioneering unique African sound adopted by Nigerian artists

Producer Washington, real name David Ebangit, has bragged about a unique sound in Uganda that he claims was copied by Nigerian artists.

During an interview with NRG radio, Producer Washington revealed that he pioneered a BPM of 95, which is a moderately fast tempo, producing great hits like Dud, Sweeter than Kuku, Breath Away, and Talk N Talk, all by Radio & Weasel.

Uganda music lovers embraced the sound, attracting the attention of Nigerian artists who came down to learn more about the industry.

Washington claims that superstars like Don Jazzy traveled to Uganda and settled for close to six months, trying to find out what made the music unique.

I can give you a secret: the Nigerians like Don Jazzy before they blew, they came and spent time in Uganda. They were trying to find out what makes Uganda tick because we have been controlling it for a very long time. Our local crowds were good, and they were wondering what makes people in East Africa tick,” he said. 

This was until they discovered the BPM 95, which he says he introduced in East Africa. He recalls having a conversation with Wizkid, whom he advised to explore a sound that was a bit calmer than his signature sound.

There were significant changes in the game. Wizkid went back and did ‘Ojuelegba,’ and Don Jazzy also jumped on the same track. All these artists started using it because, with a BPM of 95, you can listen to it and bring out your vocals. But as Ugandans, we are the ones who had that style, he said.

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Washington further noted that Nigerians saw an opportunity to steal the shine away from Ugandans using this sound, mainly because the local music industry was disorganized, artists were poor, and they weren’t making money from their craft.

He, however, advised the music fraternity, which he said has heavily invested in the ‘Kidandali’ style, to repackage the sound, which he thought would be called the AfroDongo, to stay afloat and reconquer the African market.

They thought they would repackage the sound, make it AfroDongo, and do it the way I do in songs like ‘Talk n Talk’ and ‘Breathe Away,’ which are magical.

@nrgradioug Those Nigerian artists and Producers came here long ago and spent about 6 months in Uganda studying our music. #NRGRadioUG #NRGLostSkoolUG ♬ original sound – 106.5 NRG Radio UG