U.S-based Rwandan rapper Darkecy has dropped a sizzling video for his latest single, Igisabo.

The singer, born Denis Kayonga Muganza, said that the song was inspired by one of the Miss Rwanda 2017 contestants, Honorine Hirwa.

Hirwa made headlines during the provincial selections for Miss Rwanda 2017, when she told judges that a beautiful Rwandan woman is one who is shaped like Igisabo— a milk churning gourd used in the Rwandan culture. Consequently, she was nicknamed Miss Igisabo Hirwa Honorine.

"This former Miss Rwanda contestant popularised the term Igisabo. I thought it was interesting and quite humorous so I decided to have fun with it,” he explained the inspiration behind his song. 

Yannick Myke, a Rwandan music producer and friend of Darkecy who is based in Bronx, New York laid and provided the instrumental track for the song.

"I tried to write a song that people here in America would also relate to but of course it was intended mostly for Rwandans, hence the Kinyarwanda title. Most of the song is also in Kinyarwanda.

The song is basically supposed to empower the Rwandan woman and not only those with the Igisabo shape but really any Rwandan woman who is ambitious and hardworking and beautiful like Rwandan women are,” added Darkecy.

For the song’s video, he worked with Rwandan poet and actress Malaika Uwamahoro (formerly Angel Uwamahoro), who is also based in New York, where she is pursuing her university studies.

"It was the first time working with Malaika Uwamahoro, although she is a good friend of mine who I’ve known for years. Sometimes I do hang out with her because we both live in New York. The reason I was able to finance this project is because I got a creative grant from my school that I used to pay the video producer and also managed to work with Malaika who helped me partly write the script and who featured in the video.”

Darkecy is pursuing a degree in music at the State University of New York at Oneonta.

Since arriving in the U.S in August 2013, he has had the opportunity to be the opening act for artistes such as T-Pain, and Rwanda R&B musician The Ben. Some of his other songs include Kirikou, In the Summertime, and Ibirahure.

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