7-Year-Old Rapper, Fresh Kid To Face Jail Term | Find Out Why

A young rapper from Uganda whose real name is Patrick Sseyonjo has been threatened with jail if he doesn’t quit his showbiz ambition.

The threat came from Uganda’s Minister of Youth Affairs, Florence Nakiwala. In a chat with BBC, she warned that if the aspiring 7-year-old artist known by the stage name Fresh kid, doesn’t quit music, he might be forced to be taken to a juvenile prison.

The minister issued the warning after being told that Fresh Kid has not been attending school and performs late nights at shows while his age mates were studying. The Youth minister described this as child labour.

She said that the country’s labour laws outlaw people under the age of 18 from work.

She said;

“Child labour has been hard for authorities to stamp out from the capital. Children are regularly seen working on farms, in small businesses and street vending,

The constitution clearly states that no one under the age of 18 is allowed to work therefore Fresh kid should not be working rather be in school. Anyone found aiding his music career will have to face the law as well”.

On the contrary, Francis Kamonga, who happens to be Fresh Kid’s manager told BBC that the kid doesn’t skip school and that he only performs on weekends. He also said he doesn’t get paid for his performances, hence can’t be said to be working.

“I discovered him in a rural village miming some songs, brought him to the city and started paying his school fees”.

Fresh kid seemed to address his critics in his latest hit track, titled ‘Banteka’, where he raps in a mixture of Luganda language and slang about people gossiping about him not going to school.

“They underrate me because of my age, I hear what you are gossiping about; asking ‘will he study?’ Losers are weeping, calling out to their mothers, if you are afraid of me, get me cash. I’m the judge, I do not discriminate. Even if you are from the stone age. I will floor you.”