Know your celeb: Meet producer Nessim

Real name Isma Mukkuza, he was born to Suleiman Njuba and Resty Nalukwag in 1996 (TBC).

He went to Mulago Community Primary School and only holds a Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE) certificate. He wasn’t able to raise school fees for further education.

He started as a dancer, and he juggled his dancing gigs with cooking for police officers at a police post in Kanyanya, Mpererwe in Gayaza. This was around 2008/09.

After the police gig, he worked a video shack collecting entrance fees, before joining a dance group in Mulago.

He left the dance group to work under Tony Houls Bikumbi at Fire Recordz — owned by Bobi Wine.

It's here that he learnt production.

In between leaving school and joining Fire Recordz, he also did Karaoke and worked as a salesman for music CDs.

While at Firebase, he featured in lots of Bobi Wine music videos.

Then Nubian Li, who was dating Feffe Bussi's sister, now his wife — connected the two. Bussi and Nessim teamed up to do a Luganda version of Vybz Kartel's Summertime.

He then left Firebase to join Badi Muzik Production, which was owned by Bashir Lukyamuzi. At the time, Lukyamuzi, alias Producer Badi, used to travel to Dubai a lot so it gave Nessim a lot of studio time.

Nessim was introduced to Lukyamuzi by Big Chief.

At Badi Muzik, Nessim met A Pass who was also still a budding singer. A Pass was already connected to some singers, so he brought some like Aziz Azion and Eddy Kenzo to record at the studio, but they didn't like the beats.

Eventually, Don MC Kapata came and they made Oli Mbuzi and Nessim got a breakthrough.

While at Fire Recordz, he had worked with Serena Bata and Lydia Jazmine who was still a student.

So, when Rabadaba came to record Love Portion, Nessim convinced him to collab with Jazmine on You Know, which also played a critical role in launching her music career.

Then Mowzey Radio came to his studio and they worked on Ntunga, the Goodlyfe song that fully launched Nessim's music production career.

Nessim has said he had given the beat for that song to Serena Bata and Nince Henry but they rejected it.

Then in 2017, he and A Pass left Badi Muzik to start their own studios.

That same year he lost his mother and he said this was a big turning point. Nessim, currently 28 (2023), said he decided to work hard and retire at 35.

He has been in the industry for over 12 years, and he has worked with almost every big artsite in Uganda and international heavy-hitters like Davido and the late South African rapper AKA.