Madoxx
Encyclopedia
Madoxx is the stage name
for the Uganda
n roots reggae
musician David Amon Ssemanda Ssematimba (born 1972). Madoxx, who is popular in Uganda for his reggae ballads in Luganda, lives in Göteborg, Sweden
.
. He attended Makonzi Boarding Primary School and Busoga College Mwiri. Before choosing a path in music, Ssematimba worked as a primary school teacher.
He relocated to Stockholm
, Sweden
in 1991, and while performing in night-clubs to pay for his computer studies, he met Kenneth "Mafo" Ssejjemba Magoye, a fellow musician, who introduced him to Aggrey Ssembatya, the proprietor of Small Axe Productions.
He moved to Göteborg where he eventually began work on his albums at Small Axe Studios.
Where Madoxx wrote, composed, arranged, programmed, performed, co-mixed and produced all the songs on the albums.
And Aggrey engineered and co-mixed the albums.
Released in 2000, Madoxx's first album named "Tukolagane" became a major hit in Uganda with hit singles like
Namagembe (about a girl he secretly loved while still at school),
Tukolagane (meaning roughly "let’s join hands and work together" in Luganda language
),
Omukwano Gwafe (our love and friendship will never tire),
Eddembe (let peace prevail in Uganda),
and many more hits from this album.
He followed up in 2006 with the album "Abato" (the youth), with hit singles like
Nakatudde (a love song),
Leka Nkulage (let me show you, that my love for you, is still very strong after all these years),
Easy,
Wansonyi (my girlfriend is very shy, but i love her anyway),
and more...
Influenced by Gregory Isaacs
and Israel Vibration
to name but a few.
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
for the Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
n roots reggae
Roots reggae
Roots reggae is a subgenre of reggae that deals with the everyday lives and aspirations of the artists concerned, including the spiritual side of Rastafari and with the honoring of God, called Jah by rastafarians. It also is identified with the life of the ghetto sufferer, and the rural poor...
musician David Amon Ssemanda Ssematimba (born 1972). Madoxx, who is popular in Uganda for his reggae ballads in Luganda, lives in Göteborg, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
.
Early life and career
Ssematimba was born in KampalaKampala
Kampala is the largest city and capital of Uganda. The city is divided into five boroughs that oversee local planning: Kampala Central Division, Kawempe Division, Makindye Division, Nakawa Division and Lubaga Division. The city is coterminous with Kampala District.-History: of Buganda, had chosen...
. He attended Makonzi Boarding Primary School and Busoga College Mwiri. Before choosing a path in music, Ssematimba worked as a primary school teacher.
He relocated to Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
in 1991, and while performing in night-clubs to pay for his computer studies, he met Kenneth "Mafo" Ssejjemba Magoye, a fellow musician, who introduced him to Aggrey Ssembatya, the proprietor of Small Axe Productions.
He moved to Göteborg where he eventually began work on his albums at Small Axe Studios.
Where Madoxx wrote, composed, arranged, programmed, performed, co-mixed and produced all the songs on the albums.
And Aggrey engineered and co-mixed the albums.
Released in 2000, Madoxx's first album named "Tukolagane" became a major hit in Uganda with hit singles like
Namagembe (about a girl he secretly loved while still at school),
Tukolagane (meaning roughly "let’s join hands and work together" in Luganda language
Luganda language
Ganda, or Luganda , is the major language of Uganda, spoken by over sixteen million Ganda and other people mainly in Southern Uganda, including the capital Kampala. It belongs to the Bantu branch of the Niger–Congo language family...
),
Omukwano Gwafe (our love and friendship will never tire),
Eddembe (let peace prevail in Uganda),
and many more hits from this album.
He followed up in 2006 with the album "Abato" (the youth), with hit singles like
Nakatudde (a love song),
Leka Nkulage (let me show you, that my love for you, is still very strong after all these years),
Easy,
Wansonyi (my girlfriend is very shy, but i love her anyway),
and more...
Influenced by Gregory Isaacs
Gregory Isaacs
Gregory Anthony Isaacs was a Jamaican reggae musician. Milo Miles, writing in the New York Times, described Isaacs as "the most exquisite vocalist in reggae". His nicknames include Cool Ruler and Lonely Lover....
and Israel Vibration
Israel Vibration
Israel Vibration is a reggae harmony trio, originating from Kingston, Jamaica. Lascelle "Wiss" Bulgin, Albert "Apple Gabriel" Craig, and Cecil "Skelly" Spence all overcame childhood polio, and went on to be one of the most successful roots groups to form in Jamaica in the late 1970s...
to name but a few.