Mad Ice

Ahmed Mohamed Kakoyi (born in Masaka, Uganda on 8 October 1980) better known by his stage name Mad Ice is a Ugandan singer and songwriter of Raggamuffin and at a later stage with Afro-pop and Afro-soul music. He gained fame in Uganda, Tanzania and throughout Eastern Africa, later settling in Finland and developing a distinct world music career still singing mostly in Swahili and Luganda with some additional lyrics in English. Considered a world music performer from East Africa, he has appeared in jazz, world music, pop, rock and fusion festivals and has released studio albums Baby Gal, Mad Ice and Maneno and EP Maisha.

Career Mad Ice was born on 8 October 1980 in Masaka and moved to Kampala when he was one year old. At age 7, his family moved to Tanzania coming back to Uganda when he was ten. His first experiences were with Dancehall/Ragga Muffin music in Uganda starting in 1995. In 1999 as a young 19-year-old, he relocated back to Mwanza, Tanzania and eventually to Dar es Salaam to pursue better opportunities as an MC and performer on various shows and venues. In his formative years in Tanzania, he was trained and supervised by Canadian musician Corry Morriarty and Tanzanian musician Richard Mloka and learned to play guitar. Influenced mostly by mid 1990s Caribbean sounds of Chaka Demus & Pliers, Shaggy amongst others, his first recording was "Wanadamu" that found airplay time on some stations and was a hit in Tanzania. Encouraged by its success, he released the follow-up single "Baby Gal" that exploded throughout East Africa. His debut album Baby Gal was published in 2003 with some further success. He says in an interview: "I was born in Uganda, but I spent some years in Tanzania. There my career as a singer really started. Since I sang mostly in Swahili, the majority has always taken me as a Tanzanian artist". The 2003 album was produced in Tanzania by Finnish record producer based in Tanzania called Miikka "Mwamba" Kari. It included soca beats, African rhythms, with touches of Ragga, Soul and Pop, and songs sung in Swahili, Luganda and English. He has toured East African countries to maintain his fan base despite his residency in Finland and writes almost all his songs using Swahili and Luganda most of the time.

The following album was Maneno in 2007 and included many of his successes in recent years like "Wange", "Malaika" and "Nionyeshe njia" and was released on the Finnish Recordhouse Music label and MadStylee.com online.

In 2011, Mad Ice released his EP titled Maisha. Recorded in Finnvox Studios, and produced by Oona Kapari, it was a great departure from earlier materials towards a softer soul sound. The EP resulted in release of title track "Maisha", "Te Amo" and a big hit "Mapenzi Sumu" spearheaded by a music video directed by Joseph Bitar in Helsinki, Finland in July 2011.

Personal life He moved to Finland in 2004 for promoting a musical career and applied for permanent residency and citizenship in 2006. He is married to Niina, a Finnish woman and the couple have two kids together.

Discography

Albums Title Album details Notes Baby Gal Released: 2003 Label: Kokwa Records, Tanzania Format: CD Mad Ice Released: 2005 Label: Mwamba Records / Edel Records, Finland Format: CD Maneno Released: 2007 Label: Recordhouse Music / MadStylee.com, Finland Format: CD, Downloads

Compilation album Title Album details Notes Best of Mad Ice, Vol. 1 Released: December 2012 Label: Format: CD

EPs

Albums Title Album details Notes Maisha EP Released: 2011 Label: Recordhouse Music, Finland Format: CD, Downloads

Singles 2006: "Baby Gal" 2007: "Wange" 2007: "Malaika" 2010: "Ready for Dis" 2012: "Ninatamani" (with Miikka Mwamba) 2012: "Te Amo" 2012: "Mapenzi Sumu" 2013: "Faith"