Nigeria’s Skales to headline Blankets and Wine in Uganda

The line-up will also include multi-instrumentalist Mo Roots (Uganda) featuring Ctrl.A.D (Uganda), Herbert Ssensamba (Uganda), Mugaba (Rwanda), Dee Mike (South Africa) and Eli Maliki (Kenya).

The quarterly event has become one of the most successful music celebrations in East Africa, with previous editions hosting artists such as Mi Casa (South Africa), Mafikizolo (South Africa), Heavy K (South Africa) and Distruction Boyz (South Africa), Maleek Berry (Nigeria), The Ben (Rwanda) and Ali Kiba (Tanzania).

For the August event, the Blankets and Wine organisers have turned to Nigeria, one of Africa's biggest music markets, for their headliner.

In 2017, Skales made his debut performance in Uganda at the Ciroc Pool Party. The rapper has collaborated with Ugandan artists Beenie Gunter, Slick Stuart, DJ Roja and Cindy Sanyu. He has also worked with Tanzania’s Harmonize, making him no stranger to East Africa.

Since appearing on the EME compilation album Empire Mates State of Mind in 2012, Skales has released three studio albums and several singles. His debut album Man of the Year was released in 2015. His sophomore offering The Never Say Never Guy was released in 2017 while his latest, Mr Love, dropped last year.

Blankets and Wine began in Kenya in 2008 as a platform to expose upcoming talent to local audiences. After holding several successful events, the festival began booking international acts and in 2016 was adopted in Uganda and Rwanda.