Dully Sykes (born Abdul Sykes in 4 December 1980[1]) is a Bongo Flava musician from Tanzania
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Also known as Mr Misifa or Mr Chicks, Dully Sykes is a dancehall artist in Tanzania [1]. He has performed in the UK [2]. Following the footsteps of his father Ebby Sykes, a "Manu Dibango-type musician", Dully Sykes is one of the pioneers of Swahili dancehall in East Africa and widely known for dropping hits like 'Julieta', 'Salome', 'Historia ya Kweli', 'Leah'. Some of the tracks he has written are based on true life stories. After the first album 'Historia ya kweli' which was released in 2003 people started calling his music 'Mwanasesele', Swahili for a high squeaky noise. With the song 'Handsome' and album by the same name, he became one of the biggest names in young urban music in Tanzania. In his third album, he proved that he is not only an artist but a fully-fledged musician by mixing different music styles showing his versatility without compromising or changing his unique African voice. To prove that he is multi-talented, he has been producing music at his newly formed Dar es Salaam record label called 'Dhahabu Records' and continues to write songs. He has delivered hooks to lots of artists from Man X's 'Nimechezea Bahati' to P-Funk's 'Please Forgive Me'. One of his tracks titled 'Handsome' can be found on the African Rebel Music "Roots reggae and dancehall" CD compiled by international record label, Out Here Records. Being in the limelight, Dully is no stranger to controversy or headlining the gossip columns of newspapers. From being caught by traffic police driving a mini-bus when he was at the age of 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 him.
At the 2004 Tanzania Music Awards his album Handsome was nominated in the best Hip Hop Album category.[2] His song "Dhahabu" featuring Joslin and Mr. Blue was nominated in the best collaboration category at the 2007 Tanzania Music Awards.[3] At the 2008 Tanzania Music Awards his song "Baby Candy" received a nomination in the Best Reggae/Ragga Song category.[4]
Not only has Dully Sykes received controversial attention for his actions and police record, but he has also garnered criticism for his lyrical content and the images in his videos. To date, his most controversial song in probably Nyambizi, a tale of his sexual experiences with a "nyambizi", which is slang for a "large voluptuous woman." Released as a single in 2001, the song was attacked by various organizations 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." [5]
Critics had a few reasons to complain about the single. Because Tanzania has such a strong Muslim influence, sex talk in public is considered a taboo and thus avoided at all cost. 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.[6]
Dully Sykes' music videos are also full of controversial images. Videos for some of his songs like "Kuche Kuche" [7] and "Hi" [8] are full of dancing scenes that depict men and women freaking or grinding to the beat, a popular yet racy style of dance. Another video in which Sykes is featured, "Suga Mami" by Mac Dizzo,[9] shows consumption of alcohol and more sexually suggestive images. In a country like Tanzania, where a large percentage of the population has decided Christian or Muslim values, these actions are taboo, but in Sykes' videos they are glorified. Whether these images detract from or add to his sales and popularity is up for debate, but as it is now, Dully Sykes is a very popular bongo flava artist in Tanzania today.