The dog song made him famous — now Wizbu Ranks says the man who helped blow it up took something that wasn’t his.
KlaViral has learned the singer-comedian, best known for his viral freestyle “Nabba Embwa,” is publicly calling out ghetto talent promoter Shirtless, accusing him of uploading the song’s original video to his own YouTube channel without permission.
Here’s the deal — Wizbu isn’t denying Shirtless helped get him in front of the public. But he’s drawing a hard line: Shirtless exposed him, he says, he didn’t bring him into entertainment. Wizbu insists he was already working in the industry long before the viral moment.
Turns out, the beef is about more than a freestyle clip. Wizbu says the video in question is the original, not the freestyle version, and that he already has his own channel to post it on. When he called Shirtless about it, he claims the promoter told him the whole thing was the result of his own effort.
And Wizbu says that doesn’t add up — he’s adamant he paid for the shoot himself. If Shirtless put money into the production, Wizbu says, he should step forward and tell his side. Wizbu also claims Shirtless once told him to chip in his share, which only makes the “it was all my effort” line more confusing. His words, in essence: he no longer knows whether his own work belongs to him.
Then there’s the story behind the song. Wizbu stands by it, saying “Nabba Embwa” is drawn from his real life. He says he was once arrested over accusations of stealing a dog and spent three months in prison.
Before the viral fame, Wizbu spent a few years with the comedy group Amarula Family, led by comedian Amooti Omubalanguzi. He’s also made a living painting and hanging event banners on Kampala’s streets, work he says helped him provide for his family.
These days, the song has changed the math. Bars are booking him, and he’s getting paid to perform.
A viral hit, a disputed video and a dog-theft arrest turned punchline — Wizbu’s rise has plenty of plot, and now it has a custody battle over the footage.
Shirtless’s side of the story hasn’t surfaced in what we’ve seen. We’ll update if he responds.
