Dutch rapper, Shaka Kinté, has expressed interest in promoting his music in Rwanda where he has been living and staging shows for six weeks now. This is his third time in Rwanda, after his two visits in 2018, when he attended the SDG’s workshop and the Africa Youth Connect. It was during his recent tour, that he met with Alex Mbishibishi of Baldwins Events, and is currently managing his music and organising his shows. He has since recorded twelve songs in Rwanda, where he also shot the video of his recent song ‘Double It. According to Kinté his decision to build a career in Rwanda stemmed from his love for the country’s music industry. “I really see it growing. It is not just a scene, and there are many companies investing in artistes,” he said. Who is Kinté? Real name, Jermaine Michael Lionel Bridgewater, Kinté was named after his mother’s favorite artistes; Jermaine Jackson, Michael Jackson, and Lionel Richie. His stage name Shaka Kinté is inspired by Shaka Zulu, one of the influential monarchs in South Africa and warrior, and Kunta Kinte, a character in a novel about slavery. “Shaka Zulu was a great African warrior, really powerful. And I took up Kinte, because he is a man who refused to be a slave,” he said. He was born in Aruba (an island in the southern Caribbean Sea), and was raised in the Netherlands, where he still lives, although he introduces himself as an African, and an adopted Rwandan. He started writing rap music at the age of 15, which he learned from his brother. “When I learned that my elder brother was writing lyrics, I got jealous and because I looked up to him, I thought that if he could write, so could I. He encouraged me and that is how I kept getting better,” he says. He began performing on stage at the age of 17 and when he turned 22, he joined a group that rapped in Dutch, ‘StropStrikkers’, Strop for snare, and Strikkers for ‘the one that tightens the snare’ (hangmen). “We chose that name because we believed that we were hanging everything we did not agree with, not people”. It was then that he started making money from music and decided to go solo, as well as add English to his songs, to expand his fan base. As a solo artiste, he has recorded approximately 100 songs since, with a blend of rap, afro-beat and old-school hip-hop. Some of his popular hits are; Hotep, Double it, Madeleine and the recent Night riders, that has garnered him more fans. His biggest challenge when he started music, he revealed, was getting noticed. “When I started, internet was not a big thing. I had to burn CD’s, and distribute them on the streets. I had to tell everyone I met, “Hello, I am an artist, this is my music! Please check it out.” Eventually, he began getting feedback from people, telling him how he helps them in their dark days. “When I used to rap in Dutch, I got messages from kids who were black, who said that because of me, they started making research on their roots. This was worthy a payback, and the most precious surprise in my career,” he says. Kinté mainly depends on his music, but when it is not paying enough, he finds ‘small jobs’ to keep him going, since he has to support his family. Back in The Netherlands, some schools hire him to motivate ‘difficult kids’ who are rebellious and don’t want to study. This is because he is a rapper, and the students connect with him more than the school authorities. His music is made to inspire, encourage people to believe in themselves, and to entertain, mostly the youth of African descent. His role models are 2pac Shakur, and Snoop Dogg. editor@newtimesrwanda.com
