Walusimbi Ronald, also known as St. Ronnie, is a Ugandan gospel rapper and plumber. He was born and raised in Mukono district (kasawo) by Mr. and Mrs. Byekwaso Edward. He holds a diploma in water engineering and finished his A level studies at Kisowera Secondary School in Mukono and his primary education at Victoria Primary School in Jinja. St. Ronnie worships at Good News Church in Bulenga and was nicknamed “Rapper” in high school due to his rap abilities.
St. Ronnie’s stage name “St. Ronnie” is a combination of his first name, Ronald, and “Saint” which he took on after accepting Jesus as his personal Lord and savior in 2009. He began singing Christian music in 2017 and his song “Alaba” became popular in 2018-2019, leading him to win awards for Best Rapper. In addition to his music career, St. Ronnie works as a professional plumber and runs a plumbing workshop in Nakasero and works at Wilken Property Services Ltd in Najjanankumbi.
St. Ronnie was inspired to become a gospel artist due to his desire to do something beyond the norm in the kingdom and his natural talent for rap. He attributes his growth to dwelling in God’s presence and accepting Jesus as his vessel.
When asked if he would ever switch to secular music, St. Ronnie said, “No, I can’t shift from the roots”. He has developed his music career through biblical literature and listening to music anchors, and has one album, “Alaba,” which is available on various music platforms.
Despite challenges such as financing, St. Ronnie’s faith in God has helped him overcome obstacles in his career. He sees his career flourishing in the next decade and being recognized with the royals while also fetching many souls to the kingdom.
St. Ronnie has received several awards, including Best Rapper at the Viga Music Awards in 2019, Best Hip-hop Song and Best Hip-hop Artist at the Royal Gospel Music Awards in 2022, and Best Hip-hop Collaboration Song at the Royal Gospel Music Awards in 2022.
St. Ronnie has had memorable performances at the FUSE Concert at MTN headquarters in 2022, the House of Prayer Ministries anniversary, the Hi Pipo Music Awards in 2019 at the Serena Hotel, the Levixone Mbeera concert in Kololo (2022), and the SALT TV Crusades in Jinja and Masaka City. His advice to aspiring artists is to keep God at the center of their careers and not to force the process.
For aspiring artists, Ronald’s advice is to put God at the center of everything and not to force the process. With strong faith and determination, one can achieve great things in the kingdom.
Discussion about this post