Rwandan US-based rapper on promoting local music

Dennis Muganza Kayonga aka Darkecy is a 21-year-old upcoming afro-hip hop artiste. He moved to New York, USA, in 2013 to study music. He is a student at the State University of New York in Oneonta, NY. Darkecy has performed and also curtain raised for renowned American rapper Big Sean, at a concert that attracted 3000 people in September last year. He had a successful tour in October this year in four cities in America and Canada. Darkecy has given his American followers what he calls afro-hip hop. Mixing songs with Kinyarwanda or French adds distinctiveness, he said, which is unheard of in most rap songs. “People are drawn to my music because they like my accent. They know very many rappers with American accents but not too many with one like mine which is unique,” he told The New Times via email. He encourages other artistes to mix languages and fuse traditional and Western instruments to make Rwandan music more marketable around the globe. Darkecy performing at a past event in the US. (Courtesy) Darkecy’s aim with this kind of music is to build a niche in the market for Rwandans (and other Africans) in the diaspora “who feel like they live in two worlds and do not really fit in either.” His music also aims to bring together people from all backgrounds and “create a greater good in the world.” Followers back home will relate to songs like the Kirikou in which he talks about Rwandan values, and Ibirahure. Collaborations with Mike Kayihura and Angel Mutoni also aimed to promote the genre in the country. Darkecy thinks hip hop in Rwanda is improving, and listeners are more selective, unlike 10 years ago when “everything that flooded the radio was a hit.” The rapper will graduate in 2017 after which he hopes to build his fan base to a “more sustainable level” in order to do music for a living under Dark Matter Entertainment, a record label and events company he formed in 2011. He will be in the country next month to hold free jam sessions and workshops. editorial@newtimes.co.rw