Ykee Benda

Originating from Kireka, a Kampala suburb, as the seventh of eight siblings, Tugume Wycliffe, who records as Ykee Benda, first sharpened his voice in a church choir. After completing chemical-engineering studies in Algeria, the Ugandan singer, songwriter, and producer debuted in 2015 with the single “Muna Kampala.” Subsequent releases—“Malaika,” “Kyenkyebula,” “Superman,” and a chart-topping remix of Sheebah Karungi’s “Farmer”—quickly followed.

His 2017 full-length debut Kireka Boy placed the infectious single “Superman” before a national audience and cemented his standing at the forefront of Ugandan music, a position reinforced in 2020 by the hip-hop and rap project Bomboklat, which enlisted regional voices such as Feffe Bussi, Big Tril, and Mun G. Throughout, Ykee Benda’s work draws on dancehall, Afrobeat, R&B, pop, rap, and reggae.