EVERYONE WHO ATTENDED the Trappish concert last weekend noticed the increase in listeners and consumers of rap and drill genres which are driven by young artistes like Bruce The 1st. Regardless of the genre’s take over in Africa particularly Rwanda, young artistes have proved that the music industry has no age requirement. It is Bruce the 1st and other teenage boys that are turning Kigali to a ‘trappers’ and ‘drillers’ city. Born Bruce Mukiza, the singer has come a long way since he first started honing his mic skills as a teenager growing up in Kigali city. After drawing attention from fellow Rwandan artistes like Ish Kevin and Kenny Kshot, and collaborating with different producers like Bailley99 and Kina Beat, he’s now poised to make a huge impact as he secures his place in front of a national hip-hop audience. “Like Pop Smoke said, this sound is the future. It’s everywhere!” 1st told The New Times in an exclusive interview, explaining how rap stands in Rwanda. Taking us back to the roots of his music career, Wambere, as he is called on the streets, said that his road to eminence can be traced back in 2019 when he recorded his first single dubbed “Born and Raised”. The single never dropped until the now 20-year-old rapper appeared on one of Ish Kevin’s first drill smash “Tugende” that earned him a spot in Rwanda’s music industry. It was in high school rap battles and talent shows at APEGA, Rwamagana, where 1st learnt how to make beats and spit rhymes, “I always had the assignment to get good beats and heavy bars for my stages, and the feedback from my classmates was always positive. From this, I started believing in myself and decided to record my own tracks,” he says. In 2021 his momentum hit a tipping point when Ish Kevin introduced him to the streets of Kigali through his drill anthem “Tugende” that exposed him everywhere and led to more big collabos. According to 1st, Ish Kevin is a bridge that got his name popping on all streaming platforms and made him a household name in Rwanda. “After Tugende my audience increased and my music boosted. It’s then that I started making more bangers like Mugicu, Ntubitindeho among others,” he said. The young rapper later produced a number of hits including ‘3:00 Am,’ ‘Nah Kidding,’ ‘Gang,’ and the recently released ‘Umutima’ which is making rounds in Kigali. According to him, ‘Umutima’ which dropped seven days ago and features Kenny k-shot narrates struggles and hardships Rwandan musicians go through to get to the top. Another message for his recently released song, he said, is to tell everyone who is interested to start a music career that it’s possible, especially rap. The young rapper further said that his dream is to see his name in big awarding competitions like BET, Grammy, and his sound earning him an international audience. “The rap culture in Rwanda is now. We are taking it places,” said the rapper.
