Singer Joshua Baraka has hit back at fellow musician King Saha over his criticism of his international ambitions, saying he is aiming for global recognition rather than settling for dominance in Uganda.
Baraka made the remarks during a TikTok Live session after Saha questioned whether pursuing an international music career was worth the financial investment and uncertainty involved.
Speaking to friends during a TikTok Live session over the weekend, Saha said Baraka’s ambition to break into international markets was a long-term pursuit that required substantial financial resources, with no guarantee of success.
He argued that people close to Baraka should be honest with him about the challenges instead of simply encouraging his ambitions.
“When I see him, I’ll tell him that what he’s trying to chase is a long game. All the best, but as I see it, it’s not worth it,” Saha said.
He added that breaking into international markets required a huge budget and offered no certainty about how far an artiste could go.
However, Baraka appeared unfazed by the criticism, arguing that artistes must be willing to take risks and think beyond their immediate surroundings if they want to achieve international success.
Using Jesus as an example, he said remaining in one place would have limited how widely his message was heard.
“I feel like if Jesus had just stayed in Nazareth, he wouldn’t be as heard as he is now. Sometimes you just have to dare to be different. It’s sad that some of the people we are supposed to look up to have very shallow mindsets,” Baraka said.
He then made it clear that he does not consider local dominance and global recognition to be competing ambitions, dismissing the idea of having a rivalry with artistes whose aspirations differ from his.
“If I wanted to have beef, I would have beef with Asake, Fireboy or Rema. Why should I beef with you when you want to be the King of Uganda, while I want to be the King of the world?” he said.
