Five Rwandan singles that rocked in June

Gone are the days when Rwandan music lovers had to wait for months on end before their favorite artist dropped the next hit. With the proliferation of music production houses and a surge in the number of rising musical talent, more material is being put out than ever before, sometimes leaving fans of local music spoilt for choice. The month of June was no exception, as it saw various local musicians out hit singles, while others opted for rare collabos that left fans yearning for more. Below five Rwandan music singles that received extensive airplay on radio and TV stations. ‘Lose Control’- Meddy ft The Ben This song follows in the tradition of both Meddy and The Ben’s quest to spread their musical wings beyond the country. It was the first among the local hits to be released in the month of June. In it, Meddy and The Ben return to their choice musical theme –that of love; “There goes my baby, my baby … there’s no other like my baby,” the song opens, before the two R&B vocalists go on to serenade the said lover. Commenting about the song after posting its lyric video on Youtube, Meddy described it as a “gift” to his and The Ben’s fans. “This is a big song that every nation can feel connected to. We definitely think that it will take us places,” he further commented. However, one month after its release, fans still await the song’s official video clip. ‘Garagaza’- Buravan ft Michel Burabyo It’s not every day that an artiste gets to work with their own parents on their musical projects. Even less common is finding a young musician that actually teams up with their own parent on a song. Such was the surprise with which local music fans reacted to ‘Garagaza’, a song on which local R&B sensation Yvan Buravan teams up with his father Michel Burabyo. Buravan uploaded the song on his Youtube channel on June 25th, with the title ‘Garagaza by Buravan & Dad.’ It is perhaps the first such collaboration in the local music industry, and the song is taking Buravan places. The video opens with father and son in a musical duel, with the father blowing away at his harmonica as the son sings his heart out. The harmonica and Buravan’s vocals give this segment a funk feel, although the song itself reverts to Buravan’s R&B and soulful influences. However, Buravan’s father sticks to the harmonica other than sing, although he does the harmonica justice. The audio was produced by Bob Pro, and video by Meddy Sale. ‘Inch’ Allah’- Hope Irakoze ft Knowless Butera Inshallah, or in sha Allah, or insha’Allah means “God willing” or “if God wills” in Arabic, and we would want to believe that it was the intended meaning in Inch’Allah. ‘Inch’ Allah’ is both the song’s title and hook, and it’s repetitive enough to stick in the mind on a first listen. Irakoze proclaims ‘Inch’Allah’, and Knowless responds with “you’re gonna be my one and only”. The audio was produced at Kina Music by Clement Ishimwe, who is not only the owner of the label, but also the manager and husband to Knowless. It is a chill out R&B ballad that bears subtle influences of Bongo flava and Arabian sounds. Irakoze and Knowless deliver the song in a mixture of Kinyarwanda, English, and Swahili. ‘Call the police’– Davy Ranks Davy Ranks is no stranger to the local music industry, having embarked on his musical journey in 2002. However, his music has been on and off, as he juggles this with a full time corporate job. Early this year, however, he announced that he was working on his maiden album, of which Call the police is one of the songs. ‘Call the police’ is not a song about crime or violence, it is about a beautiful girl. Davy Ranks sings about a girl “whose love is criminal”, hence the refrain, “somebody call the police”. The upcoming album is the first musical project by Davy Ranks under his new management label, Tyco Music Promo. ‘Njyewe nawe’ – MC Tino ‘Njyewe nawe’ is MC Tino’s foray into the reggae music genre, where previously he has been known for dancehall and Afro pop. ‘Njyewe nawe’ is Kinyarwanda for ‘me and you’ and, needless to say, the song is a love letter to a loved one. The fact that he is still experimenting with new musical genres perhaps points to Tino’s resilience and hunger for musical success. It may be just a matter of time before he eventually makes music his full time calling.

Lifestyle

Five Rwandan singles that rocked in June