Uganda is more than 7,000 miles from Pittsburgh, and it’s safe to say the cultural distance is comparable.
But as youths in Pittsburgh’s KRUNK Movement program learned, some things are universal, including concern for the environment.
KRUNK youths and students at Uganda’s Kichwamba High School have collaborated on a new hip-hop song promoting sustainability. It’s called “Suubi,” or “hope” in the Luganda language. The soulful 3:40 song that addresses topics from water pollution to deforestation was released last month on all streaming platforms.
“I just feel like it was important to speak on a lot of common issues we both have in America and out there, like the pollution, you know,” said Shombay, one of four KRUNK artists who rapped a verse on the track. “I’m glad we got the Ugandan kids on the hook. It really just made the song come all the way together.”
KRUNK is a project of the Hazelwood-based nonprofit Center of Life, and the song is rooted in the group’s long-running partnership with the Green Building Alliance. Last year, KRUNK — which uses hip hip as a teaching tool — released “Su(Stained) Reality,” a full album on environmental sustainability.
Then Thomas RaShad Easley, a nationally known hip-hop artist and environmental advocate, connected KRUNK with Jennifer Verdolin, a U.S.-based conservation biologist working with Kichwamba High.
KRUNK staffer Keith Parr created five beats, and the Kichwamba students chose one. KRUNK coordinator and vocal coach Naomi Allen came up with the words and music for a hook. Ultimately, Kichwamba students contributed vocal harmonies and drumming to the track, while four KRUNK students — Shombay, Rixie, DJ Loveasy and Amina Nasreddine — rapped verses.
Only a few KRUNK artists were able to participate in a Zoom call one Saturday with the Kichwamba students. But DJ Loveasy, 17, a student at Woodland Hills High School, said the project promoted cross-cultural solidarity.
“I just wanted to show them that they’re not alone, and there’s people out there who care,” he said.
Uganda has a population of about 50 million and is one of the world’s poorest countries, with a Gross National Income per capita of less than $4,000, as estimated by the International Monetary Fund.
“I just think it was a great opportunity for both the Ugandan students and us,” Shombay said of the project. “It could probably open up more opportunities in the future.”
