Aimable Aimee Hakizimana, 23, known by his stage name Smiff B is a Rwandan musician who mostly does dance hall and rap music. Smiff B started his career in music in 2018 after graduating from high school, and now boasts of 20 releases. Smiff talked about his growing career, challenges and what he thinks of the country’s music industry. When did you discover your talent? Music has always been my passion from a young age but when I joined high school in 2012, I began rapping other artistes’ lyrics with a beat that I made with my friend. Our schoolmates enjoyed what we were doing a lot and they asked us to compose our own songs. We formed a group and did a song dubbed ‘Nkunda Uko Uri.’ I never thought that I could actually compose a song yet I did, it encouraged and motivated me since then. What motivates you when composing a song? When composing a song, it depends on my mood at the moment, when I am excited I write a happy song that can make people dance or just chill. Sometimes I’m motivated by what is happening to me and how I feel. How would you describe dancehall music in Rwanda to day? Compared to the past years, dance hall music and club bangers are promising, the new generation is innovative, energetic and we have gone beyond just being local. Rwandan music is growing fast, videos are well directed and there’s creativity. Challenges? Rising artistes still face a challenge of our songs not getting promotion for our songs and get played on many radios and television. Do you have any album? In 2019, I took a trip to Malawi to see how their artistes do music and I recorded my second album dubbed ‘Privileged’ with three producers Dj Sley, Cuff B and J k Warrior. The album was launched in 2020 with 10 songs while my first album with five songs was launched in 2019. I am working on my next projects. What was your experience after your trip to Malawi? I had a chance to work with a big artist known as Malinga Mafia. We did a song together titled ‘Wrong guy’ and it was a whole vibe. They inspired me to do any kind of genres that I can and not limit myself. What are your dreams as a musician? I want to see myself inspiring people and representing my country as a big artist.
