In March, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus a global pandemic, and the world faced a new normal with masking, lockdowns, and club closures. As people sheltered in place, for fear of catching the coronavirus, the world seemed to stop, luckily, the music never did. Many Rwandan musicians continued to write, record, and release songs and albums that offered entertainment and comfort during one of the most challenging events in modern history. In no particular order, we highlight the top seven best EPs, albums, mixtapes among other projects that came out during and after the pandemic. DID After releasing a number of successful EPs, Kivumbi King, one of the best lyricists and rappers in Rwanda, blessed music lovers with his debut album that featured big stars of Africa. Dubbed DID, the 10 track project premiered on July 30, 2021, and featured Nuuty Neithan of Uganda, alongside some of the most trending young musicians in Rwanda like Bushali, Ish Kevin, Amalon and others. In his recent interview with The New Times, Kivumbi described DID as a game changer album that came to introduce a new wave in Rwanda’s music industry produced by young artistes only. “It is an album that will represent the whole industry and represents what the new music is about,” Kivumbi said. Within less than a month, DID was number one trending album in all major streaming platforms at the moment with hit songs like ‘Nakumena Amaso,’ ‘Away,’ ‘Sweet Love,’ among others taking over local airwaves and televisions. Kemo Therapy This is Bulldog’s best album and one of the best HipHop albums released in the history of Rwandan music, according to ratings by music experts and producers. The album attracted thousands of music lovers over how it was produced in the old-school hip hop genre, the earliest commercially recorded hip hop music and original style of the genre. It typically refers to the music created around 1979 to 1983, as well as any hip hop that does not adhere to contemporary styles. Produced by one of the iconic Hip Hop producers in Rwanda, Piano the Groove, the 12 track project featured Bulldog’s longtime collaborators and former members of the Tuff Gang crew such as Fire Man, P Fla and Green P. The highlight of the album is ‘Supa Kemo,’ a track on the album that won attention of music lovers and sparked TikTok challenges that earned it thousands of streams. Trappish 2 The release of Trappish mixtape 2 will be one of the best surprise releases in Rwanda’s music industry that earned the drill genre and trappish music thousands of followers. Arriving two years after his career in the country started, Ish Kevin’s second mixtape succeeded by putting his story as the first young musician in Rwanda to collaborate with big hip hop stars including Ycee who appeared on ‘Clout,’ one of the most trending songs on the tape. Released on March 25, 2022, Trappish mixtape 2 is also regarded as one of the game changer projects released after the pandemic. It featured upcoming musicians such as Confy, Kivumbi King, Yannick and was produced by some of the best producers including Ehlers, Zed, Bob, Theceember and many others Sweet Thunder Having been produced by big producers in different genres such as Afro-fusion, EDM, R&B among others, Rita Ange Kagaju’s maiden album was among the most diverse projects released after the pandemic. The 16-song album describes 16 stories that embody love, trust, heartbreak and the rest of the simplest day to day human emotions that people experience. It featured artists like Jali, a Rwandan artist based in Belgium, Andy Bumuntu, Mike Kayihura, K1vumbi, Angell Mutoni, Kenny Sol, B-Threy, KevinSkaa, Jumper Keellu and Prime Mazimpaka. Some of its tracks are still making rounds including ‘OK,’ ‘Have’ and many others. Touch The Sky Touch The sky is Ariel Way’s best project that reflects her music journey in just seven tracks. Released on September 8, 2022, the EP blends genres from afro-pop and RNB to EDM, with gems like Bad, TTS, F.U, among others. With only Touch The Sky and your love, Ariel way’s vocals and music arrangement are proof that she’s the future of Rwandan music industry. The whole EP sits to close one million on different streaming platforms within less than a month. City Boy The Kigali-based singer and producer’s debut album is far from what Rwandan musicians usually make. Nillan best known by his tag, Ya Ntare Bro, first appeared in the industry as a producer from Nyundo School of Arts and Music, and later started dropping back to back singles until he released City Boy. City Boy gives everyone listening to it an afro-fusion vibe which is coming from the likes of Rema, Oxlade, AV, Victony and other Nigerian dope musicians. The album features renowned Rwandan artistes such as Okkama, Dani Kard, Kivumbi, and many others with hit songs like ‘Sober,’ ‘My Side,’ among others. Rwanda R’wejo 1 The loud sound music, a driller’s label, was the first to release a joint project of only fast rising musicians in Rwanda and became a success. In June 2020, the record label released its first album ‘Rwanda Rw’ejo’ that featured all the young musicians making drill and trap, with hit songs like ‘Mukarukundo,’ ‘Vibe,’ ‘Baby,’ ‘Drill Season’ and many others. The album contributed to the rise of young musicians in Rwanda and introduced new names like Ririmba and Og2tone to the industry. The 16-track project is still played everywhere in the country.
