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With over 241,100 followers and six million views on TikTok, PAUL MUGEMA, 22, commonly known by his stage name TOJO 256, is becoming a household name on the entertainment scene.
From being a hilarious MC at prom parties and bars to success in his upcoming music career, he was ready to have that conversation recently with Quick Talk.
Hello! Could you please introduce yourself to Quick Talk?
My real name is Paul Mugema. I am a boy who can be defined by my diverse careers: a TikTok influencer, an MC, and a musician. I am an Itesot, although my mother is a Munyankore – my father was an Itesot [and your name sounds Ganda!].
Though I recently lost my dad, I am grateful to my mum, who has supported me through my education journey. I believe I am one boy who has big dreams, and I thank God that I am seeing that happen and come to pass.
How did you come up with the name Tojo?
Tojo is a childhood nickname that stuck with me from birth. When I was born, my mum referred to me as Ekyojo, which means a beautiful baby boy, but my dad failed to pronounce the Kinyankore word, and he pronounced it as Tojo; so, the name stuck.
When I started out as an influencer, later on becoming a musician and an MC, I decided to use my childhood nickname as my stage name.
How was it growing up?
While I still had both my parents, life was good. I remember we often moved around since my late father was a ranked police officer, and we always lived wherever he was transferred to as an officer, thus this determined the schools I went to.
When my dad died when we were in Busia, just before Covid, my mum took up the responsibility of taking care of us, and we moved to Kampala.
My mum, though being a single parent, has ensured that my siblings and I go to school, and seeing her sacrifice and the support she has given me in all my endeavours makes me work hard and ensure I provide the best for her, from building her a house to buying a car.
You earlier described yourself as a man of many talents. Could you tell Quick Talk more…
First and foremost, what really brought me onto the scene and got people recognizing me was content creation. I started out as a TikToker, doing skits and vlogging about my daily life.
With that platform growing, I later ventured into emceeing, though at the time I wasn’t a mainstream MC but, rather, more of an underground one based at parties I used to organize, which attracted a lot of cool kids from wealthy families.
This experience shaped me into becoming an underground events party organizer because I had really become good at it. From there, I decided to explore and dive more into the world of music, and I did collaborations with Mr Jiggy Jiggy and Sean official in the hit song Jiggy Vibe Remix, and I also did a song called Numbers, In da Bar with Sean, and my latest song Big Spender.
The good thing is that once I built my platform on TikTok and gained attention, I used it to showcase my different talents. I wanted people to see that I wasn’t just a content creator but someone with multiple abilities.
Is there anyone who passed these talents down to you?
Actually, mum used to tell me my dad used to be one of the big dancers and stuff. So, I can’t comment about that. I don’t have any evidence, but she told me that by the time they met, dad was a big dancer; he was a celebrity. So, there must be genes.
How did your journey start?
One thing I have learned about the land of content creation is that content revolves around creativity and how one can stand out and beat the odds.
When I sat down and realized that many people today are earning more from the content they post on TikTok than from day-to-day jobs, where one has to wake up very early in the morning, I realized that becoming a content creator was the next move, because content makes sense for me; it gives me the freedom to be creative without being trapped in a routine.
So, how do you manage juggling everything?
Actually, it can become heavy at times, but you know, at the end of the day, you are doing this to make ends meet and put food on the table. So, anything related to money, you have to find your way out.
That’s one thing I believe. So, I always find a way out and handle everything.
For the events you have emceed, what has been the biggest stage for you?
The first big stage I ever stepped on was the NRG show that brought King Maddy. I was one of the MCs, and I really appreciate NRG because it opened doors and put me on bigger platforms.
Adding NRG to my brand boosted me a lot. After that, I got to do the MVPs, then ObaFest in Entebbe, and I’ve also emceed at the Dexter Dubs stage and the Malembe stage.
Whom do you look up to?
I’m a man of enjoyment, a man of pure vibe. One thing that has always made me stand out from other MCs is that I don’t just hold the mic; I dance as I emcee. It’s like a two-in- one performance.
I bring the energy, I bring the vibe. Honestly, one of the people I look up to is Josh Emcee. I won’t lie, I love Josh Emcee. His craft and style inspired me.
If Tojo could host a big event, what would it be?
I feel like it would be a brunch or a luxury event, and I would call it “Tojo and Friends.” The name makes sense because everything I have built so far has been with the support of my friends.
From organizing parties to pushing my music, they’ve always had my back without asking for anything in return. Even my fans, I call them friends, because they’re real with me, especially the high school and campus crowd.
They show genuine love, and that’s what keeps me real.
How do you stay grounded with the number of followers you have and the fame that comes your way?
Let me tell you one thing about life: those people you’re trying to act big on, they’re the very ones who make you who you are. They’re the ones liking your videos, subscribing to your music, buying tickets to your shows.
That’s why I believe in building friendships with them, not distance. Because when you connect, they’ll always say, ‘That’s Tojo, we have been with him let’s support him’.
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