For two years, Rwanda’s reggae ace Raphael Mitali, commonly known by his stage name, Natty Dread, has been busy in the studio working on a two-album project that he says will “wake his fans up” after a long absence from the scene. The two albums, dubbed Nestaman Vibration and Reggae Power, are being recorded and produced by Severin Sebahire at his recording studio, Weya Media. Natty Dread, 48, told The New Times he is taking enough time to record the songs for both albums as he looks to drop high quality music for his fans from Rwanda and beyond. “I am working on two albums at the same time. Some of the songs are already out, others are still in the studio. The songs I’m working on are of international standards and proudly made by a local producer. People can expect good music thanks to his production skills,” he said. Each of the albums has 12 songs. Some of the tracks on the Reggae Power album include Children on Street, Street People and Jah Jah Love, among other songs. Nestaman Vibration, whose cover song is a dedication and tribute to Jamaican reggae legend Bob Marley, consists of songs like One Day, Time Will Tell and Uwo Nakundaga. The latter is a Kinyarwanda love story whose general idea is built around the story of a couple that was separated for a long time. They missed each other, but their unbreakable love gave them faith until they were reunited. Most of the songs on both albums reflect on promoting peace and love in the world. There are also a couple of gospel songs which he says he composed to give praise to the Almighty God as one who ‘escaped death many times in his past’. “There is always a reason to thank God. I, for instance, have escaped death over 30 times. So why can’t I thank my Lord? I have four reggae gospel songs on my albums giving credit to my Saviour,” he said. Once the production of both albums is completely finalised, Natty said he plans to send the songs to producer Andy Maika in Germany for further assistance before they are released. He said he will organise a concert and launch the albums if he gets the funds. However, he says, not having sponsorship will not stop him from releasing the albums to his fans in Rwanda or elsewhere. “I can release singles, one by one, until the album is fully completed,” he said. editorial@newtimes.co.rw
