Over 30 East African acts set for I Am Hip Hop Festival 2026

Kigali’s I Am Hip Hop Festival returns in 2026 with a regional edition that brings together artistes from Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi for a week of collaboration ahead of a two-day public festival in Kigali. The festival, led by Green Ferry Music, co-funded by the Institut français in Paris and supported by the Institut français du Rwanda, will run from August 28 to 29 at the French Institute of Rwanda. ALSO READ: Rap culture ignites Kigali at ‘I Am Hip Hop Festival’ Organizers say the program will combine performances, workshops and studio sessions aimed at strengthening skills across East Africa’s urban arts scene. More than 30 artists are expected to take part in rap, breakdancing, graffiti and streetwear design. The lead-up to the public festival will include collaborative creation sessions focused on writing, performance, visual art and design, with participants working across disciplines and borders. The event will conclude with two days of public programming featuring live rap performances, breakdancing, graffiti, DJ sets, streetwear activations and pop-up shops. Gates will open from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. on both days. ALSO READ: Kenya’s Wyre to headline 2026 Oldies Music Fest This year’s edition also plans to produce a regional collaborative album, a streetwear capsule concept and a documentary, all built from the week’s creative sessions. Organizers say those outputs are meant to address gaps that often slow down the region’s hip-hop sector, including limited mentorship, access to equipment and opportunities for cross-border collaboration. First launched in 2017 as a smaller concert series, I Am Hip Hop expanded into a full festival in 2024. The 2026 edition marks its move into regional programming, with artistes and creatives from Kigali and beyond coming together around a shared hip-hop platform. Green Ferry Music said the festival’s goal is to support a more connected hip-hop network in East Africa while giving young artistes a space to learn, collaborate and perform. Tickets are available through greenferrymusic.sinc.events and by dialing *669*234#.

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Over 30 East African acts set for I Am Hip Hop Festival 2026