Since the inception of the Hipipo Awards in 2013, Bebe Cool is the biggest winner with over fifteen awards.
His winning of almost all the categories he has featured in has been the reason which his critics have advanced to support their claims that he owns the Hipipo franchise.
The allegations have been going on for a while until over the weekend when he decided to speak out on the awards, following a cartoon in Daily Monitor depicting Bebe Cool awarding himself. Chidingly, the Gagamel boss used the opportunity to request all local award organisers to stop nominating or awarding him.
“Today, I have decided officially ask all organising committees of any music competition/awards in Uganda to exclude my name in any nomination in Uganda. Let me concentrate on being appreciated beyond my borders rather than home because it is the way of a GOOD Ugandan to fail a fellow achieving Ugandan both locally and in the diaspora.”
A seemingly angered Bebe Cool added: “I was touched when I saw a newspaper that I trust in Uganda putting up cartoon impression that is definitely destructive to the music industry of Uganda; for such a media house to claim that I personally own the HIPIPO awards and hence award myself. It’s a pity seeing such destruction happening at a moment when Uganda needs constructive information to help direct citizens to hard work hence achievement.”
According to Bebe Cool, he has worked so hard for the success he currently enjoys. “I have won a lot of awards in my last 25 years because of hard work, focus and consistence despite all the negative forces that have been put in my front. I would have expected an article that appreciates the ones who are focused and have worked hard and encourage the ones who are lazy and not focused to better themselves hence our industry. I have reached great heights in my career and am still focused on greater ones. HIPIPO awards are the only legitimate, consistent awards in Uganda since PAM awards closed and I don’t remember any male artiste working better than me even in the last two PAM awards. But u did not name them PAMBEBE AWARDS like you have named the later HI-BEBE music awards.”
