THEY ARE THE INNOVATORS, backbone of music, visionaries that bring ideas to life and the driving force behind most successful record. Rwandan producers deserve to be given credit for their role in making presentable music products ready to impress at the international scene. In no particular order, we look at Rwanda’s finest music producers whose touch saw them become people’s favorite locally and internationally. Madebeats He is an all-round producer who quickly rose to fame in 2018 and has since established himself as one of the top music producers in the country, having been behind the production of several hit songs which have earned widespread airplay on local broadcast stations and clubs. His latest production is Meddy’s ‘My Vow’ which has been leading the charts from local music shows since it was released last month. Born David Mucyo, Madebeats has been local musicians’ favorite over the past two to three years and continues to attract the attention of music supporters. He is the man behind hit songs like Lose Control by US-based singers The Ben and Meddy, Diarabi by Jules Sentore, Katerina by Bruce Melodie, We Don’t Care by Meddy ft Rayvanny and RJ The DJ and Ikinyarwanda by Bruce Melodie and Riderman, among others. He’s now working on his own album dubbed ‘Kigali’ which he plans to release on December 31. Element Eleeeh The trademark tune jingle ‘Eleeeeh’ itself defines what a young but talented producer Element is. His creativity and confidence to do magic out of his keyboard makes Element the right producer that Rwandan music needs. In the studio, Country Records, Element creates vibes that can inspire an artist to compose more and come up with special and worth recording. His humble and sociable character makes it easy for artists to work with the youngster whose production skills and creativity continue to prove that age is just a number. The future looks bright for Element. If he keeps working hard, he will undoubtedly break boundaries to go global given that his incredible work ethic has started to catch the attention from international musicians who have already expressed their interest in working with him. Bob Pro What makes Bob Pro special is that he has an extra piece of skill that so many local producers don’t have. He is a pioneer in mastering. A big number of popular producers have no skills in mastering and that attracted artistes to queue for the producers services. His mastering touch has turned things around and has so far been instrumental in pushing local artists to get power play beyond borders, something that Rwandan music had struggled with for years. Clement Ishimwe Ishimwe is a multi-task music entrepreneur whose production is barely doubted but inspires fellow producers to improve their music production. The majority of his artists’ audio projects are recorded at his studio, which is one of the service components that comprise his record label, Kina Music. His routine recording exercise alongside his artistes has helped him know each of his artists, their favorite music taste, rhythm and melody. While the majority of producers of his generation are nowhere to be seen, Ishimwe’s music production has evolved with time, ranking among top producers. This production element remains what makes Kina Music an undisputed record label on the national level. Knoxbeat Knoxbeat’s career in music production rose quickly under Zizou Alpacino. Zizou trusted the producer’s creativity and brought him to his studio ‘Monster Records’ right after Made beats quit. Knoxbeat never wasted the opportunity and outdid what Zizou expected from him. Bushali and The Ben’s collaboration ‘Ngufite ku Mutima’, Social Mula’s ‘Ma Vie’ and Zizou Alaocino’s all-star song ‘Karibu Nyumbani’ are among Knoxbeat’s music projects that went on to become hits. Pastor P He’s already cemented his place among Rwanda’s best producers in the past decade. From Jay Polly’s ‘Mu Gihirahiro’ and Urban Boys’ ‘Sintuza’ to Meddy’s ‘Adi Top’ and The Ben ‘Habibi’, the producer needs no introduction as he is regarded as one of flag bearers of Rwanda’s music production. Pastor P’s music production skills have impressed top local musicians and that has earned him confidence to work on big projects of international artists including Lokua Kwanza’s eighth album in 2012. He is a producer to reckon with for becoming a true inspiration to the new generation aspiring to venture into music production. Dany Beats Dany Beats is increasingly becoming a household name in Rwanda’s music production as songs that he had a hand in continue to feature local media’s request lines. Sintex’s song “Twifunze” as well as Bushali’s “Ku Gasima” and “Niyibizi” are among the songs that pushed his name to another level. Since then, he never looked back and is only getting better. Most of Danny Beats’ hit songs are productions of upcoming artists, including the likes of ‘Sabrina’ by 2020 Prix Decouverte nominee Mike Kayihura. Dr Nganji A number of artists credit producer Dr Ngaji for his role in their rise to fame during their time at Green Ferry Music, his record label. Dr Nganji has been the mastermind of Kinyatrap, a new music style under which a number of popular musicians like Bushali and B-They grew their careers. His ability to create a new music vibe in Rwandan music sees him ranked among top producers that the country has in its disposal.
