Moses Ssali (born 1 September 1977) professionally known as Bebe Cool, is a reggae and ragga musician from Uganda. He started his career around 1997 in Nairobi, Kenya, but moved back to his native country a few years later. Bebe Cool was one of the first artists affiliated with Ogopa DJs, a production house and record label in Kenya.
Early life and career
Bebe Cool attended Aga Khan Primary School, in Kampala, Kitante Hill School, and Makerere College School, where he attended school studies, but dropped out of school one year prior to completion. At high school, he studied Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Mathematics (PCB/M) at Kololo Senior Secondary School. Bebe Cool (formerly Bebe Bunton) started his music career right from high school when he was an entertainment prefect.
Bebe Cool is a three-time winner of the Artist of The Year Award at the Prestigious HiPipo Music Awards and won several accolades at Pearl of Africa Music Awards (PAM Awards). He was nominated for the Kora All-African Awards in 2003 and 2005. He has toured in the United Kingdom and the United States. Two of his popular singles are “Fitina” and “Mambo Mingi”.
He also collaborated with Halima Namakula, a Ugandan veteran woman musician, on their crossover track “Sambagala”. He released two solo albums, Maisha and Sente. His lyrics are in Luganda, Swahili, and English. Together with Kenyan duo Necessary Noize, Bebe Cool formed a reggae group known as the East African Bashment Crew. They have released one album, Fire, and two hit singles, “Africa Unite” and “Fire”. The group was nominated at the MTV Africa Music Awards 2008.
In 2013, Bebe Cool had a music battle with one of Nigeria’s top artists D’banj in a neutral place, Glamis Arena Harare Zimbabwe. The show was organized under the theme “Battle for Africa”. Bebe Cool put up a great performance at the battle.
In 2014, Bebe Cool’s remade Born in Africa remix song, a remake of the late Philly Lutaaya’s song was voted among Africa’s greatest songs of all time.
The song came at number 15 in Fifty anthems for the African continent. BBC World Service listeners suggested the African songs that summed up the continent to them. This was to mark the 50th anniversary of the African Union – formerly the Organization of African Unity, From the suggestions, the BBC’s DJ Edu, who hosts a weekly African music show on BBC radio, compiled them into a special five-minute mix of 50 songs from 50 countries.
Bebe Cool has performed in the Big Brother house twice. From 2016 to 2018, there was rising controversy against Bebe Cool for being a chief organizer for Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, the president of Uganda who had been described by international media outlets as dictatorial. Ugandans at one time chased him off the stage in a show before he could sing.
Bebe Cool won one Afrima award for the best East African male artist in 2018.
Philanthropy
In 2008, Bebe Cool performed for the Nelson Mandela 90th Birthday Tribute in Hyde Park, London. He was also named by Nelson Mandela as one of the 46664 African ambassadors. 46664 is a campaign of raising awareness against HIV/AIDS that was initiated by the late Nelson Mandela.
On 3 August 2018, at a concert called The Golden Heart, Bebe Cool fundraised to sponsor five children with heart diseases to receive medical treatment in India.
Wife and Children
Bebe Cool is married to Zuena Kirema. In 2022, the couple celebrated 20 years in marriage.
In September 2003, Bebe Cool and his wife exchanged vows in a civil wedding at Crane Chambers, where they had first met which hosted the Registrar’s office at the time.
The wedding was quite simple, the couple was dressed in everyday clothes, and they didn’t have a big guest list.
Despite the humble beginnings, the two have flourished over the years, and they are currently one of Uganda’s favourite couples.
Zuena Kirema is Bebe Cool’s wife, a mother, and a successful businesswoman.
She was born in 1984 in Jinja and is of mixed heritage. Her mother is Arabic, and her father is half Munyonkole and half Tutsi from Rwanda.
Like her husband, Zuena practices the Islam religion.
What does Zuena do?
Earlier in her life, the beautiful Zuena had a very successful modeling career.
She participated in the Miss Uganda pageant contest in 2001 when she was only sixteen or seventeen years old, and surprisingly, won the Miss Bell Lager title.
Winning the Miss Bell Lager crown opened more opportunities for Zuena, she became the face of Bell Lager, and she was able to travel the world.
Along the way, Zuena also took up a job as a TV presenter, where she hosted a show called ‘Life Stories Program’ on NTV. She, however, quit in 2015 to focus on her business.
After quitting her TV career, Zuena founded an event planning company called Zuena Events and a bakery called Zuena Cakes & Decor. These are two fields that she is interested in.
Zuena also takes part in the active management of Gagamel Studios, where she is listed as director.
How they met?
Bebe Cool met his future wife in 2001 at Crane Chambers during a farewell party for Miss Uganda, who was traveling to China.
While Bebe Cool was instantly attracted to Zuena and asked for her number shortly after they started talking, Zuena was unimpressed by Bebe Cool’s dreadlocks and was reluctant to give him her number; she took his number instead just to get rid of him.
However, as the evening moved along and the two continued to talk, Zuena started seeing Bebe Cool as a sensible person, and she called him two days later, and they went on their first date. How romantic is that?
Children
Zuena is the biological mother of five children, namely Alpha Thierry Ssali, Beata Ssali, Deen Ozil Ssali, Caysan Ssali, and Eman Ssali.
She is also the stepmother of Bebe Cool’s son from his previous relationship called Allan Hendrick Ssali.
While most stepmothers and stepchildren don’t usually get along, Zuena and Allan Hendrick have an amazing mother-son relationship.
Net worth
Bebe Cool has an estimated net worth of around $1.5 million – $3 million.
*