Birth name Abdul Sykes Occupation(s) Singer Labels Dhahabu Records | Also known as Mr. Misifa Years active 1999–present Name Dully Sykes | |
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Born 4 December 1980 (age 43)
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania ( 1980-12-04 ) Associated acts Diamond Platnumz, Professor Jay Similar People Professor Jay, Lady Jaydee, Vanessa Mdee, Diamond Platnumz, Juma Nature Profiles | ||
DULLY SYKES FT HARMONIZE - INDE (OFFICIAL VIDEO )
Dully Sykes (born Abdul Sykes on 4 December 1980) is a Tanzanian musician. He specialises in the local bongo flava genre.
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Biography
Also known as Mr Misifa or Mr Chicks, Dully Sykes is a dancehall artist in Tanzania. He has performed in the UK. Following the footsteps of his father Ebby Sykes, a "Manu Dibango-type musician", Sykes is one of the pioneers of Swahili dancehall in the African Great Lakes region, and is widely known for hits like "Julieta", "Salome", "Historia ya Kweli" and "Leah". Some of his songs are based on true stories. After the first album, Historia ya kweli released in 2003, people started calling his music mwanasesele, Swahili for a high squeaky noise. With the song "Handsome" and an album by the same name, he became one of the biggest names in young urban music in Tanzania. With his third album, he proved that he is not only a singer but a fully-fledged musician by mixing different music styles showing his versatility, without compromising or changing his unique African voice. He has produced music at his Dar es Salaam record label called. Dhahabu Records, and continues to write songs. He has provided "hooks" to many artists including Man X's "Nimechezea Bahati" and P-Funk's "Please Forgive Me". One of his tracks, "Handsome", is on the African Rebel Music Roots reggae and dancehall CD compiled by the international record label, Out Here Records. Dully is no stranger to controversy or the gossip columns of newspapers. From being caught by traffic police driving a mini-bus when he was 12 to using pepper-spray at a concert after having a row with the boyfriend of a girl he was flirting with, newspapers always have something to talk about.
Nyambizi and controversy
Sykes has also attracted criticism for his lyrical content and the images in his videos. To date, his most controversial song in probably "Nyambiz", a tale of his sexual experiences with a "nyambizi", slang for a large voluptuous woman. Released as a single in 2001, the song was attacked by various organisations for its lewd lyrics, which include lines like "Aah! Nyambizi can't you feel sorry for me? I'm tired of jackin' off. Please give it to me" and "We did it till dawn, she didn't want me to stop, we did it without a condom."
With has such a strong Muslim influence in Tanzania, sex talk in public is considered a taboo and thus avoided at all costs. Furthermore, with HIV and AIDS being such a huge problem in Africa, to seemingly glorify unprotected sex was seen as both dangerous and stupid. In response to the public outlash, radio stations refused to play the song, but it nevertheless continued to be requested by radio listeners and the single sold well.
Sykes' music videos are also full of controversial images. Videos for some of his songs like "Kuche Kuche" and "Hi" are full of dancing scenes that depict men and women dancing in a popular yet racy style. Another video in which Sykes appears, "Suga Mami" by Mac Dizzo, shows consumption of alcohol and more sexually suggestive images. In a country like Tanzania, where a large percentage of the population has definite Christian or Muslim values, these actions are taboo, but in Sykes' videos they are glorified.