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Hip Hop in Rwanda
The introduction of hiphop into Rwanda: the role of dj Berry
Hip hop was introduced to a wide audience in Rwanda by the late dj Berry a.k.a Nsabimana Abdul Aziz who died of hiv/aids in 1996.
He was a dj for Cosmos and Kigali Night in the late 80`s and was also part time presenter for radio Rwanda. He was a well known rapper and a dancer.
Unfortunately the then Hutu extremist government was against anybody who proved unique in character and with 'Anglo' instead of 'Franco' stereotype. So he went into exile in Goma (in the former Zaire) where he played a bit in discos as well as entertaining as a rapper and dancer.
He fortunately got a German girlfriend and led his way to Germany, where he met with professionals and practiced on how to be a better dj and also recorded a hit single entitled 'Hey you' which became a hit on Rwanda and Uganda airwaves. This track had strong warnings againist HIV/AIDS.
1990 saw Berry return to Africa where he settled in Kampala and became a dj and rapper in Tropicana 110 and was the first dj ever to debut Kampala's best 91.3 capital FM. He unfortunately contracted the Aids virus around 1992 and died in 1996. He was laid to rest in his home suburb in Nyamirambo, Kigali. He is still respected across Rwanda and Uganda for his great intiative and contribution in showbizz.
Part 2: after the 1994 war and genocide
With the introduction of TVR and 101 FM Kigali in 1995, the youth in Rwanda began to listen to and watch the latest forms of foreign music like rap, r&b, jams and so on by various artists from both America and France (Rwanda is a Francophone country).
Artists like 2-Pac, Wu-Tang Clan, and MC Solaar became a big influence, therefore the youth advocating for the new entertainment.
Robinson explains: "Being into the mainstream media, I launched the first ever locally recorded rap hit entitled "peaced-up" which was done in Radio Rwanda's studio IV in 1997. When this hit was played on 101 FM, it triggered various youngsters around Kigali to launch careers in this type of music. We got Dj scooper, record his first truck "Muteteri", which is partly r&b and rap. More youth came in and in 1998, we got a new group of about 10 highschool students of Rwanda International Academy, called 'Teens-United'. This group was led by female rapper SOPFHI and ICE-TEEH. Other rappers like MC Yoh from Nyamirambo Ghetos also came up with singles like 'Kubaho' which means "living" and it received airplay on 101 FM.
Host of the Weekend jamspot program: dj Alex (left) and Robinson
(top)
Amarebe 'n' menna
This group of 4 Rwandan guys released their debut cd in 1998 in Paris (France), entitled 'Kuya kwetu'. They officially launched during All African Music festival (Fespad) which took place in may 1998 in Amahoro stadium, Kigali, and have since then received a good airplay as well as respect. The main leader is called Kanu and they sing in Kinyarwanda, Swahili, and French. Their music is western funk mixed with Rwandese instruments.
Jean Christopher Matata
He's one of the most famous musical artists in Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda. Matata was born in Rwanda and raised in Bujumbura (Burundi) where he begun singing in school choir in the late 70's. He's been all along based in Bruxelles, Belgium where he lives with his promoter. Matata is commonly liked due to one of his reggae kinda track called 'Amaso akunda' which means 'loving eyes' and several other songs on his past albums. He's the only Rwandan artist who has performed in foreign countries like Canada, Belgium, France, Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda, Kenya and many more. His music is every thing from reggae, zouk and rap to soukous. He has worked with top African divas like Burundi's Khadijah Nin who won the Kora music award in South Africa last year.
Mapenzi
Members: Solomon Ibona, Bbossa Juniour, Ddumba Grace
Mapenzi (the word means 'love') is a group of three artists: Solomon Ibona (vocalist), Bbossa Junior, (rapper) and Ddumba Grace (vocalist), all male and single. The group sings R&B with an African touch. They started in February 1999 and by April had finished recording a first song called "Kagutema" This is a folk song in Luganda language that was targeted at the disco. They are based in Kigali, the capital city. They sing in Luganda, Kiswahili, Kinyarwanda and English to enable the message reach both local and international audiences.
As they have just started out as a group, Mapenzi would like to grow further and help other upcoming groups. They have planned to record an album Kagutema.
Positive Generation
This group is made of more than 10 youth members who attend Kigali's International School "Ecole Belge" and have head members likem Mannu, Marinno, and Eugette who is also an international model in Holland. It has recently conducted concerts around the city and has a big number of fans across. The group was inspired and initiated by Shi Rob promotion.
Updates © 2000 by KP-Robinson (CEO of Shi-Rob Promotions inc) for Africanhiphop.com
After the tragedy of 1994 which changed the lives of all Rwandans, we didn't hear much music coming from that side, and no rap or r&b. This has changed with several groups and solo artists making name on the airwaves. Our reporter KP-Robinson gives you the latest straight from Kigali.