Celebrity Central: LIL G

Karangwa Lionel, a.k.a Lil G, is the youngest Rwandan rapper who is doing it big in the local music industry. At his tender age of 15, he is already a crowd puller and wherever he performs he keeps revellers on their feet with his dazzling freestyle rap techniques. Lil G was born March 20th 1994 in Kigali. He started school in 1997 at La Colombiere and later moved on to St. Joseph from where he completed primary school. He is currently in senior two at Ape Rugunga. The annual street ball which takes place in Kigali was the place where Lil G discovered his enormous talents. It was the street ball held at Petit Stade in December 2007 where during the one week event of discovering local talent that Lil G outshone a host of other young artists to scoop a prize of Rwf50,000 and a one year recording deal with Contact fm studios. Lil G never looked back from then. Up to date, Lil G has released five popular tracks despite his being busy with school. Immediately after getting himself a recording deal with Contact Fm, he went straight to business and in 2008 he released ‘In da club’ a song that emphatically announced his arrival in the growing local music industry. He went on to release four other popular hits and his most recent one ‘Nimba umugabo’ released in September last year is still doing rounds at the local radio stations and in clubs. Lil G is considered one of the pioneers of Kinyarwanda rap and he already has scooped himself accolades including the best performing young artist at the salax awards. He plans to move abroad to Uganda and study from there while at the same time learning from the more established Ugandan artists like Radio&Weasel whom he says are his good friends. He is confident he can strike a balance between his books and music and that stardom does not affect his performance in class. Lyrics to the song ‘Nimba Umugabo’ VERSE1: Nkubita y’abato umunsi umwe nzitwa gentleman appettit kila siku sinsiga imyaka ku isahani south kicu nariyi iciki saa munani Lil G mu byo nkora byose ndi namba one. Mbibutsa ibishuka byaba bitesha ubwere uzakora ute nta mutimanoma nta kameze nimbumugabo nka nzondela mu miterere witeguza rap discours yu mwimerere nkabyuka kare tret tot nkaba ngeze Ape Rugunga nkakora neza kugira ngo nzabone ikintunga nkagendana nabeza ababi nkabahunga kuko banyigisha kwiba nkafatwa bakafunga mu byo nkora ngomba kwiga kugirango nimbumugabonzabone bourse nkazakorera cash nkiyubaha nkambara costume nuzambona wese akabona ko nfite costume CHORUS: Nimbumgabo nzerekana itandu kariza byabagabo icyamicya cyivuza kiri kumutima. Nimbumugabo nzaharanira gukora ibyiza gusa. Indata zanjye nimbumugabo.... VERSE2: Bizaba ari impinduka njye nimb’umugabo ndagije amashuri na kwandika igitabo sinzongera gushomera bya cyane nzareba ibigezweho aribyo tujyana nzitonda iwanjye sinzaba intare y’inkazi ninjira nsuhuza abo nsanze mvuye ku kazi nganiriza abanjye mbasetsa kakahava mbaza abana banjye nti ese comment cava nzaba ntakitwa umwana ndi patron njyenda kukazi muri nissan patrol nkora akzi kanjye nshinzwe nta bya turicherie kandi nirinda ibishuka bya shushu cherie nzakora akazi nkumuntu uciye akenjekuko ndi muto nariye mengeinati nazo ntizizampa agahengekuko mukazi nzaba ndimuziranenge CHORUS:VERSE3: Nimbumugabo sinzambar nk’umupagasi ni veste ndetse n’ikoti iteye ipasintabgo nzaba ndumugome nka fagasicyangwase ngo mbe nkumutwe wa hamasinzafasha abakene kandi batishoboye imfubyi zo kumuhanda n’abapfakazimbakure ku cyovu mbashakire n’akazi kuko nimbumugabo nzaba ndi aimable niyo mpanvu muri byose nzaba ndi capablenzakwizakwiza mu bantu ubukunguhaba mubirabura ndetse n’abazungunimbumugabo nzarwanya akajagarimparanire guteza mbere abariintego yanjye izaba ari amadolarinaba jepe cyangwa umushoramari Ends