Singer A Pass, real name Alexander Bagonza, has said that he does not—and will never—tip deejays to play his music.
Speaking in an interview with BBS TV, A Pass revealed that he believes good music should speak for itself, not rely on money to gain airplay. “Their tip to me is the music. If you love it, play it. If not, that’s fine too,” he said.
“Paying someone just so they can play your song when you’re around makes no sense. Great music should naturally move people to play it. That’s what I focus on—creating songs people actually enjoy.”
His remarks come in response to ongoing complaints from some deejays who claim they are sidelining Ugandan music because artists don’t offer them tips. Instead, they say they opt to play international tracks. But A Pass is not buying into that logic.
“They’ll play songs by Wizkid and Davido, but do those artists pay them?” he asked. “It’s okay if that’s what they want to do, but it doesn’t help our industry grow.”
According to A Pass, the solution is simple: support homegrown talent. “If we want to grow like the Nigerians, then we need to support our own the way they do. Their deejays play Nigerian music. Why is it that someone visiting Uganda ends up listening to Amapiano instead of Ugandan music? How will they even know where they are?”
