Big Game is one of Rwanda’s talented rappers. He recorded and released his first studio track titled, ‘The illusionist’ in 2017, in collaboration with Jules Shame, aka Illusionist, a local music producer. Born Kevin Kagame, 22, mostly identifies his craft in the old school hip hop genre since it was the same style that inspired him to venture into music in the beginning. “I do not tend to limit myself in my music,” he is quick to add, “so I also make trap songs and I look forward to trying out drills and afrobeat turn up songs.” With three solo songs and two collaborations to his name, he says his music is mostly inspired by his reflection on life, “specifically in terms of dreams and aspirations of the different people around me, tribulations and obstacles met along the way mental health, and weekend leisure time.” The third-year student at the Adventist University of Central Africa (AUCA), majoring in finance, started rapping at a young age after falling in love with the genre through a close family who introduced him to international stars at the time. It didn’t take long before he knew that rap was going to be his thing. “At the time I was probably 10 or 11, and the people around me were into that style of music. It made me curious, pushing me to pay close attention to it so much that I started memorising songs. I used to listen to the likes of Lil Wayne, T.I., 50 Cent, and The Game. And that is how I started to rap music.” Currently, he looks up to a variety of artistes in different genres like Cole, Biggie Smalls, and Kendrick Lamar. “The start was arguably one of the biggest thrills of my life because I envisioned my first time in the studio booth as a highlight of my career whether or not I made fans instantly. The audience was very low in number, but since I was doing something I really loved and had a passion for, it didn’t matter. I enjoyed it anyway,” he says of his experience starting out. He’s currently working on his 10 track album titled “Memoirés of a Broken Soul” which he describes as a project “filled with different vibes, emotions and many collaborations with other young prominent talents,” and will be released in two weeks’ time. As for his music plans, he says: “I want my music to get to more people, whether locally or internationally, and I want it to touch them in a deeper sense. I don’t want it to be the kind of music you are obsessed with for a week and then you are done. I want it to be relatable and touching and inspiring to as many people as it can reach. I want it to be the kind of music that lives forever.”
