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Make way for Kinyatrap

Saturday August 17 2019
trap

Jean Paul Hagerimana — Bushali the Trigger — is focused on promoting Kinyatrap. PHOTO | ANDREW I. KAZIBWE

By ANDREW I KAZIBWE

Like many others elsewhere, Rwandan musicians are on a quest to hit the international scene with a well-crafted unique sound. If there is an act that captures this pursuit in all its forms then that act is Jean Paul Hagerimana — Bushali the Trigger to his legion of fans.

The face behind such hits as Nituebue and Zunguzayi that have ruled the airwaves since last year, Bushali the Trigger is one of the few musicians introducing Kinya-Trap, a new genre which has enthralled the underground, and is steadily segueing into the mainstream musical scene.

Born 22 years ago in Rubavu district in a family of eight, Bushali showed his passion for music back in secondary school, honing his ability at the Gikondo Maranatha Seventh Day Adventist Choir in Kigali.

In 2013, he was introduced to Njangi, who had a home production studio.

“We re-recorded my Naziyi iki, a song that introduced me to Maxime, a young guy who later became my manager …and he still is my manager,” he explains.

But school suffered as he put more time in the recording studio.

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And come 2016, Bushali the Trigger, then in Senior Five, quit school for the recording studio — a decision that displeased the family.

He started off aping American hip-hop, recording and taking the songs to radio stations but the radio stations wouldn’t play them. Their argument? People didn’t understand them.

But never ones to give up, they kept at it.

Just as well because 2016-2017 led them down the path of Trap music. With inspiration from western musical acts like Desiigner and Future, Bushali the Trigger teamed up with colleagues Zombi White Monkey, Maktain, Masotela, Crazy and releasing Zombi, a song which was received with much aplomb.

“We resolved to localise it by owning it,” he states.

With few instruments, the genre revolves around rap, done mostly in Ikinyarwanda language and a mixture of English, while choruses are a back and forth move. This has further cemented the genre’s fame locally, with Kinya-Trap, from Kinyarwanda Trap music.

Locally, hip-hop as a genre has heavily been embraced since 2007, when it rose to the limelight, introducing acts like Tough Gangs, Riderman, Diplomate, Lil.G, Ama.G The Black, Danny Nanone, Young Grace, and Bably. From 2010, however, these talented crop of musicians has faded off, overshadowed by other genres like Afro R&B and Pop.

The new kids on the block, in a manner of speaking, then embarked on a mission to revive and uplift the Afro hip-hop genre. Their infectious enthusiasm and undisguised talent caught the eye of Green Ferry Music, a recording and artist management label that supports rising Afro hip-hop acts. The label signed them up.

Steadily rising, they staged various shows like “I am Hiphop,” which has grown into a highly attended independent Afro Hip-hop event.

But Bushali and crew went beyond just staging shows. They also took to social media, promoting their music to all and sundry.

Last month, the artist released Ku Gasima, his 13-song debut album, which comprises Kinyatrap, Zunguzayi, Ipafu, Impanda, Niyibizi, Mamamyiwe, Bitinze, Kugasima, Sindi Mubi, Kinyarock, and Ayura. Nimuebue comes as a bonus track.

According to Bushali, the album is inspired by his life’s journey and career struggles, which he believes is shared by most in the society.

Through several invitations, Bushali and his team are a common feature on the mainstream space, where they are often on stage performing to multitudes.